ALL ABOUT CARPET
WHAT IS CARPET?
At its core, carpet is a soft flooring made from densely packed rows of twisted yarn.
Let’s Talk Carpet Fibers
Carpet yarn can be made from several different kinds of fibers. While most carpets nowadays are made from synthetic fibers, some are still made from natural fibers, like wool. Below are the five most common types of carpet fibers.
Wool
A natural fiber taken from sheep's coats, wool was the first-ever fiber used to make carpet Though wool carpets clean and age well, they’re more expensive than today’s synthetic fibers, leading to a decline in the use of wool carpeting.
Polypropylene
Polypropylene, sometimes also referred to as Olefin, is a synthetic fiber that is the second-most commonly used fiber on the market right now (after nylon). Like Polyester, the fiber is naturally stain and fade-resistant.
Polyester
Polyester is a common fiber used for carpet due to its color clarity and density. In addition to this, another perk of polyester carpeting is that it has excellent resistance to both staining and fading.
Trexta
Trexta is a polymer that was originally classified as a polyester. In its early days, Triexta was produced solely by DuPont under the SoronaTM brand name. It offers superior stain resistance alongside its durability. It is also a more environmentally friendly fiber than traditional polyester because it is made using corn glucose, a rapidly renewable resource.
Nylon
The most durable synthetic fiber on the market today, nylon is also the most commonly used fiber for carpeting. Nylon rose in popularity due to its durability and the fact that it retains its like-new appearance for longer than many other carpet fibers, ultimately giving consumers more bang for their buck.
Featured Brands
Getting the most out of your floors is important. That’s why it’s crucial to turn to brands you know you can trust to meet (and exceed) your needs. When selecting your new carpets, keep your lifestyle in mind. For busy households, consider a SmartStrand Forever Clean carpet made to repel dirt, spills, stains, and dander before they reach the carpet fibers, and maintain that like-new appearance longer than nylon carpets.
Bob’s is proud to be very selective in all our providers, offering only the highest-quality options from the world’s most respected distributors.
DIFFERENT STYLES OF CARPET
THE THREE MAIN CATEGORIES
Loop Pile
The Loop pile carpet is low-profile, revealing no exposed yarn tips. This style allows for better wear in busy spaces, making loop pile carpet the ideal choice for commercial use as well as high-traffic areas in the home.
Berber
Berber is a commonly used type of loop pile carpet, and it is notorious for its color flecks and is usually made from olefin fiber, making Berber carpet another smart choice for high-traffic areas due to its naturally stain- and fade-resistant nature.
Cable or Shag
Cable (also called shag) is low density but uses thicker, longer yarn for a high pile height. Better suited for low-traffic spaces, cable can be difficult to care for and is susceptible to matting and crushing under heavy use.
Cut Pile
Cut pile carpets are soft and cushiony, making them perfect for spaces like bedrooms and nurseries in the home. They feature fibers that are cut, rather than looped, at a specific length.
Plush Carpet
Plush (also called textured carpet) is the most popular and has the most formal appearance of the cut pile options. Plush carpets can appear to have darker or lighter shades in areas that have been brushed in opposite directions and, because of this, footprints and vacuum cleaner marks tend to show more visibly.
Saxony
Saxony carpet is very similar to plush. However, it is slightly more formal with finer yarns. Like plush, this style is better suited to low-traffic areas as it is prone to show footprints and direction changes more visibly than traditional plush carpets.
Frieze
Saxony carpet is very similar to plush. However, it is slightly more formal with finer yarns. Like plush, this style is better suited to low-traffic areas as it is prone to show footprints and direction changes more visibly than traditional plush carpets.
Loop-Cut-Loop (LCL)
LCL (or cut-and-loop) carpet uses cut and uncut yarn to create more depth in appearance. The combination of the two types of yarn also helps to disguise both wear and dirt, making LCL carpet another great choice for heavy-use spaces
Why Choose Carpet?
When it comes to flooring your home, there is an overwhelming amount of options to choose from. There’s carpet, hardwood, tile, vinyl, and laminate (just to name a few). So, how can you know which surface is right for you?
Ultimately, choosing carpet means making an investment in the kind of lifestyle you want – without breaking the bank. It allows you to merge affordability with style and comfort with eco-friendliness for a best-of-both-worlds lifestyle that’s hard to beat.
Cost
Carpet is one of the most affordable flooring solutions, starting at lower prices than almost all other materials except for sheet vinyl. The cost of materials, installation, and maintenance can cost up to half the price of hardwood floors, giving you more bang for your buck.
Comfort
Walking on hard surfaces, such as hardwood or tile, can cause pain and discomfort on the heels and balls of your feet, leading to more serious medical problems later in life. A carpeted floor provides a soft cushion for your feet that absorbs the shock of each step and reduces stress on your joints. You can choose between the different pile cuts of carpet and padding to get just the right amount of comfort for your lifestyle. *Buyers Tip: if comfort and durability are your top two priorities when considering what carpet to buy, a Frieze style carpet is the perfect fit for you.
Eco-Friendly
There is a wide range of carpets made from sustainable resources sold at competitive prices. When shopping for carpets, look for options that are made from natural fibers, like wool, with little or no chemical treatment. Consider flooring your home with a DuPont Sorona™ carpet because it is made from environmentally friendly polyester fiber triexta. *Buyers Tip: When choosing padding for under your carpet look for 100% recycled cotton padding instead of traditional padding that contains plastics made from petroleum and other unrenewable resources.
Style
Whether your home has more of a mid-century modern or a rustic farmhouse vibe, there is a carpet color to match your personal style. You have thousands of options to choose from. Whether your ideal carpet has solid colors, patterns, or intricate design, there’s a perfect style waiting to take your home’s decor to the next level.
