Whilst hard-flooring still has its time and place, there’s no denying that recently, carpets have been making a strong comeback. The dominance of hard flooring has been challenged in most rooms and new types of carpet materials have been instrumental in this pushback.
So if you’re looking for a new alternative for your hard-flooring and don’t know where to begin, keep reading.
Carpet materials
With a wide variety of carpet materials on the market, you no longer have to compromise your comfort for a more hard-wearing material like stone, laminate or wood. In fact, there are plenty of hard-wearing carpets to choose from – here are a few of the most common options out there right now.
Wool
100% natural and soft to the touch, wool is a durable, biodegradable material that takes dyes well for beautiful patterns and colours. It’s particularly suited to living rooms and bedrooms, where you’re often barefooted and there’s a need for insulation. Wool is not without its drawback, however. First, the purest wools are expensive, so “wool” carpets in the mid-range are often blended with synthetic materials, or use lower grade wool. It is also susceptible to damp and mildew, especially around the edges of external-facing walls, and can stain quite easily.
Nylon
Man-made nylon is a cheaper option than wool, and it’s very popular because of its hard-wearing qualities, ability to take colours and stain resistance. It’s best suited to areas of high use, such as hallways, stairs and living rooms, where spillages are more likely.
Olefin (Polypropylene)
A halfway house between nylon and wool, olefin is a man-made substance that can be fabricated to resemble the softness of wool, with the durability of nylon. Its main drawback is that it can collect grime, but on the plus side it’s very easy to wash.
Polyester
You’re probably wearing something with polyester in it, so you’ll be aware of its softness, ease of dyeing and relatively good durability. It’s also a decent carpet material for these same reasons, and some polyester carpets are made from recycled plastic bottles, which might be a green consideration. However, it’s not famed for its ability to hold shape, so, we’d advise saving this for a room with less footfall.
Jute or hessian
Produced from the plants in the genus Corchorus, jute is a vegetable fibre that can be turned into a strong fabric that for centuries made rope, sacks and carpet backing. Therefore, jute is a completely natural fabric with a rough, fibrous feel that’s great for carpets with clearly defined patterns in the weave rather than in the dye. Hessian is essentially the same thing, although it tends to refer to the finished fabric rather than the material itself – it’s made from the same plants as jute.
Cotton
Another natural product, cotton does have some use as a carpet material, but it’s not very common. It’s quite easy to stain and can yellow over time. Cotton rugs, on the other hand, are very common, and they’re a great option for covering a large area of wood or laminate floor at a reasonable price. Just don’t expect to get too many years of service out of them.
Linen (flax)
Linen is a material made from the flax plant, so you sometimes hear the two words used interchangeably. However, since linen is associated with softness, ease of washing and drying and good looks in clothing, napkins and other items, it’s the term you’ll usually see. Although linen gives exceptional comfort and warmth in a carpet, it is prone to wear, so is something of a niche material. It’s good to have in relaxing rooms without much footfall, such as studies, bedrooms and conservatories.
Seagrass
Naturally tough and hard-wearing, seagrass actually grows in the sea and is harvested, dried and woven for a stand-out carpet material. It’s ideal for entrance halls where there’s lots of footfall, but many people like it in the living room as a way to slightly soften a hard floor but give a delightful matt lustre to the room. Because it’s naturally pale, it keeps everything light and fresh.
Coir
Another tough and fibrous material, coir is made from the husk of coconuts, so is fantastic eco-material to use, and helps developing nations by creating a saleable by-product from the coconut harvest. It’s darker and warmer than seagrass but has a similar texture and is useful in high-volume walkways.
Sisal
The sisal plant, a type of agave native to Central America, creates a strand-y and hard-wearing fibre with an incredible variety of uses such as for rope, twine, fabrics, dart boards and even paper being made from it. Sisal is a strong material that’s easy to work with, which helps show off its diversity as a material. When using it for your carpets, you can expect a rough weave surface that will give you years of service and is biodegradable at the end of its life.
