Choosing the right place to buy your carpet is as critical as choosing the right carpet. A well-established business with a good reputation will be more likely to be around in the future should you need help. It's best to find a provider who uses on-staff professionals as opposed to sub-contractors; experienced installers are important even with uncomplicated installations.
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Your carpet source should have a large, varied selection with different fiber options. Wool, synthetics, blends, sisal, grass, jute, coir, linen, woven vinyl and even paper each have their own strengths. A variety of patterns is helpful too, to stimulate your imagination and expand your options. A good selection will inspire you!
1. Not all fibers are created equal.
Whether it is wool or a synthetic, the more tightly twisted the fiber, the more abrasion it will withstand. Fiber length is also important. With long individual fibers, there will be less shedding, and the carpet fibers will stay where you want them: in your carpet! Test by digging your fingertips into the pile and dragging them across the surface. If you can scrape up more than just a few carpet fibers, the staples are too short; your carpet may continue to lose density. If very few fibers come loose, that&#;s good: your carpet will retain its body. Also notice how it feels: poor quality yarn will be coarse, dry and fuzzy; a good quality yarn will feel soft.
2. Wool is naturally an ideal carpet fiber.
Wool stays beautiful for years naturally. Since it is an extremely durable, crimped fiber which springs back into shape after you walk on it, wool carpets won&#;t show matted-down paths or heavily used areas. Wool&#;s natural coating makes it easy to vacuum or blot up. stain-resistant and easy to clean. The configuration of its fibers, scale-like as shown in the magnified image on the right, helps to keep soil on the surface making it easy to vacuum or blot. Moreover, wool accepts dye readily, enabling pure and clear reproduction of every color imaginable.
3. Synthetics are better than ever.
Synthetics have enjoyed recent advances, which have produced some very high quality carpet fibers that are stain and crush resistant, reliably color-fast, and &#;de-lustered&#; for a more matte, less shiny finish. The best are &#;Wear-Dated&#;, guaranteeing their durability. Look for these premium branded products such as Dupont Stainmaster and Anso Crush Resister III and look for a texture retention warranty.
The biggest advantage of synthetics may be their affordability. However, a good value in wool be less expensive than a high-end synthetic.
4. Think practically about color.
Ivory and pale beige are by far the best-selling carpet colors. However, they most appropriate in bedrooms and other light traffic areas. For stairs, entryways and other areas exposed to heavy use or soil, consider taupe or mushroom, which are light, but don&#;t show soil and stains as readily. Furthermore, darker is not necessarily better. Lint, dust, pet hair, and any other light-colored materials will be very noticeable on deep tones.
5. Consider the texture, too.
Cut pile carpets such as velvets (short pile) and plushes (longer pile) are elegant, but they show footprints and can develop &#;pooling&#; areas, which look shaded because the pile nap has been reversed from its natural bend.
Patterned or textured carpets are better at camouflaging footprints, soil and stains. Even a slight variation in carpet color or texture can help to hide signs of use. Probably the most forgiving texture is a mixture of loops and cut pile; it hides most everything, including footprints.
6. Be careful on stairs.
Stairs are the most demanding application; it is critical to select the right type of carpet. Wool carpeting is the ideal material for use on stairs and in high traffic areas. Woven carpet is the best choice for stairs because the woven backing keeps each piece of yarn in place. Cut pile is preferable to a looped pile since spaces between loops are more subject to&#;grinning&#;, open area on the edge of the steps.
Density is also important. Try to separate the rows of fibers: can you feel the foundation? If so, the carpet may not be dense enough for use on stairs. An Axminster weave is the ultimate choice for stairs because it has the following attributes: a high density, cut pile, and a woven backing.
7. The old-fashioned way is still the best.
If you choose a carpet with a coordinating carpeting border, consider having it hand-sewn on, instead of heat-seamed. A hand-sewn seam will be more secure, more flexible, and will not be harmed by washing. However, the hand-sewing is more costly than heat-seaming.
Tapestry borders should always be hand-sewn, and the carpet must be low pile to accept the border neatly. At Landry & Arcari we fabricate our own tapestry-bordered carpets by following these steps: sewing the inside edge, latexing the middle, and securing the border with a sewn outside edge. You can't go wrong with a heavy upholstery weight tapestry; your salesperson can inform you about the latest options in leather and other materials.
8. Use a company with their own full-time, experienced installers.
Carpet installation is hard physical labor, and it can be difficult to find meticulous technicians. Be aware that most dealers use sub-contractors, who are usually less skilled and less experienced than full-time employees and more likely to create problems during this pain-staking process. At Landry & Arcari we have several crews of our own experienced, factory-trained experts, who have a very impressive record of customer satisfaction. It&#;s also best when the company has their own workroom, as we do, for binding and seaming. This allows more control over how and when things are done.
9. Ask about the seams.
Talk with your installer before the installation. You&#;ll want to make sure seams will be as hidden as possible under furniture or in the least noticeable area of the room. Since most carpet is 12 feet wide, one or more seams will be necessary if your room is wider than 12 feet. With some odd-shaped rooms, you&#;ll have a choice: you can purchase less carpet and piece it together if you&#;re willing to have more seams, or you can purchase more carpeting to avoid the need for extra seams. ASK about your options, or your installer may make the decision without consulting you.
An experienced installer will be skilled at making seams less visible, but it is likely you will be able to see the seam if you look for it - it will not be invisible.
10. Your padding shouldn't be too soft.
For padding, we recommend 40-ounce fibercore, made of reconstituted carpet and pad. It is a firm non-allergenic pad; it won&#;t mold, mildew or mat down, and is guaranteed for 20 years, even when you change the carpeting. For those who prefer more cushion, pure solid rubber (not the compressed foam type) is very good, but more expensive than fibercore. We do not recommend anything softer since a pad that is too flexible will allow the carpet to stretch.
