Best carpeting for living room
10 ways to add warmth and luxury |
Living room carpet is back where it should be, at the heart of the home. Its charms are more than simply good looks, as it ticks the boxes for seductive softness, and in these days of high fuel bills, has welcome insulating qualities for your living room flooring ideas.
The main advantage of living room carpet is the incredible range of decorating possibilities that it offers, thanks to the wide variety of colors and textures, as well as the feeling of warmth underfoot.
The different types of carpet pile available mean you can create a dramatically different look and feel, from the smoothness of velvet pile, to the sumptuous luxury of Saxony. We explore the best options for your living room ideas.
Living room carpet ideas – embrace the cozy feel of carpet
From patterned to plain, wool to sisal, these inviting carpet ideas can bring a welcome warmth to your home.
1. Go for luxury with a wool carpet
(Image credit: Polly Eltes / Future)
Wool is the preferred option for a living room rug or carpet, not only because it’s a natural fibre but also for its hardwearing qualities and natural springiness, which make it resistant to being compressed by furniture and footsteps. It’s also warm and soft with a luxurious, unmatched feel.
2. Consider color choices
(Image credit: Brent Darby / Future)
Although the vast majority of us are still opting for neutral carpet, subtle changes are seeping in. The traditional gold and beige tones are being replaced by greys, taupes and stone shades, while strong color is being used now in the same way as wallpaper, to create an accent. Damsons and plums are also popular living room color schemes.
3. Introduce texture to your flooring
(Image credit: Brintons)
Texture in interior design is fundamental, and no more so than on a living room carpet. At the top end of the market textured carpets are clean and crisp, without heavy patterns. ‘However, we are now seeing this smooth surface being broken up by ribbed, herringbone or checked designs,’ says Michael Turner, General Manager, Crucial Trading .
Deep, long pile gives flooring the feel-good factor, while a mix of high and low pile heights can be very luxurious.
‘This gives you a carpet that feels good at a reasonable price,’ says David Cormack, Marketing Director, Cormar . Nubbly boucle in solid colors are also in demand.
4. Play with pattern
(Image credit: Brockway)
The latest living room trends suggest that pattern in back in a big way. Stripes are in – and are now available in several brave colorways – perfect for stairs and small living rooms. The master of stripes Roger Oates champions the versatility of stripes. ‘You can be bold with widths and colors to create drama, or use fine lines to for a more classic or subtle effect,’ he says.
Floral designs are also making a comeback. ‘There’s a trend for designs influenced by the floral and fauna found in nature,' says Kelly Butler, Design Manager, Brintons .
5. Focus on materials when choosing a living room carpet
(Image credit: Brintons)
If you’re looking for more unusual effects and finishes, consider some of the more unexpected fibres.
‘There’s a growing trend of using a percentage of silk or artificial silk, which gives the look of silk at a moderate price,’ says Martin Long of The Carpet Library.
‘Lama is another sleek choice, which is stronger than sheep wool and comes in lots of non-dyed natural shades,’ says Jhon Campo, of Van Besouw . 'Luxurious mohair has a unique feel, and a dense pile, with a slight natural oiliness that protects the fibres.'
6. Choose plant-fibre floorings for a natural look
(Image credit: Davide Lovatti / Future)
Natural floorings made from plant fibre are a versatile option, having moved on from merely rustic designs to encompass smart city looks, too. It can be fitted in the same way as carpet, used as a room square or as a rug or runner with a bound or decorative fabric or leather edge.
Plant-fibre flooring doesn’t cope well with water and high humidity so isn’t the right choice for a kitchen or bathroom. Ask for flooring to be pre-treated with a stain inhibitor.
Natural flooring is not as dimensionally stable as carpet (sisal may shrink, while coir can swell and shrink), so it should be stuck down.
‘For comfort and longevity, a firm underlay is usually used and the flooring is stuck to that,’ says Michael Turner of Crucial Trading.
7. Opt for a made-to-measure carpet
(Image credit: Davide Lovatti / Future)
Bespoke living room carpet can bring an individual look to a room whether used on a sweeping scale for a large drawing room, or for a much smaller project.
