Carpets and Rugs: Which Types Are The Best Option For Your Home?

Deciding between a carpet or rug can be tricky, but as far as bedroom decorating ideas go, either would be a great budget option. If you’re satisfied with your current flooring, whether it’s laminate, hardwood, tile or marble then area rugs would be a good idea. You would not want to cover your beautiful floors with wall to wall carpeting completely.

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On the other hand, if you are tired of seeing your old flooring or are not happy with it anymore then have plush wall to wall carpeting installed in your home. You don’t need to have all the rooms carpeted, but if they’re in your room, then you should know how to clean your room because they are a part of it.

Having soft, fluffy carpeting underneath your bare feet is a luxury most people enjoy. Having carpets in the bedrooms would be an excellent idea, do the hallways too for a nice homey vibe.

There are several things to keep in mind when considering what would be best for your home.

Different types of Rugs and Carpets

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Since all carpets are tufted, meaning fibres or threads are punched through a base material or primary backing. After feeding the fibres through the primary backing, a secondary backing material is used to hold them in place.

There are different methods used to create the textured surface of a specific type of carpet. These are the three basic types of carpeting used today, and each class has several subtypes as well.

Carpeting

• Loop Pile

As the name suggests, individual fibres are looped which create a sturdy and stain resistant surface.  This type of carpet is versatile in the designs it can produce. Although, due to the loops of this type of carpet, it is more prone to snagging if you have pets.

Level loop – All the loops are the same height, these are also durable and do well in high traffic areas. This type of loop carpeting is sometimes called Berber.

Multi-level loop – The loop fibres are not the same height. This style is used to create patterned designs with varying texture. Also very durable and is a favourite in high traffic areas.

• Cut Pile

These have fibres that stand upright. Usually, the loops are cut hence the name “cut pile”. This type typically has twisted fibres and are denser than the alternative, making them softer. These also do well in high traffic areas.

Plush – This type of cut pile carpeting have long fibres which are dense and very comfortable on the soles of your feet.

Textured –  Similar to the multi-level loop in the sense that the fibres are uneven in height. This creates a rougher surface which is still comfortable underfoot.

Frieze or Shag – This type also has very long fibres which are comfortable underfoot. Very popular for leisure areas that do not have much foot traffic.

Saxony – One of the most popular kinds of cut pile carpeting. It has long fibres but is twisted that help to create more body. It looks and feel denser than most other carpets and is still durable and works well in heavy foot traffic conditions.

• Cut and Loop Pile

This type of carpet has the best of both worlds. It can create patterns using the two basic styles, so it is more versatile in that sense. Cut and loop carpets are also very sturdy and do hold up well in high foot traffic areas.

Rugs

• Hand tufted

Loops of fibre are fed through the primary backing to create a unique pattern. These are sheared to create a cut pile finish. This type of rug requires a lot of labour to produce just one but is still affordable.

• Hand-knotted

This type of rug is the most labour intensive out of all the types of rugs. Each knot is hand tied using a loom. Most often made out of wool or silk and is very popular for their long lifespan, usually lasts for generations. Depending on the quality, their value increases the older it gets.

• Hand hooked

For this type of rug has large loops of fibre that are fed through a primary backing to create patterns. Unlike hand tufted, this type is not shared.

• Braided or flat weave

Commonly made through a weaving process on a piece of cloth. No backing material is used. This type of rug is typically reversible, made from cotton, wool or sometimes jute.

• Machine made

The most modern among all the types of rugs, these are made through computer precision using mechanical power looms. Often created using synthetic fibres like nylon or polyester.

Things to consider when going carpet or rug shopping

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1. Size

The first thing you need to do is measure the rooms you want to carpet. If you plan on buying an area rug take rough measurements of the area you want the rug for. Rough measurements are fine for this initial process.

2. Function

Think about how the room is going to be used, if you are doing a lot of entertaining in the room then you need a carpet for sure. Carpets are great for insulating sound so you may want to put extra thick carpeting in your living room and master bedroom.

Area rugs are great for when you need to pull furniture together. A good area rug for a living room should be big enough to cover the floor space of all the chairs in the room.

However, it is acceptable to have wall to wall carpeting in the living room for example and also have an area rug to create a room within the room. A prized rug will still look nice on top of light-toned carpet.

3. Colour

It would be best to avoid extra light tones like white or beige for areas that get a lot of foot traffic. This would save you the headache of having to be too concerned about every possible accident permanently staining your carpet.

There is no such thing as a permanent stain on a rug or carpet. As long as you know how to clean a carpet, then you can remove almost any stain.

Darker tones like brown, grey and even black lend an air of sophistication to a room; not to mention make it feel cosier.

4. Quality & Cost

You need to decide on a budget when shopping for new carpeting. Keep the overall cost in mind when choosing a budget. The cost of removing old carpeting should be in your computation as well as the installation of the new carpet. For the best value, you can look into carpet installation prices online

Purchasing a new carpet can be expensive, but this is an investment towards increasing the value and comfort level of your home. So do not choose the cheapest carpet you see because that will end up costing you more down the line.

The cheaper the carpet is, the lower the quality is. This goes hand in hand with most things, the same is true for carpeting. When you are selecting a kind of carpet, bend the samples to the light, if you can see the backing material then that means it is too thin.

For high traffic areas choose carpeting that has a high face weight. Face weight indicates how much fibre there is per square meter of carpet. The lower the number, the less durable it is, choose one in the mid-range.

5. Padding

Padding of a carpet is essential. It will also determine how long a carpet will last. The higher the density, the better it is for high traffic areas. Choose to pad with a density of a minimum of eight pounds.

Thinner but firm padding is good for high traffic areas as well. While it is acceptable to have thick padding for rooms or areas that do not get too much foot traffic.

Conclusion:

Choosing the best rug or carpet for your home primarily depends on its function. Rugs are great accent pieces for any room. They can enhance the style of the busiest rooms and can lend a touch of class to the most private bedrooms.

Carpets are great to insulate sound plus keep your feet nice and cosy when walking barefoot on your carpeted floors. The other aspects like colour, design, style or type can be for aesthetic purposes.

For more amazing ideas you can have, visit Guy About Home today or you can check the related blogs:

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