A guide to choosing carpet

Which carpet fibre should you choose?

Most carpet is made from one of these fibres.

Carpet styles

• Cut pile (plush, saxony): soft and formal; shows footprints.
• Textured cut pile: hides footprints; good all-rounder for family homes.
• Loop pile (berber): durable and low-profile; common in offices.
• Commercial carpet: dense and flat; made for heavy foot traffic.

Why does carpet pad matter?

The pad under the carpet adds comfort, reduces noise and protects the carpet from wear. A pad that is too soft or too thin can shorten the carpet's life.

Stairs usually need a firmer pad than bedrooms.

How is carpet measured?

Carpet comes in rolls, usually 12 feet wide, so the layout of the seams affects how much you need. We measure every room and plan the seams before we price.

How do you care for carpet?

• Vacuum high-traffic areas often.
• Blot spills straight away; do not rub.
• Use mats at outside doors to trap sand and grit.
• Have carpet professionally cleaned as the manufacturer recommends.

Carpet in Florida homes

Many Florida homes use hard floors downstairs and carpet in bedrooms and upstairs, where comfort and quiet matter most.

Humidity and sand are carpet's main challenges here: mats at outside doors, regular vacuuming and good air conditioning keep carpet fresh.

Where does carpet work best?

• Bedrooms and guest rooms: soft and warm underfoot.
• Stairs and landings: quieter and softer than hard floors.
• Upstairs rooms: carpet and pad absorb footstep noise for the rooms below.
• Offices and meeting rooms: commercial carpet reduces echo.
• Avoid kitchens, bathrooms and entries, where water and grit wear carpet out fast.

What mistakes should you avoid with carpet?

• Choosing a pad that is too soft, which shortens the carpet's life.
• Seams placed across main walkways, where they show and wear.
• Using plush carpet on busy stairs, where it flattens quickly.
• Not stretching carpet properly, which leads to ripples later.

What affects the cost of carpet installation?

• Fibre, style and density of the carpet.
• Pad type and thickness.
• Stairs, which take more labour per square foot.
• Removing and disposing of old carpet and pad.
• Room layout and seams, which set how much carpet is needed.

What should you ask a carpet installer?

• Will you check the slab or subfloor before you price the job?
• Is floor preparation listed separately on the estimate?
• Are removal, trims, transitions and baseboards included?
• Will you confirm the material is in stock before I pay a deposit?
• Which manufacturer installation requirements apply, and will you follow them?
• Where will the seams go?
• Which pad do you recommend for these rooms?

Density, twist and weight

Two carpets with the same fibre can wear very differently. Density is how closely the fibres are packed: denser carpet resists crushing. Twist is how tightly each fibre is wound: higher twist keeps its shape longer.

Face weight tells you how much fibre is on the surface, but a heavy carpet with low density can still flatten. Compare density and twist together.

Stains, pets and busy homes

Many modern carpets have built-in stain protection. For homes with pets or young children, look for a stain-resistant fibre, a textured or patterned style that hides marks, and a moisture-resistant pad.

Blot spills quickly with a clean cloth and water, working from the outside in. Rubbing spreads the stain and can damage the fibres.

What happens on carpet installation day?

• Furniture is moved and the old carpet and pad are taken up.
• Tack strip is checked or replaced around the edges.
• New pad is laid and fixed.
• Carpet is cut, seamed and stretched tight with a power stretcher.
• Edges are tucked, transitions fitted and the room cleaned.

Choosing a colour

Colour changes how big, bright and warm a room feels. Light and grey tones make small rooms feel larger and suit bright, coastal interiors. Natural mid-tones hide dust and everyday wear best. Warm and dark tones feel rich but show dust, pet hair and scratches more.

Look at samples in your own home, on the floor, in both daylight and evening light. Colours look different on every screen and under different bulbs, so never choose from a photo alone.

Carpet on stairs

Stairs take the hardest wear of any carpeted area, because every step lands on the front edge. Choose a dense, low-pile or looped carpet for stairs, and a firm pad made for stairs.

Carpet can wrap each step fully (waterfall or cap-and-band styles), or run as a runner down the middle of hard treads. Your installer will recommend the method that suits your stairs.

How long does carpet last?

How long carpet lasts depends on the fibre, density, pad and traffic far more than on the price tag. Bedrooms see light traffic, so carpet there lasts much longer than on stairs or in hallways.

Signs it is time to replace: matting in walkways that vacuuming does not lift, seams opening, stains that will not clean, or a pad that has broken down and feels thin underfoot.

Transitions between floors

Where one floor meets another, a transition strip covers the joint and allows each floor to move. The right profile depends on the two floors: a T-molding joins floors of the same height, a reducer steps down to a lower floor, and an end cap finishes against sliding doors or fireplaces.

Planning transitions before installation keeps doorways tidy and avoids trip edges between rooms.