‘Bespoke carpet may seem expensive, yet it’s made to the size required so there’s no wastage, and a border can be made to fit any shape of room,’ says Amy Lawton, Design Director, Concept Hand Tufting . 'A sample is hand-tufted for approval by the customer, before the carpet is made up.'
8. Look for quality with a woven carpet
(Image credit: Robert Sanderson / Future)
If quality is your watchword, consider woven carpet, made in the traditional method way by weaving the pile into the backing.
‘The quality of a woven carpet is instantly recognizable’ says Ray Snell, Design Manager, Ulster Carpets . ‘The relatively labor-intensive manufacturing process and large quantity of yarn used means a high price ticket, but the quality is second to none, producing stable, very dense carpet.'
9. Or, go for a tufted option
(Image credit: Polly Eltes / Future)
The alternative is tufted carpet, both plain and patterned, made using needles to punch the pile into a backing fabric before a secondary backing is stuck on with latex, to add stability and hold the tufts firm. The quality versions are not necessarily a second-best to woven carpet, and much carpet is now made this way.
10. Factor in the different types of weave
(Image credit: Mark Nicholson / Future)
The surface pile texture can make a huge difference to the look and wear of the carpet.
– Twist pile carpets have tightly twisted yarns to give a hardwearing carpet with a crisp feel; these are less likely to show footprints and wear and tear.
– Velvet carpets have a dense low-cut pile, where individual tufts are hardly visible. The density gives a rich, smooth effect though it tends to show footprints.
– Loop piles are also popular and many are woven to look like natural floorings such as sisal. A mixture of high and low loops or cut and loop pile tufts within the same carpet are sometimes used to create pattern. A good choice for a light-toned carpet, they won’t show indentations from footprints. Most loop piles suit heavy domestic use.
– Flatweave carpets are similar to loop piles, but have a flatter, smoother surface. These work well for runners and stair carpets.
– Saxony carpets have a long pile making them luxurious underfoot while shag pile carpets have even longer tufts. Both are excellent for use in bedrooms and living rooms.
What is the best carpet for a living room?
Wool is often considered the best choice for a living room carpet. Its hardwearing qualities – and softness underfoot – make it resistant to being compressed by furniture and footsteps.
If you are after extra durability, then look no further than a blend of 80% wool with 20% nylon or other fibres such as polypropylene. Alternatively, polyamide (nylon) is extremely strong – and has high abrasion resistance. It’s often blended with wool, though it can be used on its own to produce low-cost living room carpet.
Choosing the perfect carpet for your living room
In this guide, we cover:
- Carpets vs vinyl, laminate and hardwood for the living room
- Best carpet for high traffic areas
- Best carpet for pets
- Best carpet to hide stains and spills
- Berber carpets
- Average costs
- Colour options and ideas
- Best carpets for the living room
Carpets vs vinyl, laminate or hardwood for the living room
When choosing a carpet for the living room the first thing you need to ask yourself is whether a carpet is the right choice for you!
You need to consider:
- Your lifestyle and how you normally use your living room.
- What factors are ultimately the most important to you, whether it be aesthetics, ease of cleaning, price, how long the carpet will last and so on.
Families with young children sometimes prefer carpet in the living room because it’s safer than a hard floor and is better at hiding dirt and stains. If the living room is where your family spend a lot of the day, a carpet will keep the room warmer and give you more comfort than the alternatives.
In households where a harder floor isn’t so much of a concern, vinyl or hardwood is often chosen for its aesthetic benefits.
For a detailed comparison of different flooring options visit our flooring comparison page.
Carpet for high-traffic living rooms
When it comes to carpeting for high-traffic living rooms, the main aspect you want to be looking for is durability. Durability comes from the thickness of a carpet’s pile, the way the fabric fibres have been cut and the material the carpet is made out of.
Durability is incredibly important for carpets in high-traffic areas because a low-durability carpet could quickly become damaged and need replacing.
