Choosing the Right Carpet For Your Home

If you walk into any carpeting store, you'll find yourself amazed at all of the choices that are there for you to pick from. You'll find textured plush carpets, saxony carpets, berber carpets, and even commercial grade carpets. There are carpets that can be installed wall to wall, and carpets that can be cut to size with bound edges and carpet squares.

Where will the carpet be used?
Your first consideration when purchasing a new carpet should not be color, even though it is important. Your first consideration should be how much traffic you are going to have on the carpet. If you plan to put carpet in the bedroom, then it won't have as much traffic as carpet in the living room.

Carpet Features to Consider
Stain resistance will also be important. This is something to think about with any carpet, especially carpet that is going to be used in a dining room or play room area where there will be a steady stream of food or possibilities for spills.

Carpet Rating
You'll also want to inquire about the rating of the carpet as well. Indoor carpeting is normally rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest rating. Carpets with a 5 rating are considered the best for heavy traffic areas. Rating of 4 are considered outstanding and recommended for heavy traffic areas of your home.

Ratings of 2.5 to 4 would provide normal durability for your home. Carpets that rate 2.5 or lower should only be used with light traffic areas, such as bedrooms. Choosing carpet based on the type of traffic it will receive can help you save a lot of money down the road, although you should buy carpet suited to your needs and requirements.

What is the Carpet Made of?
The highest quality of carpet you can buy is carpet made of wool. Wool carpets are very expensive, although you'll reap the benefits over years of use as wool will easily out perform any man made carpet. Two of the best benefits of wool carpet include its natural soil resistance and it's ability to retain appearance, meaning it won't crush or wear down like other carpets.

The downside to wool carpet, is the fact that it is out of reach for most of us. If you can't afford to have wool carpet installed throughout your entire house, then you should instead have it installed in the room that receives the highest amount of traffic.

There are several different man made carpets that you can choose from as well. If you have a high traffic area, then nylon would be an ideal choice due to the durability. Nylon is stain resistant as well, and repels mildew.

Carpets made of olefin is also a great choice for high traffic areas as it is very strong and easy to clean. Polyester is another good carpet as it is easy to clean and repels water based stains. Polyester is known for the look and feel of wool, although it is much less expensive.

Carpet Color
The color consideration is also important. Light colored carpets create an effect of a larger space, although they do tend to show stains more easily. Dark carpets on the other hand tend to absorb light, giving a room what many know as the "cozy feeling".

When you find a carpet that appeals to you, you should ask to take a piece of it home. Look at it during natural daylight and at night under an artificial light to see if the color changes at all.

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Rhonda Morin, owner of http://myinteriordecorator.com and author of The Decorating Bible, enjoys writing and teaching others how to decorate the homes.

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Copyright (R) Rhonda Morin, MyInteriorDecorator.com. Article may not be reprinted without permission and may not be reprinted without author byline including the active links.

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