Choosing Carpet for Your Home: Tips and Advice

Pros and Cons

Before we discuss all the advantages and disadvantages, we should define the concept itself. Carpet is a roll floor covering with pile of varying length. The main differences from a rug: it has an unlimited length, is laid along the entire length and width of the room, the design is usually small, repeating (pattern).

Pros of carpet:

• Universal. There are a large number of models on sale, differing in color, pattern, pile length: you can find one to suit any style.
• Soft to the touch. When there are small children in the house, you don’t have to worry about them playing on the floor. And adults will enjoy walking on such a surface.
• Durable. Carpeting in apartments began to be laid later, initially the material was intended for decorating lobbies, corridors and foyers in hotels, public places.
• Eco-friendly. Suitable for use in children’s and adult bedrooms.
• Insulating. The carpet not only absorbs extraneous noise, but is also an excellent heat insulator: it is pleasant to walk on a warm floor even barefoot.
• Easy to lay. To lay it in an apartment, you do not necessarily need to call a specialist: with certain knowledge, you can easily do it yourself.
• Inexpensive. The minimum price per square meter is about 260 rubles, which is 2 times cheaper than the cost of laminate.

The photo shows light carpet in the interior of an attic

Disadvantages of carpet:

• Difficult to maintain. Compared to linoleum or laminate, cleaning requires more effort and time: most debris is removed with a vacuum cleaner, and dirt will have to be additionally cleaned with a brush.
• Permeable to moisture. The carpet itself is not destroyed by water, but moisture passes through it to the base, which can lead to the appearance of fungus.
• Easily soiled. It is easier to stain, especially on light flooring, than you think. Be prepared to stock up on an arsenal of special products and use them constantly.
• Dust-retaining. Any carpet is a dust collector – so if there are allergy sufferers in the family, it is better to avoid fleecy surfaces.

The photo shows carpet in a nursery

Types and characteristics

By the production method, carpet is divided into:

1. Tufted. It is made by punching the base with wool needles and forming loops from them. The technology makes the carpet rigid, but allows for multi-level patterns and different effects by varying the pile depth, cutting it or leaving it whole.
2. Woven. The weft and warp threads are intertwined, which allows for a durable, wear-resistant material.
3. Needle-punched. The process resembles felting – jagged needles pull the wool back and forth, forming a dense surface. It is inferior to the first two types in beauty, but is distinguished by increased wear resistance and soundproofing characteristics.

Pile can be:

• Natural. It is made from wool, cotton, linen, sisal. Almost no chemicals are used in production, so the cost is higher than synthetics. The solution is suitable for living rooms not only because of its eco-friendliness, but also because of its ability to maintain a microclimate: the fibers absorb excess moisture, and when the air becomes dry, they begin to give it off.
• Synthetic. The floor covering is made from polyacrylic, polyamide, and polyester threads. Their price is justifiably lower, but their resistance to dirt is better: the surface can be washed, and most stains can be easily removed from it.

By base material distinguish between:

• Felt. Does not rot, suitable for wet cleaning.
• Textile. Can only withstand dry cleaning.
• Rubber. Not afraid of water, but takes a long time to dry.
• Latex. Dries like rubber, for a long time. After 5-7 years of use, it may begin to crumble.

The last difference in carpet is the scope of application:

1. Household. Soft pile, at the same time allows you to walk in socks or barefoot and complicates the care process.
2. Commercial. Coarser pile (created for walking in shoes), restrained range of shades. Easier to care for. The cost is higher than for household carpet.

Selection rules

What kind of carpet to lay depends on the functional purpose of the interior.

Living room

Home comfort will be created by tufted or woven carpets with a high pile. Feel free to use design techniques, such as bright colors or printed patterns.

The photo shows the installation of a single contour carpet

Bedroom

Eco-friendly natural material will fit into the rest rooms, but for allergy sufferers it is better to choose short-haired artificial materials.

Children’s room

Recommendations are the same as for the bedroom: the floor in a small child’s room should not cause allergies, but remain pleasant to the touch, suitable for playing.

Hallway

Hallways are characterized by high traffic and pollution. In the area of the entrance door, it is better to abandon it in favor of practical tiles. In the rest of the room, lay a commercial or wear-resistant household option.

Design options and color scheme

In the design of residential premises, carpeting in light basic shades is mainly used – gray, beige. But the shade options are virtually endless (especially for carpet with artificial pile).

Achromatic black, white or bright peach, lemon, green, blue, red — everyone will find a suitable option for themselves.

Carpet for children’s rooms is often produced with a pattern: geometric, animalistic, floral. There are also images of entire cities with houses and roads.

Important! When choosing models with a pattern, remember: carpet in the interior will last at least 10 years. Are you ready to see exactly this kind of floor every day for this period of time?

Care recommendations

A cozy floor covering requires 2 types of cleaning: regular and deep.

• At least once a week, clean the floor with a vacuum cleaner (it is better to use a special turbo nozzle with a rotating brush). It removes dust and refreshes the appearance.
• Deep dry cleaning is carried out once every 1-3 months (depending on the surface condition). To do this, you should buy a special powder for carpets. It is distributed over the carpet, wait for the time indicated on the package, and collected with a vacuum cleaner.

Pay special attention to the stains that have formed: they must be removed from the carpet as quickly as possible so that the dirt does not have time to dry. The problem of fresh stains can be solved with the same deep cleaning powder or a special stain remover.

How does it look in the interior?

Designers and homeowners still do not have a unified opinion about carpet: some consider it outdated, impractical, others – stylish, cozy. But the fact remains: the scope of application of rolled carpets is wide, and the service life depends more on the quality of the surface itself than on its care.

The photo shows high pile carpet

If you look at photos of foreign interiors, you can see that most rooms have carpet.

The photo neutral pattern option for a nursery

It is used less often in Russia, but if you have helpers at home (for example, a robot vacuum cleaner), you definitely shouldn’t be afraid: with proper care, it will retain its original appearance for many years.

Before buying, evaluate all the pros and cons of the carpet, carefully study the composition – only then make a decision about payment.