Basics you should know about carpet
When you walk into carpet stores, you'll see hundreds of samples and rolls, all from different mills. That's great news because it means there's something for everyone and every budget, but it can also be overwhelming. Always concentrate on your needs and think of the two things that appearance, performance, and longevity of any carpet installation: fiber and pile.
Natural vs. synthetic carpet fibers
One of the questions we hear most often in our showroom is whether a natural or synthetic fiber is best, but it comes down to your personal preference. Wool is luxurious and soft and is the most common natural fiber, but nylon is the most popular synthetic, used in about 90% of all residential rugs. It is soft but ultra-strong, resilient, and durable, making it ideal for heavily trafficked floors. Polyester has superior resistance to stains, as best for moderately busy floors, while olefin (polypropylene) is budget-friendly, soft, and stain-resistant. Relative newcomer Triexta is even stronger than nylon and has permanent stain repellent built into the fiber.
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Cut pile, and different carpet styles
Cut pile refers to a style where the exposed fibers are sheared off evenly. Different styles, textures, and patterns can be created just by changing cut angles, heights, and twists. Straight Saxony, sometimes also called Saxony Velvet, is an example of a cut pile. It is plush, soft, and dense and has a more formal appearance. Textured Saxony, also sometimes called "trackless" because it won't show vacuum marks or footprints, has an embedded pattern, and is more contemporary.
The frieze-cut pile has long fibers that are so tightly twisted they curl. It has a more casual feeling. This is sometimes confused with the shag, which is also a high pile without the twist. Some fibers are cut, and others looped, sometimes also referred to as "sculpted pile." Here, the yarn creates various patterns, often with a three-dimensional appearance. Looped carpets are also sometimes called "uncut pile" or "Berber pile." They aren't cut but, instead, keep the yarn loop intact.
The frieze-cut pile has long fibers that are so tightly twisted they curl. It has a more casual feeling. This is sometimes confused with the shag, which is also a high pile without the twist. Some fibers are cut, and others looped, sometimes also referred to as "sculpted pile." Here, the yarn creates various patterns, often with a three-dimensional appearance. Looped carpets are also sometimes called "uncut pile" or "Berber pile." They aren't cut but, instead, keep the yarn loop intact.
Your Kentucky carpet experts
It's easy to become distracted by all the colors, patterns and styles, but we'll help you sort it out. We hope to see you at one of Kevin's Carpets showrooms in Georgetown & Lexington, KY where you'll walk out with inspiration and a free carpet flooring quote. We work with homeowners in and around Lexington, KY, Georgetown, KY, Midway, KY, Versailles, KY, Frankfort, KY, Nicholasville, KY, Winchester, KY, Paris, KY, Richmond, KY and Cynthiana, KY.