All household carpets in the UK are graded according to durability. If your sroom is high-traffic you want to be looking for heavy domestic or extra-heavy domestic.
| Best carpet for high-traffic living rooms | ||
|---|---|---|
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Gala Berber Loop |
£12.55 m2 |
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Rustic Wool Berber Loop |
£14.99m2 |
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Temple Tones |
£12.99m2 |
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| Best carpet for high-traffic living rooms |
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Gala Berber Loop |
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Rustic Wool Berber Loop |
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Temple Tones |
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Living room carpet for pets
As adorable as pets are, they can wreak havoc on your carpet! Sometimes a sticky claw or an “accident” stain can leave a carpet in a pretty bad state. Here’s a couple of quick tips when choosing a carpet when you’ve got a pet.
- Dark colours – perfect for concealing pet hair and dirt! Plus it makes large rooms feel much cosier.
- Nylon – provides an incredible amount of durability; perfect for your active pets.
- Polyester – very stain-resistant; great if you’ve got a puppy or kitten who hasn’t been fully toilet trained yet.
- Frieze cut pile – contains short, durable fibres that hide a lot of dirt and hair.
Find out more about choosing the right carpet for your pet by visiting our guide: pet-proofing your carpet
| Best living room carpet for pets | ||
|---|---|---|
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Volante Deep Pile Saxony |
£8.96 m2 |
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Imagination Deep Pile Saxony |
£23.99m2 |
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Soft Romance Deep Pile Saxony |
£15.00m2 |
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| Best living room carpet for pets |
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Volante Deep Pile Saxony |
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Imagination Deep Pile Saxony |
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Soft Romance Deep Pile Saxony |
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Carpet that hides stains and spills
If you have young children, practicality might be your main consideration when buying a carpet. You should look for darker colours to hide any spillages or stains. There are several styles of carpets which are incredibly stain-resistant, while still keeping a luxurious look and feel.
The most practical choices are:
- Polypropylene – quickly becoming the most popular material for home carpets. It’s stain-resistant, resists fading and is very affordable!
- Wool – extremely soft and rich in appearance and is a natural way to hide stains. Considered top-of-the-line, it’s the perfect combination of luxury and practicality.
- Looped – a low profile and higher density construction than most, making this a great all-round performer.
| Best living room carpets that hide stains | ||
|---|---|---|
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Glamour Flash Deep Pile Saxony Carpet |
£9.99m2 |
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Noble Deep Pile Saxony Carpet |
£10.99m2 |
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Splendour Twist Pile |
£21. |
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99m2| Best living room carpets that hide stains |
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Glamour Flash Deep Pile Saxony Carpet |
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Noble Deep Pile Saxony Carpet |
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Splendour Twist Pile |
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Berber carpets are often a great choice for the living room
Berber is known to be a very versatile and affordable way to carpet your living room. It comes in a variety of quality and can complement many types of décor.
Berber is a looped style of carpet. Originally available solely in light colours, you can now find Berber carpet in darker shades too. It is extremely durable and due to the looped nature of the fibre, it doesn’t lose its shape when walked on. Plus it’s great at repelling stains.
Basically, if you’re looking for a top all-round choice for your living room, Berber is the option for you. For more information, see our guide to Berber carpets.
| Best Berber carpets | ||
|---|---|---|
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Dapple Berber Loop |
£6.99 m2 |
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Bastille Berber Loop |
£7.16m2 |
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Orient Berber Loop |
£19.99m2 |
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| Best Berber carpets |
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Dapple Berber Loop |
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Bastille Berber Loop |
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Orient Berber Loop |
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Average costs
The average cost of a living room carpet for a medium sized home is around £260.
However, you can carpet a medium-sized living room for as little as £50 if you choose one from the lower end of the range.
For a detailed breakdown of costs per size of room visit our carpet costs page.
Colour options and ideas
Colour can often be one of the hardest decisions to make. A colour change in a room can have a dramatic effect, good or bad. It’s often hard to imagine a colour over a wide space when looking at a small piece of fabric.
Lighter colours are a respectable choice when choosing carpets and can add some dramatic class to your living room. However, you will need to assess your lifestyle before purchasing. Are you prone to spills or stains? Do you have kids or pets? If the answer is yes, light carpets may not be for you. Whilst looking luxurious, they don’t offer the same stain protection or hide the dirt nearly as well as neutral or darker colours. Maybe wait until the kids have moved out!
