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How to choose a carpet

HOW TO CHOOSE AND BUY THE BEST NEW CARPET FOR YOU

A classic flooring choice, carpets are available in an almost limitless combination of colours, styles and textures, and can easily brighten or soften your entire décor as you please. However, it can feel confusing understanding what you need to know to buy the best carpet for you! Here, we unpack what you need to know about buying carpet.

NEW CARPET CONSIDERATIONS

Before you even step foot in a carpet shop, seriously analyse your needs. Download our buying guide to learn how the below things can impact your considerations:

  • Geography – how does where you live impact your carpet choice?
  • Function – what room/s is it going to be in?
  • Primary Users – who is going to be seeing and using it the most?
  • Mood – how will colour and style choices create a desired mood?
  • Longevity – what lifespan are you looking to get?
  • Maintenance – how high- or low-level maintenance do you want?
  • Installation – are you going to use underlay? What’s your budget?

Carpet buying guide

DO YOUR RESEARCH!

With so much to consider, it’s worthwhile doing some serious research into carpet colours, piles, and materials. The best carpet choice for you depends on how well it meets your needs from the above considerations and your budget. Here are some of our top guides:

Material, style and texture matter significantly in getting the best carpet for you.

GO IN STORE AND ASK QUESTIONS

When heading to carpet shops, be prepared to ask some questions of professionals and get the most out of your time with them. If there are any things you’re still unclear on around the types of carpet, now’s your time to ask! Here’s some important questions to consider when looking at different carpet options:

1. WHAT IS ITS DURABILITY?

Ask a professional or look on the label for the density, quality of the fibre, and construction details as indicators of durability. With luck, the label will also say what traffic flow level areas it’s ideally used in! It’s always good to also ask the professionals on hand about how it performed in independent wear and performance tests, or what it’s ACCS star rating is.

Check the density (amount of pile yarn and how close the tufts are) by bending the carpet sample in half, with the tuffs facing outwards, and looking for the carpet backing peeping through at the base. The less carpet backing you see, the denser the carpet, which means its likely more durable. Ask about the warrant and guarantee on the carpet.

2. WHAT’S THE COST?

Carpet is usually priced by the broadloom metre, and fibre can have a large impact on cost. Come prepared with an idea of the square meterage you want covered – keeping in mind that it’s worthwhile to buy extra or keep off cuts in case you need to replace worn carpet in high traffic areas, such as stairs. If you get basic initial project costs for a few different options, you can both start planning financially and compare the different carpets better.

Often, it is cheaper to get the carpet installed by the company you buy it from, so make sure to ask about installation costs, and get itemised quotes so that you know what they each entail. Most quotes likely factor in underlay and installation, but don’t always include moving the furniture.

HOW DO I CHOOSE THE COLOUR?

Lighting and the surrounding colours and materials of your interior decorating will influence how different carpets look in your home. Really, the only place where you should choose and buy new carpet is in the rooms where it will be installed! At Carpet Call we are proud to provide a free in-home measure and quote, which allows you to see all your chosen carpet samples in your own home and lighting conditions. You can check them in each room under different lighting conditions they might face, such as natural daylight, artificial lighting, or candlelight. This vital step will help you decide which carpet best suits your house.  Not only does it make it much easier to match your décor and colours without any guess work, but our experienced flooring salesperson can also give you the right advice after seeing the rooms as well as discuss installation methods, placement of joins, and anything else relevant to your carpet installation.

A JOB FOR PROFESSIONALS

  1. Choose samples from our incredible range of new carpets in store or online
  2. Book your free home measure and quote with one of our dedicated flooring specialists in store or give us a call on 1300 502 427!

With over 40 years in trade, Carpet Call are the experts in the trade, guaranteed to help you find the best carpet for you! Submit an enquiry, visit us in store or call 1300 502 427.