Category: Latest News

Carpeting is certainly a great way to increase the comfort of your flooring underfoot, but when you want to give your décor a boost and give rooms new life, a more dramatic change in the form of dark flooring may be just the thing.

Won’t Dark Flooring Make a Room Look Smaller?

The myth about dark flooring decreasing the size of a room is just that: a myth. In actuality, dark flooring can make a room look far larger than it actually is. But the key to doing this successfully when used in the proper way.

What Darkness Does

Dark flooring adds plenty of drama to a room. Imagine a black floor with white walls and bright furniture. This contrast alone can add to a room’s ‘wow’ factor. Interestingly, dark flooring can also bring added intimacy to certain rooms like a bedroom or study.

Choosing the right Type of Dark Flooring

Dark flooring is available in laminate, timber or engineered wood flooring, and can be seen in many Bedford homes. And whether your home is a contemporary or period property, dark flooring can be the ideal choice.

However, not all dark flooring is the same. Choosing high-gloss flooring will mean a lot of maintenance. As well, any damage will show readily on dark flooring with high gloss. Therefore, this type of flooring isn’t the ideal choice for homes with pets and children.

If you live in a period home, you can still install dark flooring, However, when doing so, you may want to consider dark brown variants, as these may be a better fit. Planks that are narrow with much detail in the grain are best suited to period designs. If a farmhouse-style property is being fitted with dark flooring, you may wish to consider Matt flooring for a less polished look.

Divided We Stand

Designing with dark floors is a great idea which can net you a modern look as well as rustic charm. Consider combining dark flooring colours to split the sections of a room instead of employing furniture for this purpose. Doing this can be ideal where you want to separate a large room without having to place a physical barrier there to do it. Another way to do this when dark flooring is laid over a large area is to break it up by adding a colourful area rug.

For instance, the flooring around a table in the dining room can be a different colour than the flooring in the rest of the dining room. You can also consider dark flooring for the majority of a floor’s area, with other dark flooring laid around the edges as a border. You may also wish to consider making unique shapes with flooring, and then laying them amongst a solid background of flooring in a different colour.

Another way to divide flooring is to use light and dark flooring interchangeably. This will also create contrast and add drama.

Tips for Dark Flooring

Contrast is key when using dark flooring. Always create a contrast between your dark floor and the rest of the room. You can achieve colour, contrast and size balance in a room with dark flooring by sticking to neutral tones like beige, greys, and other muted shades for your furniture and walls.

Dark flooring is a wonderful way to transform the look and feel of any room in your home. And there are virtually limitless options, both for flooring options and dark flooring design ideas. Before installing any kind of flooring in your home, it’s always best to first get flooring samples and then take them home to see how you feel about their colour and texture.

Carpeting is a major home purchase. But just as important will be the carpeting colour you choose. After all, your carpeting is an investment that you will have in your home for a number of years, so it should be something you love, as well as something that matches your personality.

Colour Schemes and Trends

The right colour of carpeting for you will be the one which works with your current colour scheme, or one that will also work with a colour scheme you have planned for the future. Of course, there are many exciting trends hitting the carpeting world these days. But should you follow them? An interesting fact is that the flooring trends of today echo the clothing trends of a couple of years ago.

There are ways to follow carpeting trends without having to rip up your entire household installation. You can use rugs in trendy colours and place these over your carpeting. Or, you can choose to place trendily-coloured items around your room in the form of accessories rather than concentrate on your carpeting at all.

Amount of Use

How often you actually use a room can help you determine the right colour of carpet for it. For example, a white or lightly coloured carpet may not be the best choice for a room where lots of activity will take place as these colours will show dirt and stains. However, a lighter coloured carpet can work well in formal rooms that are only used during special occasions.

Amount of Light

The amount of light which enters the room being carpeted will be another item to consider when choosing colour. Rooms receiving lots of natural light will show a carpet’s true colour, and so here, it’s important first to test how a carpet will look in this intensity of natural light by bringing a sample home and observing the colour in the room you plan to install it.