Dark colours can give a stylish, elegant look to your living room.
Combined with the right colour furniture and walls, a dark carpet can bring about a dramatic look. The main benefit of dark carpets is that they hide dirt much better than lighter colours.
Neutral colours are the biggest sellers in carpeting. This is because bright colours can overpower when spread out across vast spaces. Different bright colours can also come in and out of fashion in a matter of months and you don’t want to be stuck with a bright orange floor when we’ve all moved onto green! Neutral also means
For more colour tips and tricks visit our carpet colour guide
| Best carpets for the living room | ||
|---|---|---|
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Opulance Twist Pile |
£12.99 m2 |
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Sandstorm Deep Pile Saxony |
£14.49m2 |
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Lambro Deep Pile Saxony |
£21.99 m2 |
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| Our favourite carpets for the living room |
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Opulance Twist Pile |
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Sandstorm Deep Pile Saxony |
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Lambro Deep Pile Saxony |
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Back to Carpets by room
Carpet in the interior of the living room - how to choose, design options
The popularity of carpet is due to the fact that it combines two important qualities - affordable cost and attractive appearance. However, in order not to waste money and be sure of the quality and durability of the coating, you need to know how to choose a carpet for the living room and what to look for when buying a product.
How to choose a living room carpet
It happens that the buyer, looking at the carpet in the store, is fascinated by its appearance and completely forgets about the important aspects of choosing a product. The performance characteristics of flooring for the living room largely depend on the type of material from which the canvas is made.
Natural carpet (wool, cotton, linen, silk) is ideal if children or allergy sufferers live in the house, it practically does not fade, it consists of elastic and flame-retardant threads.
However, please note that the wool in the product is more than 10% - this is the threshold of "naturalness" and environmental friendliness of the flooring.
Synthetic carpet (nylon, acrylic, drying oil) is not afraid of moisture, easy to clean, suitable for high traffic areas, just like the living room. But with all its advantages, such material has a limited service life (about 10-12 years), but it also costs 2-3 times cheaper than a natural canvas.
The second factor that you should definitely pay attention to when choosing a flooring is the type of pile. Carpet is divided into several main varieties:
- looped. This is a coating in which all loops are closed, and the pile is single-level and multi-level. The canvas is durable and wear-resistant, fits perfectly into any interior style and is suitable for decorating living rooms;
- sheared. In the manufacture of such a carpet, the resulting loops are cut, which greatly simplifies the cleaning of the floor covering, because dust or dirt practically does not accumulate in the thickness of the material.
Carpets can be short pile (up to 3 mm), medium pile (up to 5 mm) and long pile (from 5 mm or more). Of course, the longer the threads, the more pleasant it is to walk barefoot on such a coating, however, it will be more difficult to clean it;
- combined. This flooring has both closed and cut loops at the same time. This feature of the material makes it possible to create multi-level original patterns on the canvas. A huge plus of the combined flooring, in addition to practicality, is its affordable price. The material has excellent soundproofing properties, making it perfect for apartments in high-rise buildings.
Carpet is needle-punched and tufted. Needle-punched fabric is made by layering fibers with needles. On its wrong side, you can often see a special elastic band or latex, which prevent the material from sliding on the floor and strengthen the back of the product.
However, tufted carpet is the most popular among consumers.
Fibers are introduced into the primary textile base with a needle, this is how the appearance of the fabric is formed. On the reverse side of the product there is a white felt or AV mesh, which contributes to greater sound and thermal insulation of the material and is used so that the product does not lose its original appearance for several years. In addition, such a coating dries quickly after wet cleaning, does not glare and is notable for its low cost.
Carpet and living room design
When choosing a carpet as a living room floor covering, you should give preference to a dense canvas with a short or medium pile. It is necessary to select the material, based not only on its appearance, but also on practicality, so that the product does not cause difficulties during cleaning.
To purchase the most suitable flooring for the living room, you must consider the overall color scheme of the room. Carpet in light or pastel colors is perfect for poorly lit rooms, it will look appropriate in the following interior styles: empire, art deco, baroque, vintage, grunge or constructivism.
