Due to the vast availability of products out in the market, selecting the right carpet for your home can become a daunting task. To begin, we need to analyze the areas where the carpeting will be laid and the amount of traffic each area will receive. High traffic areas require a carpet that is strong and durable, resilient to crushing, and can clean easily. Low traffic areas such as bedrooms do not require the same level of durability from a carpet because they don’t get as much traffic and shoes are usually not brought into bedrooms, which prevents soiling and crushing of the yarns. The single most important element of the performance a carpet will have is what type of fiber it’s made of. The three main fibers used in today’s carpets are wool, nylon, and polyester. Other fibers also include polypropylene (also knows as olefin) and triexta which is a subclass of polyester and also shares similar performance characteristics as nylon.

The fibers used in today’s carpets can be split into two categories, synthetic and natural fibers. Polyester, nylon, polypropylene, and triexta fibers are all synthetic “man-made” fibers while wool is a natural fiber derived from the shearing of the sheep’s fleece, which is a sustainable method as sheep regrow their fur yearly and is shorn every 9-12 months. Wool carpet is the premium fiber choice for your home because it has superior properties compared to all the synthetics. Wool fibers are the most durable as they assure maximum serviceability, have excellent resiliency to bounce back when pressed down in high traffic areas, and also have excellent soiling resistance. Wool also provides warmth by creating pockets of still air, thus making the carpet an effective insulator. Wool carpets have a soft and luxurious feel, are naturally flame retardant due to the high amount of protein content, and also improve air quality. Nylon is the most popular fiber used in our industry due to its strength and ability to be cleaned easily. Nylon is great for high traffic areas because it’s very tough and has a high resistance to abrasion. It also is very elastic and resilient giving it excellent recovery from crushing. Polyester fibers are not as durable as nylon, but share many of the same characteristics as nylon and are also more budget-friendly than wool and nylon. Polyesters are known for its vibrant colors as they have the ability to take color better than nylons and wools.

Carpeting has inherent values when compared to other floor coverings, we will focus on decorative and functional values. The decorative values offered by carpet are those that can improve the appearance of the home. Since carpet covers the largest usable area of a room, it serves as a basis for other home furnishings. Carpet provides color and allows homeowners or interior designers to plan a room from the floor up. With careful consideration, the color of the carpet selected will create a particular effect such as space or warmth thus creating a concept of life and interest. Warm colors such as red, orange, yellow, and any combination of these can spark a feeling of activity, friendliness, and cheer. Warm colors also tend to make the room look smaller, or more intimate. Cool colors such as blue, green, blue-violet suggest the sea or the open sky, a meadow or lawn creating a feeling of restfulness. These colors will often make the room look bigger or more open. Carpet can also give personality to a room by choosing linear patterns that promote strength and order, or by choosing curved lines it can create a feeling of gracefulness and rhythm. The functional values offered by carpet are a bit more simple, yet highly important. Carpet reduces impact noises such as footsteps or moving of furniture, it makes bedrooms more quieter for better rest and makes concentrating easier for children doing homework. Carpet gives warmth as it serves as a protective insulation against cold, making the room more comfortable. Carpet provides comfort as it acts as an ideal shock absorber making it a safe bet with children and toddlers. This brings us to our next point which is that carpet is safer. Carpet has more grip than hard surfaces thus reducing the dangers of slips and falls, also minimizing the seriousness of these accidents when they do happen thanks to the carpet cushion acting as a shock absorber.

Knowledge and application of everything mentioned above is a big part in delivering a successful installation. A thorough understanding of carpet construction and tufting or weaving methods is monumental to make sure the highest quality job can be done in a reasonable timeframe that fits our clients’ needs. A properly installed carpet is essential to help execute the vision our clients have when they pick the perfect carpet for their home. A subpar installation can have many negative impacts on the outlook a homeowner has on the product selected, thus ruining the excitement and expectations of homeowners, interior designers, builders, and frankly everyone involved with the process. A trained, educated, and most importantly a certified installer can make all the difference.

New carpet smell comes from the synthetic latex binder used to hold carpet fibers and backing together. The odor is not harmful and usually fades within 72 hours. You can speed up air circulation by opening windows and using fans during and immediately after carpet installation.