When I purchased my home it had 1970s carpeting throughout...I had harvest gold sculptured carpet on my stairs, living room and dining room...and black, red and burnt orange shag in my family room. The carpeting, along with my gold flocked wallpaper and styro-wood looking beams, were the first tear-outs in my house. Deciding on what to replace the carpet with was a tough decision - I wanted something that would stand the test of time a little better than the stuff I was ripping out.... so, like so many homeowners, I had to decide on flooring that best suited my lifestyle, style and budget. Here is a very basic run-down on carpet:
Cut Pile: This is the most commonly used carpet - the durability is considered average. Cut pile comes in a variety of styles like saxony, plush, texture and frieze - the differences in creating these carpets are in the way the pile is twisted, sheared and heat set. The more dense and twisted the pile is, the more durable the carpet will be. Saxony has tightly twisted cut piles that stands straight up... saxony carpet shows footprints and vacuum marks. Plush carpeting is lightly twisted and is very soft - it also shows every footprint and vacuum mark Textured carpets disguise footprints and do not show distinctive vacuum marks - it has tightly twisted and crimped cut pile but is softer to the touch than saxony - it tends to look two-toned. Frieze is a highly twisted cut pile carpet - the short fibers curl in different directions and the carpet virtually shows no footprints or vacuum marks...I like frieze, but a lot of people think it is nothing more than shag...
Cut and Loop Pile: Again, this is a medium durability carpet. It combines loops and cut pile, all in one carpet. Often, it appears like there is a carved difinition, since the layout of the cut pile and loops creates a pattern, variety of textures & sculpted effects.. This carpet is great for hiding a little bit of dirt... it shows no footprints or vacuum marks, and tends to come in multicolors rather than solid.
Level Loop Pile: Stong, level and even loops make this a great choice for high traffic areas - commercial loop carpet has short, densely packed loops and is more durable and easy to clean. Footprints or vacuum marks are not visible. Berber has a loop pile and is very durable - berber's pile tends to have thicker yarns...you must be careful, however, about snags - you can easily pull out the carpet strands by catching a snag in the vacuum. Berber carpet comes in wool, olefin and nylon fibers, or even a blend of these fibers.
Multi-Level Loop Pile: These are the new style rugs that seem to be very trendy with all-over patterns. The multi-level loop creates the carpet patterns - some random, other very intentional geometric patterns. It is recommended for higher traffic areas, just like level loop pile, however, multi-level loop pile can hold more dirt than level loop pile carpets. Just like level loop pile, it can come in solids and multicolors.
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