In addition, light flooring allows you to visually enlarge the living rooms of small sizes, make the rooms more comfortable and “clean”.
Gray, black, brown carpet is suitable for rooms with a low ceiling, it looks harmonious and traditional. In combination with light walls and ceilings, this coating allows you to balance and correctly distribute the load of all horizontal and vertical planes. In addition, dirt is almost invisible on a dark carpet, it averages the proportions of oversized accessories in the room and adds solidity to any interior.
No less popular among consumers are bright floor coverings, decorated with a variety of geometric or floral prints. There are no restrictions for the living room, you can experiment endlessly. Covering with rich shades will make the room more sunny and warm, giving it a complete look. However, whichever option you would choose, focusing on the floor, remember that the specifics of your interior design in the future may limit the possibilities in choosing furniture or accessories.
Carpet of which company to choose
Choose flooring from popular manufacturers who have managed to positively establish themselves among consumers. Currently, the Belgian company AW Masquerade is the leader in the manufacture of high-quality carpet.
Canvases of an increased comfort class are ideal for decorating residential premises, including living rooms, they have a long service life (at least 15 years), are made from hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly materials, and have excellent sound and heat insulation. The following collections can rightfully be called the most popular:
- Isotta. The coating, embodied in sixteen soft shades, looks original and not pretentious within any interior style. Cloths do not require special care, are durable and wear-resistant;
- Luna. Restrained carpet, presented both in pastel and in brighter and more original colors. When installing the canvas, you do not need to use an additional substrate, the products are easily cleaned with a conventional vacuum cleaner, and the optimal pile length helps to reduce the load on the spine when walking;
- Euphoria.
Premium class carpet (iSense thread) will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding customers, the velvety and soft surface of the canvas gives an unforgettable tactile sensation and a sense of comfort. Very dense pile guarantees protection against static electricity and does not trap dust.
AW Masquerade is non-scratch flooring with improved flexibility, invisible seams and a wide range of installation options. The products of the Belgian brand can be easily matched to the design of any living room, this is facilitated by a huge range of colors and textures, a variety of pile lengths and ornaments.
How to choose for the bedroom, living room and nursery, types, Types, Care Rules
Content
- Advantages and disadvantages of carpet
- Types of carpet
- Separation of carpets
- How to choose carpets
- How to choose children's carpet
- How to choose bedroom carpet
- How to choose living room carpet
- How to care for carpet
- Conclusion
- Reviews about which carpet is better
There are many ways to make the floor more comfortable, soft and at the same time comfortable for walking.
One option is to choose carpet for your home, as the most modern and affordable of all types of textile flooring. Even those who have the opportunity and means to choose a real oriental carpet recognize the practicality and convenience of carpeting in everyday use.
With carpet it is possible to choose any floor color
Advantages and disadvantages of carpet
The main disadvantages of carpet can be formulated in two sentences:
- The material is strictly individual, it is believed that the best carpet for the house is the one that pleases not the eyes, but the feet of the owners. Therefore, the choice of carpet fabrics is always a rather complicated and difficult process;
- Most carpets conditionally insulate wood or resin floors. Caring for a textile fabric requires the use of home appliances, while most of the dust still remains under the coating.
Many owners claim that carpet is not effective enough to dampen walking noise.
It is clear that when compared with a carpet made of real camel hair, then perhaps the coating does not look so good. The range of carpet panels is simply huge, so this attitude is most likely due to the fact that the owners of the apartment simply could not choose the right material.
Carpet has much more positive qualities:
- The material is relatively easy to install, if necessary, easily withstands the pressure of the legs of heavy furniture;
- Excellent shock-absorbing properties, it is more pleasant to walk on the carpet than on the floor, both in house shoes and barefoot;
- Woven base made of synthetic fiber allows the use of all possible variants of heaters such as "warm floor";
- Most carpets have a high wear resistance, so footprints and paths from shoes are formed rather slowly;
- Covers dust well.