Conversely, rooms that don’t receive a lot of natural light may benefit most from carpets in lighter shades as darker colours will only add to the existing darkness of the room.

Room Size

The size of the room will also help to dictate which colour of carpet is most suitable. For example, if you have a large family room but wish to give it a cosy atmosphere, a carpet that’s in the mid to dark range can help to accomplish this. If the room you are carpeting is small, however, then a light-coloured carpet can serve to make it feel larger than it actually is.

Colour Psychology

When choosing carpeting for your home, you should also consider colour psychology, or how colour affects mood. Cooler colours like blue and green tend to create a calming effect, while warmer colours like brown and red can make you feel energised. Why does colour psychology matter? Let’s say that after a hard day you like to unwind in your family room. If the carpeting in your family room is red, you may experience difficulty with settling down. And you may even get the urge to snack on something sinful, as red is known to encourage the appetite.

Store Lighting

Choosing the right colour for your home’s carpeting also involves understanding the differences between certain types of lighting. The store from which you purchase your carpeting will likely have lighting that’s much different from what you have at home. This is why it’s so important to get carpeting samples and take them home with you before making a final decision.

Brands

Is a Stainmaster Carpet really better than Westex Carpets? This depends on many factors. Some carpets carry a guarantee that is transferable from owner to owner, which can add to the resale value of your home if you ever choose to leave. Others offer much in terms of durability and colour-fastness.

Choosing carpeting for your home doesn’t have to be a confusing task when you keep the above points at top of mind.

Concrete flooring isn’t generally considered to be an attractive type of flooring. Usually, concrete serves as a sub-floor for the subsequent installation of flooring. Carpeting can provide a concrete floor with an elegant look, as well as plenty of comfort, as it insulates against cold and dampness. But is it enough to simply purchase carpeting, and then lay it right over your concrete floor?

Moisture

Moisture presents one of the most significant challenges when it comes to laying carpet directly onto concrete. Concrete holds moisture, absorbing it from underneath. But if the air in the room is also moisture-laden, dampness can quickly go to work on carpet, rotting it over time.

Where dampness is a concern, a synthetic carpet may be the best choice because it is less likely to absorb dampness than, for example, a natural seagrass carpet. In addition, a carpet having synthetic fibres is better able to take the chemicals in heavy-duty cleaners, making the clean-up of stain-causing spills far easier.

Carpet Backing

If choosing to lay carpeting directly onto concrete floors, the backing of the carpet will be critical. Synthetic backings are best, as they will automatically resist moisture. This is very important when laying carpeting onto concrete, as the backing will be in direct contact with it. Carpet made from natural fibres do tend to hold more moisture, which makes them incredibly vulnerable to degradation via mould and mildew.

Do You Need Underlay?

Underlay is a very important choice when purchasing carpeting for any floor. This is especially true for carpet laid over concrete. Foam is often chosen for an underlay due to its general low cost, versatility and availability. But the porosity of foam makes it a poor underlay for carpeting laid over concrete, as moisture will transfer from the concrete floor to the underlay, quickly wetting and then rotting it. This wetness, once absorbed into the underlay can then transfer to carpeting, causing significant moisture damage.

When choosing an underlay for a concrete floor, the best choice is a rubber underlay that is anti-bacterial. But even here, not all rubber underlays are created equally. Some may not stand up to constant friction with concrete, and so some consultation with a professional can be a good idea.

Securing Carpet Over Concrete

When installed over other floors, carpeting is secured with adhesive strips. But concrete requires something more to keep it in place. Many times, the best solution for installing carpeting over wood flooring is to apply an adhesive over the entire floor before laying the carpeting down.

Insulation and Sealing

When not insulated, concrete floors can exude a lot of dampness and cold. That being said, it can be a good idea to consider the installation of underfloor heating system topped with a layer of insulation before laying the underlay and carpeting.

The moisture, dampness and cold emitted by concrete flooring may be lessened or prevented by sealing the concrete floor before laying underlay and carpeting. This may also help to make carpeting adhesives work more effectively, as sealing the floor will make it shiny and smooth.

