One of the cheapest ways to revamp a room or two in your home is to purchase some new carpets. If you want to get the most out of your decision however, it’s important to make your choice carefully. Though carpets themselves are certainly not complicated, choosing one sometimes can be. Here are eight simple tips for making the most out of your choice
Shop Around
The cost of carpeting varies drastically. Price comparison is therefore an absolute must. Though most people expect to pay extra for quality, many are surprised to learn that where you shop can also play a major role in the price that you pay. Some carpet stores are significantly cheaper than others. It pays to shop around.
Careful About Installation
Regardless of how nice a particular carpet looks in store, if it’s not installed professionally, you’re unlikely to enjoy the final result. If at all possible, purchase your carpet from a retailer that does its own installations. If this proves impossible, always ask exactly who will be doing the installation. How experienced are they?
Pay Attention to Styles
Though all carpet shoppers pay attention to colour, many don’t spend enough time considering style. Carpet styles include Saxony, Berber and textured. And different carpet styles have different benefits.
- Saxony carpets are very beautiful but they tend not to be very durable.
- Berber carpets on the other hand are very durable and are therefore ideal for high traffic areas.
- Textured carpets tend to reflect light. Because of this, dirt and tracks are much less noticeable.
Take a Long Term View
If you want to purchase something unusual for your home, make it a rug, not a carpet. In general, you are better off sticking to subtle styles that you are likely to enjoy for many years to come. Flashy carpets, or worse, those based upon short lived fads, rarely make long term sense.
Maintenance Matters
If you want to relax, avoid cream carpets. Even if you don’t have children and animals running around, a single glass of red wine is all you need to leave an attention grabbing stain. In general, the darker a carpet is and the more patterns it has, the less noticeable the odd spill is going to be.
Careful with the Stairs
The most difficult area in a home to carpet is always going to be the stairs. Not only do stairs tend to get a ridiculous amount of foot traffic, the carpet also obviously needs to be bent over the edges. To handle the excess foot traffic, choose a dense carpet. And to handle the edges, avoid loops, look for the open coil variety.
Go Organic
Some brand new carpets come complete with a pretty distinctive smell and it’s usually caused by formaldehyde. Though the smell goes away, the chemical remains and is known to cause a host of health problems. To protect yourself and your family, choose a carpet made from wool, jute or other organic materials.
Pay Little Attention to Warranties
Finally, never opt for a carpet solely because of its warranty. Carpet warranties are notorious for being very difficult to claim from. The most common warranty provided with carpets refers to “wear”.
While you might define “wear” as a carpet that looks old and shoddy, most carpet retailers won’t provide a replacement unless there are visible bald spots. Warranties are worthwhile with many purchases but carpets aren’t one of them.
Weston Markley works as a PR professional for PortaCo Inc that manufactures the best power units. He writes press releases and articles about home construction and building to promote the company among the masses.