Under the carpet, you can choose any warm floor
Many models, especially those with long pile or those with a high natural fiber content, have good tactile qualities.
Often children play on such a carpet, you can even sit on the floor and play or read a book without any discomfort.
Types of carpet
Most models of carpets are divided according to two characteristics - the structure of the material and the composition of the fibers. For the manufacture of carpet, synthetic and natural fibers are used. At the same time, floor materials can be classified as wool if they contain only 10% wool. You can choose a completely natural carpet, but what's the point? The canvas is expensive, the resistance to abrasion is low, it is periodically necessary to steam from the accumulation of pathogenic microflora and allergens.
Any carpet consists of at least three layers - the front pile part, a strong base, usually made of polyester threads, and a backing layer, thanks to which the carpet more or less stably keeps on the floor.
Separation of types of carpet by structure
Before choosing a carpet, pay attention to the size of the fibers, the nature of the weave and the length of the pile.
Natural material with wool filling
There are four main types of carpet on the market today:
Woven and tufted rugs may vary in stitch size and warp density. The larger the cell size, the lighter the carpet. Such a material is chosen for laying on underfloor heating, when the high density of the coating only interferes with the effective heat transfer from the heater to the room air.
How to choose a carpet for an apartment
A correct assessment of the structure and composition of the material is extremely important for the right decision. Therefore, it is advisable to choose a coating for home apartments, following an unwritten rule:
- For the children's room and for the bedroom we choose carpet with the maximum content of non-synthetic fibers;
- For all other rooms, the choice should be based on the load, personal preferences and requirements for the interior of the apartment.
Tip! Before choosing carpet for your home, pay attention to the manufacturer.
The reason for this approach is more than obvious. The composition of the carpet fabric includes polypropylene, polyamide, polyester, tercolon and supreme, all in the form of the finest fibers. In the process of aging, polymers become brittle, begin to peel off and release microdust. For example, Chinese polypropylene, from which most modern plastic packaging is made, becomes unusable within six months after manufacture. High-quality polypropylene with all additives crumbles only after 30 years of operation.
For the bedroom it is better to choose natural linen
How to choose carpet for the nursery
No matter if the children have a separate room, or the division of the premises in the apartment is built in a different way, for the children's sector you need to choose only woven types of carpet based on woolen or jute fibers. Good tufted material with long pile can be laid in the play area.
How to choose carpet for your bedroom
Tufted carpet with a high pile is considered a classic option for a bedroom.
Such a material has the highest noise-absorbing characteristics, in addition, most owners consider it necessary to choose taffeta only because it provides the highest level of walking comfort.
How to choose a carpet for the living room
For the hall and living room, a short tufted carpet is usually used, it can be a needle-punched or sanded tufted carpet. In this case, you have to choose, paying more attention to how the floor and flooring fit the interior of the room.
High pile is softer but harder to clean
For bathrooms and kitchens you will need to use a flocked type of carpet. You can choose a more comfortable one, for example, needle-punched or short-haired taffeta, but on the condition that ceramic coating and floor heating are used in both rooms.
Carpet Care Instructions
Synthetic fiber flooring is widely used, primarily because carpet surfaces are easy to care for and clean. It is much easier to clean than a natural carpet, the only exception can be a canvas with a long pile.
Printed and woven fabrics can be cleaned with a regular brush, the use of a vacuum cleaner helps very well. Before choosing a long pile tufted cloth, you should get a vacuum cleaner with special nozzles, or you will have to dry clean it.
In any case, the synthetic fiber perfectly tolerates both mechanical and chemical cleaning, so there are no problems in order to clean and tidy the floor.
Jute flooring
Conclusion
Choosing a carpet for your home is easy if you have a good idea of what exactly you expect from the floor. Most modern materials are well adapted to the main problems, so, unlike classic carpets, synthetic taffeta or fleece retain their appearance even after a decade of use.
Reviews about which carpet is better
Sofia Alekseevna Grigorash, 37 years old, Chisinau:
Now all carpets are being replaced with carpets. I managed to choose a fashionable taffeta for the hall, the appearance is nothing, but because of the lint, you can only clean it with a vacuum cleaner.
