Carpet
Introduction
Carpet offers great warmth, comfort and sound-proofing and today’s carpet manufacturers produce a wide variety of colours, textures and patterns allowing it to complement any interior décor.
Over recent decades, advances in manufacturing techniques have produced a bewildering array of different carpet types, which can satisfy the need for luxury or hard-wearing functionality. Since a fitted carpet can represent a significant investment that can last for many years, an understanding of how carpet is constructed can help enable you to make the right selection.
Materials
Carpets are made from a variety of natural and man-made fibres, each of which have distinct properties with advantages and disadvantages. Carpet performance and cost are optimised by combining these fibres in different proportions.
Types of carpet
The very first carpets were made by hand-knotting lengths of yarn into a woven substrate, and indeed fine hand-made rugs continue to use this method of construction to create the pile. These days carpets are made using machinery with either a Cut Pile, a Loop Pile or a Cut & Loop Pile. These differences in construction can considerably affect the durability of the carpet and thus the price per SqM.
Measuring up carpet
Carpet is laid in a single piece wherever possible, unlike a floor covering such as carpet tiles, therefore to accommodate corners and nooks in the layout of a room there is often some considerable wastage. To limit the amount of wastage, and thus overspend, its a good idea to throughly survey your room(s) to consider which options will give the most ecnomical coverage.
Fitting a carpet
Several additional accessories are required to properly fit a carpet and these will need to be budgeted for. Indeed, if you plan to have your carpet fitted professionally, the total cost of all carpet, underlay, accessories and fitting is likely to be approximately double the cost of the carpet alone.
- Remember carpet is an expensive investment, so if any doubt about how to fit it, always consult/hire a professional carpet fitter.
Further information and useful links
- Find a Carpet supplier near you
- Find a Carpet Fitter near you
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