All About Carpet!

There is no doubt that carpet offers homeowners more warmth, softness and comfort than any other floor covering. Today’s carpet styles, colors and textures blend well with a variety of other flooring products. From casual to formal you can always find carpet to enrich any interior setting and your lifestyle. There are carpets for all areas of the home where fashion and function are both important in selection.

• Carpet adds warmth and is soft under feet and easier on children’s knees.
• Carpet is much quieter than hard surface floors.
• Carpet comes in a wide variety of color tones and hues.
• Carpet is easy to decorate with and offers many solid color tones for rooms with patterned wall coverings.
• Carpet can hide many sub floor irregularities that would not be permitted with hard surface floors.
• Carpet can go over a variety of substrates and on all grade levels, even concrete slabs in basements.
• Carpet is economical and the installation costs are much less than some of the hard surface products.

Carpet is still the flooring of choice for many American homeowners where warmth and comfort are a priority in their decorating. Choosing the right color and style with confidence is easier if you have a basic understanding of today’s carpet fashions and how they apply to your personal tastes and lifestyle. About Floors, Inc. offers the finest collections of carpet brands to meet a family’s needs, preferences and decorating budget.

Color

Color is always first on our minds when it comes to choosing a floor. Consider how you want the carpet to coordinate with your interior. Do you want the carpet to be the focal point or blend with your interior?

Foot Traffic

High Traffic areas, such as hallways and entryways require durable carpets made of resilient fibers engineered to resist wear and abrasion, crushing and matting. Other areas, such as bedrooms and family rooms may have high traffic areas as well. Take a moment to inspect the carpet you are replacing before it is removed to identify high traffic areas in your home.

Performance

The performance and quality of a carpet is directly related to the amount and quality of fiber that goes into the pile. The better the fiber and the denser it is packed, the better the carpet will perform. Thin, less dense carpet will lose its surface appearance faster. It is best to buy the highest quality carpet and cushion that you can afford.

Carpet Fibers

The most common fibers used in carpet today are nylon, olefin, polyester and natural fibers such as wool or sisal. The inherent characteristics found in each of these fibers helps determine their use and color offering. Premium, nylon soft fibers are extremely popular and offer superior soil-hiding characteristics, comfort, durability and brilliant color palettes.

Soil Resistance

With soil-resistant treated carpets you no longer have to be afraid of choosing a lighter, more vibrant color to enhance your décor.

Stain Resistance

Most residential carpets offer some type of stain resistance. Those who enjoy entertaining or who have children and pets should consider carpets with high levels of stain resistance.

Carpet Construction

Carpet construction varies from loops, cut piles to patterns which produce different degrees of texture, appearance and durability. Each type of construction is designed to meet the diverse lifestyles of today’s families.

Carpet Cushion

Carpets last longer and perform better when the proper cushion is used underneath. Although carpet cushion is often thought of as an add-on it is an integral part of the carpet system.

Learn More About Carpet:

• Carpet Construction & Texture (PDF)
• The History of Carpet (PDF)
• The Benefits of Carpet (PDF)
• Carpet Fibers (PDF)
• How is Carpet Made? (PDF)

Did You Know?

~ Light colors generally show fewer footprints, while dark colors show less soil and stains.

~ Low-luster yarns will show fewer footprints, while high luster, shiny yarns show more highlights and accents.

~ To minimize maintenance light colors are best restricted to low traffic areas such as dining rooms, formal living rooms and guest bedrooms.

~ Multi-colored carpets are extremely effective in minimizing the effects of everyday dirt and soil.

~ Carpets with higher twist levels will hold their like-new appearance longer, even in high traffic areas.

Carpet Cushion – it’s a good thing!

Quality carpet cushion can dramatically extend the life of a carpet by acting as a shock absorber whenever someone walks on the carpet. The cushion absorbs most of the downward impact caused by walking on the carpet and then springs the carpet’s pile back up after each step.

• Carpet cushion adds comfort to any carpet and makes a carpet feel richer and more luxurious.
• A separate cushion installed underneath a carpet improves a carpet’s acoustical and insulating properties making the room warmer and quieter.
• Cushion can also reduce fatigue caused by standing on a hard surface for extended periods of time.
• A separate cushion below carpet helps hide unevenness in a subfloor.