Humidity Control

In addition to choosing an anti-bacterial rubber underlay, it may also help to control the humidity in a room where carpeting will be installed on a concrete floor. Although this will not solve the root cause of the dampness, it can work to lengthen the life of carpeting where no other options are available. Increased heat can also help with humidity levels, as can ventilation.

Where dampness is a real problem, the issue may be more significant than a good underlay and synthetic carpet can solve. In some cases, a concrete floor may need to be replaced by a floating timber floor before any type of flooring can be placed on top.

How long has it been since you had wall-to-wall carpeting? You may have happily ripped up and thrown away your carpeting in favour of hard flooring. And let’s face it; there’s nothing like the look of wood on your floors. The same is true of stone, which can add a real rustic feel to any home. With great looks like these, why on Earth would you ever want to go back to wall-to-wall? You may be surprised to learn that there are many reasons to fall in love with carpets again.

Affordable Luxury, Your Style

Today’s carpeting is as luxurious as it is stylish. And it doesn’t matter if your tastes are conservative, creative or in between; there are enough colours, piles and patterns on the market to please even the most discriminating tastes. Anything goes these days; your carpet can be the focal point of your room, or just provide a lovely neutral foundation for bold colours and patterns placed elsewhere.

There are many affordable carpet brands and styles on the market as well, with many suppliers offering discounts on bulk purchases, making it incredibly easy to get in on great deals.

A Safer Home

Carpeting can make risky areas like stairs and corners far easier to navigate. The addition of carpeting can provide the soft and yielding surfaces that children need, whilst providing added security and traction to elderly residents. And pets no longer have to worry about hitting the walls when they take a corner a little too fast.

A Lower Energy Bill

In these days where the price of heating your home seems to get higher each year, wall-to-wall carpeting can be a budget saver. This is due to it’s insular properties. In the winter, carpeting and underlay trap precious heat, giving your home’s heating source a break. The less times your heating system has to turn on, the better off your pocket book will be.

Closer Quarters Call For Better Noise Reduction

Carpeting may be something to reconsider if life has gotten noisier in your home. Small children don’t need to quiet down as much with carpeting in place; instead, they can play to their heart’s content without fear of disturbing the neighbours. The same is true in condo situations where neighbours may be able to hear your radio or television. It absorbs the vibrations from sound, even more so when you use a quality underlay beneath. Between floors, carpeting acts as a barrier, reducing the transmission of sound from the floors above to rooms located below.

Maintenance just got Easier

Yes, your hard floors have shine and incredible texture. But how much work are you doing to keep them looking that way, especially if you have pets? With wall-to-wall carpeting, all the maintenance that’s needed is to vacuum and give it the occasional cleaning. Furthermore, the stain-proofing available with products like Brockway carpets make stain removal a job which takes only a few seconds. When you compare this with the constant sweeping of dust and hairballs on a hard floor, the benefits of wall-to-wall carpeting become easier to see.

Make Your Space Look Bigger

Nothing adds expansiveness to a room like carpeting. Of course, area rugs and hardwood do have their charm. But they also have their place. With wall-to-wall, your room can enjoy a feeling of undisturbed openness that rugs and other flooring simply cannot match.

The Best of Both Worlds

If you want the look of wall-to-wall but keep the benefits of your existing hard flooring, consider an ‘almost wall -to-wall” option. This type of carpeting can be laid right over existing flooring, but with the edges exposed. This will leave a hard-floor border to frame your room in style.

If you no longer love your underlay, it might be time change things up. But before you go and purchase the first underlay you see, you need to know that they are not all created equally. Different types of underlay perform different tasks, and choosing the incorrect underlay for your flooring can result in a lot of money wasted.

When looking for underlay, the object of the game is to get the right one for your flooring type.

Types of Underlay

There are several types of underlay on the market. However, for the home, underlay is available in PU (polyurethane) foam and rubber. Polyurethane foam underlay is characterised by its light weight. PU foam tends to recover more quickly from weight, making its springy nature ideal for areas of high traffic. It also offers a high degree of sound reduction as well as being a heat insulator.

