Carpet Buying Guide

Choosing Your New Carpet from Carpet Mills

Carpet is a luxurious and comfortable flooring which is a great choice for any home, it's real beauty lies in it's versatility - it is suitable for virtually any room in the house, is available in any colour and provides a warm, tactile surface to walk, sit or play on. it absorbs more sound than other types of flooring and reduces heat loss more effectively.

Which room?

When choosing new carpet from Carpet Mills, it's important to think about where it's going and what type wear it will have to cope with,

Bedroom carpet, for example, does not see as much traffic as a living room so you could choose a less hard wearing carpet for here, or you could, of course, have a more luxurious carpet in the knowledge that it will look and feel better for longer, In areas of high use like your stairs always choose a heavy domestic carpet.

Choosing the right construction

Carpets come in different construction styles and weights, giving increasing levels of luxury and durability to suit the area it is fitted,

There are two main construction styles of carpet - twist and loop piles,

Twist pile and Saxony carpets are probably the most common choice, they comprise of twisted yarns which are cut to a certain length creating a textured, springy and durable surface, Saxony carpets are essentially twist carpets but with much longer fibres to give a plush, luxurious feel,

Loop pile and Berber carpets are made by looping the yarn, these can be very durable and used in more heavy traffic areas as there is less pile to flatten down although tend not to feel as soft as a twist or saxony carpet, if you have pets it is possible for their claws to pull or snag the loops, Berber carpets are more often textured with an irregular finish

Composition

Polypropylene carpets are the most popular as they are inexpensive whilst providing good stain resistance and durability - Great for tighter budgets,

Wool blend carpets in a twist pile are usually 80% wool, 20% manmade fibre providing greater durability and versatility, wool carpets have integral strength as wool naturally springs back, also being made from natural, sustainable materials are the perfect eco-friendly choice,

Polyester carpets offer the softness and comfort of wool and is commonly used in thicker, deeper and more luxurious carpets.

Pile density and weight

Pile density in carpets are generally measured in imperial weights - in ounces per square yard, more often with wool twist piles and heavier saxonys, most carpets are generally between 35 and 60oz, the heavier the weight or pile density, the greater the luxury and durability, Not all carpets will display a weight although you can generally feel the density of the pile and underatand it's quality, but our staff at Carpet Mills are always on hand to give you the right advice

Get it right from the start

Carpets should always be professionally installed, 

The right Underlay is also vital to prolonging the life of your carpet, it provides the right cushioning under your carpet that keeps your carpet feeling and looking good, it also helps reduce noise and increases heat retention. For these reasons it is a false economy to lay your new carpet on an old underlay, you should always invest in the best underlay you can afford as it will definitely pay off during the life of your carpet.