Silk
If you’re looking for a budget carpet, skip this section. But silk carpets are a thing and deserve a mention because they are probably the ultimate in luxury. Not only is silk easy to dye and form, and is famed for its softness, it’s actually incredibly strong and hard-wearing. But all this opulence comes at a price – and a big one at that.
Carpet Finishes
The finish of a carpet determines how soft and durable it is. There’s usually an element of trade-off here – softer finish carpets wear out more quickly than hard ones. Choosing the right finish will give you the perfect balance between comfort and durability. Texturing is often incorporated to give a pattern on the carpet – it’s usually achieved simply by using different lengths of the same style of finish, but different colours can also be incorporated to accentuate the difference.
These finishes tend to be on softer materials like wool, olefin or polyester. The harder styles like jute are usually simply woven, although that still gives plenty of scope for introducing interesting patterns.
Cut pile
With a cut pile carpet, the individual threads point upwards and are cut straight across, a bit like a short haircut. Because the threads are free to move and there’s some give in the carpet, they are soft underfoot. The downside is that they can start to wear out relatively quickly.
Loop pile
With a loop pile carpet, each thread is embedded into the backing at both ends, so forms a loop. The advantages over cut pile are its durability and its grippiness, which makes it a popular choice for stairs. The trade-off is comfort – they are a bit harder – and they can trap dirt and hairs (especially pet fur) in the loops.
Cut and loop
For living rooms and bedrooms, the cut and loop is probably the most popular finish for a carpet. As the name suggests, it’s a blend of loop pile and cut pile threads, giving a balance of softness, grip and durability. Sometimes the different types are used to create a pattern; other times they are distributed evenly all over the carpet.
Twist pile
Similar to cut pile, twist pile has individual fibres attached at one end, but they are tightly twisted and bunched together to give a more luxurious feel.
Saxony
Saxony takes twist pile to the next level, with much longer pile for even more luxury. The main drawback is that they can show lines where they have been moved, trodden upon or vacuumed, like a field of corn blowing in the wind. It’s not permanent, but can affect the look, especially for some colours.
Berber
Berber is a harder-wearing version of loop pile, made by having tighter loops. However, softness is often achieved by using a thicker, plusher thread.
Velvet or plush
Velvet carpet (often called plush) is a cut pile style with loosely twisted threads. The effect is very neat and smart, but they are not the softest carpets available.
Shag and frieze
The ultimate in softness must be the shag carpet. It has very long, fat threads going in all directions, so it’s like walking on balls of wool – very comfy, but can be tricky to keep clean. Frieze is a slightly more restrained version, with shorter pile but definitely still occupying the luxurious category.
Carpet patterns
There’s no limit to the number of patterns that carpets can come in. From football club badges to the most elegant and subtle shades, you’ll be able to find a carpet that meets your tastes.
Plain
Plain is the simplest carpet, made of a single colour throughout, or at least with subtle flecks of other colours. They’re great for giving the illusion of space (especially in light colours), and matching a room’s decor. Another advantage is that you can keep a few offcuts so you can repair worn out, stained or damaged areas without worrying about matching.
Patterned
From classic repeating fleur de lis to extravagant floral displays, from tartans to chequerboard, carpets come in a whole range of patterns. It’s all about choosing the one for your room. Some people like a well defined pattern as it can hide stains and blemishes – others dislike them for the same reason.
Striped
Stripes are quite fashionable at the moment, and are useful for giving apparent length to narrow or short spaces. Again, the range of possible colours and widths is limitless.
Novelty
Mainly used in kids’ rooms, novelty carpets come emblazoned with the things they love, be it Disney characters, animals, sports teams or just child-friendly images. The only downside is that kids grow up very quickly and might not be quite so happy about their carpet in a year or two!
For other articles on flooring, take a look at our guide on how to fit laminate or a look at Amtico and Karndean.