Rubber underlay has been on the market a long time, and where springiness is needed, a higher quality rubber underlay is best. However, in areas like an office where soft carpeting is not a requirement, lower-cost underlay will usually do the job. The percentage of rubber content usually determines the cost of this type of underlay. The benefit of rubber underlay is that it can cost less, which can mean that more can be purchased to cover larger areas.

Does TOG Rating Matter?

The TOG rating of underlay does matter, and for several reasons. First, it tells you how well a particular underlay will insulate your flooring. A low TOG rating on underlay indicates that it will be better at allowing heat to rise, making it ideal for floors with underfloor heating. A high rating will indicate that an underlay is best for thicker flooring such as carpeting.

The Ideal Carpet Underlay

If you are looking for underlay for your carpeting, then the first thing that must be considered is where in your home the carpeting is located. A flight of stairs will benefit most from underlay that is thin, where you may desire the more soft and luxurious feel that thicker underlay can provide in a bedroom.

Underlay for Wood, Vinyl and Laminate Flooring

It is just as important to have underlay for your wood, vinyl and laminate flooring as it is for under your carpeting. This is because underlay provides the insulation needed to keep cold air from coming up through the floor. As well, adding underlay to your wood, laminate or Karndean wood flooring will protect it from the potentially-damaging effects of moisture, traffic, and everyday mishaps.

Other Benefits of Underlay for your Floors

In addition to the sound and heat insulating benefits, underlay can also help keep your flooring looking newer for longer. Its shock-absorbing quality allows for the quick recovery of floors from applied weight, but it also helps even out the height of flooring for a cleaner and newer-looking appearance.

Contrary to popular belief, carpet underlay can actually help reduce allergens. It works to trap dust before it becomes airborne and irritates the eyes and nasal passages of allergy sufferers.

When looking for the right underlay, it’s a good idea to remember that the higher the density of foam used, the higher the quality it will be. Foam density can be determined by consulting the weight per cubic metre. A high value will indicate a denser foam.

The thickness of the underlay is another consideration. For areas needing flooring that lasts, consider a foam underlay having both a high thickness as well as a high-density weight value.

Purchasing underlay will increase the overall cost of the flooring in your home. However, it should be looked upon as a worthy investment that will save you the cost to purchase new flooring every few years.

Getting new flooring can seem like a distant dream to some, especially during times of economic instability. But a shaky economy doesn’t have to mean that you have to wait for new floors; with a little careful planning, you can get your dream flooring without breaking the bank to do it.

Consider both Cost and Quality

When you’re on a budget, cost is the main worry when considering investment into new flooring. However, this doesn’t mean that quality should not be thought of. In fact, the quality of your flooring is what will actually save you money in the long run.

Be sure to get the required info on flooring specifics, such as what it’s made of. Then, research the individual components to determine which ones will last for the time you need them to.

Buy Enough

There’s nothing more frustrating than thinking you have enough flooring, only to discover that you need to go out and buy more. But this can be completely avoided, simply by measuring and re-measuring to make absolutely sure you know exactly how much flooring you need before you buy it. When doing this, don’t forget the amount of flooring that will become wastage once its been fit.

Plan for every Eventuality

In addition to ensuring you have enough flooring to cover your required area, you will also need to ensure that plans have been made for other potential costs. If you are installing flooring yourself, then you may want to leave a cushion that allows for extra wastage in case mistakes are made. This will be of great assistance to you, as it will save you from having to go back to the store in the middle of your installation for additional flooring.

Another item to plan for are potential additional charges. These can include any extra delivery costs, installation charges (where you’re having someone install your flooring for you) or double charges from a flooring fitter if not enough flooring is available for them to fit.

Pick and Choose your Rooms

In prioritising which areas need flooring most, you can have the best of both worlds: new flooring without having to spend a lot of money at the outset. Sit down and decide which floors you can live with for the time being. This will allow you to spread the cost of new flooring out over time.

