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5-things-to-look-for-in-quality-carpeting

Quality Carpet: Density, Fiber Type, and Twist Number

The kind of carpet in a home is only memorable for two reasons: it’s excellent, or it’s really bad. We all remember the neighbor’s house with the soft, thick living room carpet and we all remember the neighbor’s house with the dirty, threadbare carpet. Quality carpet is an investment in your home. Keep these five things in mind, and your carpet will be remembered for the right reasons and could potentially save you money in the long run. Hint: What carpet fiber you choose is a huge factor.

Traffic

The first consideration isn’t about the carpet; it’s about your home. If you only take away one thing from this post, remember this: when you’re choosing carpet, think about how much traffic the area you’re buying carpet for will get.

Carpet Style

Now that you’ve thought about traffic think about what style matches with the different traffic zones you’re buying for. Carpet that looks and feels fantastic in the living room won’t be ideal for areas that have more people walking on it, and plusher carpets tend to have a lifetime of around five years, which gets even shorter if they’re in a high-traffic area. Carpets with dense, tightly-twisted fibers are better for high-traffic areas, and some, like Frieze, can last 20 years, making this potentially pricey option very cost-effective over time.

Carpet Fiber Type

Your carpet’s life expectancy will be dependent on the type of fiber you choose. Synthetic carpet fibers last longest in high traffic areas. Polyester is a great choice when it comes to cost-effectiveness. Nylon is a bit more expensive, but has more durability than polyester, what polyester lacks in durability it makes up for in softness. If one of your main concerns is stain removal, polyester is a slightly better choice because its fibers are less absorbent than nylon fibers. Wool/nylon blends will have a longer lifespan than wool-only carpeting when it comes to cost and longevity because of nylon’s resiliency. Carpet fiber is the first thing you should look at when considering your investment.

Twist Number

This is a count of how many times the carpet fibers have been twisted together. Higher numbers mean more twists, which means the carpet is more durable than carpets with lower twist numbers. Carpets with a very low twist number can end up getting that sad, frayed look after they’ve seen too much action; carpets with a high twist number won’t show their age as quickly.

Carpet Density

Carpet density measures how tightly-packed the carpet fibers are onto the backing. Different types of fiber and style will have different carpet densities, but you can compare within the same fiber or style by bending a carpet sample in half to see how much backing shows: more backing means lower-density carpet, which is fine for low-traffic areas but doesn’t hold up well to high traffic.

So what kind of carpet is the best quality carpet? Unfortunately, there’s no one size fits all answer to that question (or else we’d recommend that one to everyone and then go home for the day!). This list is just the beginning. Remember, your carpet is as individual as your home—and at Carpet Direct, we’ll help you find the perfect match.

Are you interested in replacing or installing carpet in your home? Click here to get a quote!

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