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Once you&#;ve decided to go with carpets to support your project, you still have a number of decisions you need to make. In this article, we'll give you four great tips on how to select the perfect commercial carpet for your project.
So you&#;ve decided that a commercial carpet is the right choice for your project. Congratulations on taking your first step. For the record, we think you made the right choice. You still have some choices to make, however, to make sure that you selected the best possible commercial carpet for your specific project and client's needs.
With so many options and qualities to choose from, landing on the best carpet and specifications for your project may seem like a daunting task. Luckily, we can break the process down into just four easy steps.
Our Global Account Manager Kim Monrad answers our most frequently asked questions about carpets. In this video, Kim explains how to choose the right carpet for your project based on the different factors that come into play when choosing the right carpet for your specific project.
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Four steps to selecting the right commercial carpet:
Step 1: Decide on your carpet type
Before you specify colours, patterns, qualities, etc., one of the first decisions you&#;ll need to make is whether to go with carpet tiles, wall-to-wall carpet or a combination of the two for your commercial carpet project.
For projects restricted by budget or timeframe, carpet tiles for commercial use may be the right choice. For high-end projects, where luxury and underfoot comfort are of top priority, then wall-to-wall carpeting may be more suited. It&#;s also possible to combine the two, using wall-to-wall carpeting where the high-end qualities are desired and using carpet tiles, where a more budget-friendly option is the priority.
For more guidance, see our article: Wall-to-wall vs carpet tiles
Step 2: decide on your carpet properties
Once you land on a carpet type, it&#;s time to consider the properties that will be required of your commercial carpet, based on the needs of your project. First off, consider the areas that you will be carpeting. What are the specific needs of these areas?
Will they be subject to heavy foot traffic? Will acoustics be a main concern in them? Are they in constant use, such that regular maintenance would be difficult? Will there be heavy furniture present in these areas? Carpets are rigorously tested and classified according to specific properties, such as these.
Once you&#;ve decided on the properties most important to you, your carpet manufacturer will be able to help you land on a great selection. Different choices you make - such as which carpet construction to go with (tufted, woven or needle punched), your preferred carpet style (loop pile, cut pile or cut and loop pile) and which carpet fibre you&#;d like (wool, polypropylene, nylon, polyester, or even recycled materials) - have a large impact on the carpet properties you can expect.
Additionally, the carpet backing you select will affect the final properties of your carpet, having an impact on factors, such as underfoot comfort, longevity, appearance retention and acoustics.
Be sure to approach these decisions with care, and continually talk to your carpet manufacturer, in order to ensure that you're landing on the best commercial carpet for your project&#;s needs.
Step 3: Consider colour, design and pattern
With carpet type and properties decided upon, now it&#;s time for the fun decision &#; how your commercial carpet should look.
Carpet is an incredibly versatile flooring material with endless design possibilities &#; both ready-to-order and custom designs. Your first step, though, will be to consider the area you&#;re carpeting.
What&#;s the light like in that space? Lighting will affect the way the carpet appears on site. Another thing to keep in mind is what degree of soiling you anticipate. For example, if you&#;re selecting a carpet that will be subject to heavy foot traffic, is located near food and beverages, etc., you will want to land on a colour or design that can best camouflage stains. A general rule of thumb here is to go for darker colours and patterns.
Once you&#;ve nailed down the practicalities, you&#;re all set to make your selection. With most manufacturers, you&#;ll be able to choose between standard design carpets and custom designed commercial carpets.
At Ege, however, we offer an added layer between standard and customisation. We call it our designer collections. Our designer collections, made in combination with prominent designers, offer the opulence and uniqueness of a customised solution but at a more budget-friendly price and with a shorter lead time.
When budget dictates a standard solution, it still won&#;t compromise on the design. Ege&#;s standard selections, known as our express collections, offer a plethora of colours and patterns to choose from.
When the sky&#;s the limit, and you want a custom design, we have the shortest lead time in the industry on custom designs. When going custom, you basically have two options: do the creative development of the carpet design yourself, or explain it to our designers, so they can make it come to life. No matter the choice, we offer close collaboration throughout the journey, so you can land on a final product that you&#;re delighted with.
Step 4: Factor in installation costs and timing
When selecting commercial carpets for your project, you may be thinking of costs in terms of the up-front costs of your carpet, but that&#;s not exactly the whole picture. You also need to consider your carpet installation when budgeting and setting the timeline for your project.
For example, choosing carpet tiles can reduce the complexity and the amount of time spent installing the commercial carpets. Likewise, it will reduce the amount of waste produced in the process and lower the total cost of installation.
To the contrary, when you select wall-to-wall carpeting, it may be logistically more difficult. First off, wall-to-wall carpet comes in large, heavy rolls making it more difficult and time consuming to transport. Not to mention, when you go with wall-to-wall carpeting, you often need to build in time for your carpet to acclimatise pre installation and air out afterward. All in all, when you go with wall-to-wall carpeting, you should be prepared to account for some added complexity in the installation process.
In order to get the most accurate picture of the installation time and costs you should anticipate, it&#;s a good idea to follow an carpet installation checklist. While there are certain carpeting choices that will inevitably increase the complexity and time spent on installation, with good planning, it&#;s always possible to stay on time and within budget.
Conclusion
With these four simple steps, it&#;s easy to land on the commercial carpet that best suits your needs - both now and in the long run. For more information on finding the right carpet for you, see our ebook, THE ARCHITECT&#;S GUIDE TO CHOOSING THE RIGHT CARPET.
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