Don’t Sacrifice Looks for Price

You can get the look you want without paying a high price. This is thanks to the large number of low-cost alternatives to real wood, stone and tile flooring. For example, If you love the look of wood, but find the cost of real or engineered wood prohibitive, you may benefit a great deal from a product like Karndean flooring. This flooring offers the luxurious look of wood but is made of cost-effective vinyl. Similarly, there are many types of hard flooring that look just like stone when installed, but come in at a fraction of the price.

Use Cheaper Underlay

Everyone wants a luxurious feel when they walk across their floors. But often, this feel comes with a higher price. If you can deal with less cushion underfoot, choosing a lower-cost underlay can add up to extra savings on the cost of your flooring. And you can always install new underlay at a time when you have more in your budget to spend.

You can also install flooring yourself to save money. But you may need to do a bit of research if it’s your first time. If you’re hiring a fitter, be sure and compare prices before you choose so that you can get the most affordable option.

In your search for flooring, you may have heard the term “TOG rating”. The definition of this term is important to understand when choosing underlay for your flooring.

The TOG rating is actually a unit of measurement used in the textile industry to indicate a product’s ability to hold heat. The higher the TOG rating of a product, the better an insulator it is. For example, a duvet with a high TOG rating would trap a large percentage of body heat and be best for winter use, where a duvet with a low rating would work best for summer months.

TOG Ratings and your Flooring

The TOG rating of any material will have a significant impact on your purchasing decision. Of course, another factor will be how much area you need to cover. And remember that there are two TOG ratings to consider here: that of the underlay, and that of the flooring which will be placed over it.

All carpets sold in Bedfordshire have a TOG rating. Again, the higher the rating, the better carpeting will be at trapping heat. Underlay is the same. The type of underlay with the most insulating properties is made of felt, and usually has a TOG rating of 1 or higher.

Which TOG rating you will need your flooring and underlay to have will depend on many factors. First, you will need to consider the environmental conditions in the room you plan to install your underlay and flooring. If the room is already warm enough, then you may only need products having a lower TOG rating. But a room that may be damp or tends to have a lot of air flow may need the added insular properties of products with a higher TOG rating.

Another important consideration is where your flooring is located. For example, you may not wish to use a thick underlay of high TOG rating in a musty basement, as it may trap moisture in addition to heat.

TOG Ratings and Different Flooring and Heating Systems

In areas where underfloor heating will be installed or already exists, underlay can be suitable. However, it must have a low TOG rating, typically no higher than 0.35. The reason for this is because this rating of underlay will allow for heat to be transferred from the system to the floor covering itself, where it is needed most.

For carpeting, the TOG rating of underlay is set at a recommended level of 2.5 TOG and above. Where hardwood flooring is considered, a rating of 1 TOG or higher is suggested.

If you have a concrete floor, you will need some kind of moisture barrier, which underlay can provide if it’s of a type suited to this purpose.

Additional Considerations

Some additional items may need to be considered that go beyond the TOG rating itself. For example, there are some situations where underlay should not be used, such as when an uneven sub floor needs to be levelled, or where moisture must be allowed to escape. Where either of these is a concern, other products such as membranes and floor levelling compounds will provide the needed result. One moisture levels have been controlled and/or the floors levelled, this can be the ideal time to consider your flooring and underlay options, and the TOG rating of each.

In cases where you wish to keep existing flooring but increase the TOG rating by using double the underlay, proceed with extreme caution; underlay should never be doubled up, regardless of the circumstances. Doing so can actually cause your floors to sustain much damage because two layers of underlay will slide against one another, and ultimately, cause your floor itself to slide.

www.fabflooringcarpetsandhomefurnishings.co.uk

No matter how durable your carpet is, there are many threats to its long life. And whether damage occurs right away or over time, it can mean an investment into new carpeting. However, many problems facing your carpet can be prevented with a little know-how.

Don’t Pull those Pulls

Have you noticed pieces of yarn sticking up out of your carpet? This happens when one or more loops in the pile of your carpet get pulled through it’s backing. Any sharp object can cause pulls to occur, from a pet’s claw to a dropped and forgotten nail or pin.

Noticing a pull in your carpet can be immediately followed by the overwhelming urge to tug it loose. But this is the last thing you should do. Instead, the right way to deal with pulls is to take a pair of scissors, and simply trim it to carpet level. Pulling it will only make things worse, and leaving it will give your carpet an uneven appearance.

Divots and Dents

When furniture has been in the same place for a while, unsightly divots and dents can be created in your carpet. Although they may not be visible now, should you choose to move that furniture in the future, they will quickly become evident.

Your heaviest furniture will harm your carpeting less if you add carpet protector cups under the legs. Also, you can prevent these dents and divots from occurring by remembering to move your furniture a few inches to the side or back every once in a while. This will distribute furniture weight over a larger area and ultimately help your carpeting to last longer.

Static Storage

You probably already know that carpets are creators of static electricity. But did you also know that they can store static? If your carpet experiences a lot of friction in the form of walking, sliding and similar forms of direct contact, your carpet is likely holding a lot of static. But it isn’t only activity which can cause static production and storage; all it takes is the right kind of backing, carpet construction or shoe sole to create static. Even the cleanliness of a carpet can have an effect on the amount of static it holds.

Where static is a problem in your carpeting, one solution can be to add moisture to the room. This can be done by placing a humidifier in a doorway. If static is still present, there are anti-static carpet treatment available, either from your local flooring store or carpet manufacturer.

Burned Fibres

Accidents do happen, and this includes burns. Burn marks can make your carpet look far older than it is, and if left unchecked, can quickly ruin your carpet for good. However, there is good news: the burns on your carpet are completely fixable. All that’s needed is some re-weaving, re-sectioning or re-tufting.

For situations where only the tips of the carpet have been burned, they can be easily taken care of. Simply snip off the burnt ends with a sharp pair of small scissors. Small scissors will afford you the precision required to cut off very small portions of the carpet fibres without risking the undamaged fibres nearby. If you’ve snipped off too much, you can simply trim down the surrounding fibres to even out the pile.

Shrinkage

Spills, if left unattended to dry can actually cause your carpet’s fibres to shrink. This is because liquid causes carpet yarn to loosen. However, this can be solved by addressing spills when they occur. Moreover, always ensure that you blot spills and don’t scrub, as this can also damage your carpeting.

There is little more frustrating than noticing that your carpet has become damaged in some way, but it’s a relief to know that you can solve these common issues inexpensively and in very little time.

www.fabflooringcarpetsandhomefurnishings.co.uk/carpets.html

Pets are members of your family. As such, you want to ensure they are as safe as possible when roaming your home. Pets also eat, sleep and play on your floors. So ensuring that you choose the right pet-friendly flooring is a crucial step to keeping them happy and healthy.

But when it comes time to look for pet-friendly flooring, which is the best to choose? The decision can be difficult, especially if you have more than one type of pet. But the following can help you make the safest and most comfortable flooring choice not only for your pets, but for you as well.

Cleaning and Wear

Having pets means cleaning up after them, as well as more wear due to increased foot traffic. It is for this reason that so many pet owners opt for vinyl flooring. Not only can it provide an easy way to clean up splashes and spills, but vinyl flooring is also available in many different looks. For example, Karndean wood flooring is made of vinyl but has the appearance of real wood. Vinyl flooring can also handle stains and scratches well, and is far warmer underfoot than actual ceramic or stone.

Durability

If you have dogs, then durability will be the name of the game in your search for flooring. However, hardwood may not be the answer here, as it can be easily scratched. Where you want the look of hardwood but the durability needed for your dogs, a wood-look laminate floor may be the answer. It will provide the hard surface that will withstand running and jumping, without the risk of getting scratched by wayward claws.

Beauty and Affordability

Of course, if a win-win for you and your pets is the goal, then you’ll want to think about how your floors look. Any household with pets can have a great-looking floor; It just depends on choosing the right kind. Here again, laminate flooring can be the answer. Although you will likely not be able to install it in high moisture areas – laminate flooring will expand and warp in the presence of moisture – you can use it in high traffic areas like hallways, living rooms and kitchens.

The Case for Carpeting

The softness of carpeting cannot be equalled by any type of hard flooring. And let’s face it; there’s nothing that’s easier on your pet’s paws. But claws can become caught in carpet piles such as looped Berber, which can result in injury. However, there are ways to get around this if carpeting is what you desire. For instance, you might consider an area rug with a low pile. A low pile rug will not trap odours and fur as easily, and it can be taken outside to be washed if an accident occurs. You may also want to consider a rug with a busy pattern in a darker colour, as this can also help to hide any stains.

In addition to the carpet you choose, it’s also important to select the right underlay. Not only will underlay provide your carpet with a soft feel underfoot (and under paw), but it will also result in a longer life for your carpet. For rugs, it’s best to choose a thin underlay, as this will keep the rug closer to the floor and result in less tripping risk.

Finding the right flooring for households with pets doesn’t have to be difficult. When you think about the activities your pet does in your home on a daily basis, this can provide you with some valuable insight into which flooring choice may work best. As well, you may wish to consider the frequency at which spills occur. If they happen more often than not, some type of hard flooring may be far less stressful and time-consuming in terms of cleaning.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of walking across a carpet and sinking into its softness. But more than one kind of carpet can afford this kind of luxurious feel. When it’s time to choose carpeting for one or more rooms, it can help to understand the differences between each pile type. And one of these is cut pile.

How Cut Pile is Made

Cut pile, such as that which is available on Brintons carpets, is made with thick tufts of fibre. The thickness of any carpet is determined by the length of each tuft. In the case of cut pile carpet, the thick tufts are woven in and out of the carpet’s backing. When complete, these tufts exist in loops, which are cut across the top to create cut pile carpet.

But it’s the way in which the tufts are cut that causes the luxurious feel; cut pile carpet is cut so as to allow the tufting of each strand, which makes the carpet soft and fluffy, as well as giving it a very dense appearance. Cutting it in this way also gives it that cushion feel when walked across.

Types of Cut Pile

Under the category of cut pile carpet, there are three types: Saxony, frieze and plush. Each has a different construction and is suited to different areas of a home.

Saxony Carpet

Saxony offers underfoot softness, but with greater durability and bounce-back from traffic than its plush and frieze counterparts. A Saxony carpet contains a large number of fibres. These fibres are tightly twisted to each strand before being set straight using heat. This allows the tips of the fibres to remain distinct from one another and not blend together. As well, Saxony carpet is also constructed with thicker yarn than other cut pile types. Due to this more robust construction, Saxony carpet is less resistant to matting and the rigours of foot traffic. This makes it ideal for high-traffic areas. However, this is also the kind of carpeting which will show footprint and vacuum cleaner marks.

Frieze Carpet

Frieze cut pile carpet is known for its durability. Although it offers less softness than other cut pile carpeting types, frieze carpet is extremely hard-wearing. The construction of frieze carpet involves very tightly twisted fibres which curl around in different directions when cut, and don’t tuft like other types of cut pile. As a result, frieze carpet has a cobbled look to it. Frieze carpet is recommended for high-traffic areas in the home, as well as workspaces where foot traffic and the regular movement of office chairs occurs.

Plush Carpet

Plush carpet is the softest and thickest kind of cut pile carpet available. Plush carpeting is constructed with a high number of fibres weaved through the backing of the carpet. However, the fibres contain very little twist, if any at all. This is the feature that provides plush carpeting with its velvety and luxurious feel, as in not twisting the fibres, they can tuft to a greater degree. The more a carpet’s fibres are allowed to tuft; the plumper the carpet will appear, and the softer it will be to the touch. Plush carpeting is usually recommended for rooms with little foot traffic and where luxury is desired, such as a bedroom.

When searching for the right kind of cut pile carpet for your home, the construction of each type is important to remember. Choosing the correct type of cut pile carpet for one or more rooms will ensure that it can be used and enjoyed for as long as possible, which will also benefit your bank balance in the long run.

www.fabflooringcarpetsandhomefurnishings.co.uk