Carpet and curtains are probably on the less glamorous side of home decor, however it’s one of the interior decoration elements we get most queries about. It seems there are a lot of readers out there who would like a bit of advice on the common floor covering.
In our old cottage James and I took the somewhat controversial decision to carpet over the beautiful slate floor in our living room. We’d deliberated for quite some time on whether to cover the stunning floor but finally plumped for a softer covering as we were desperate for a cosier room.
Two years on, I still get comments coming through on my own blog from folks all over the world voicing their opinions on our decision. Let me tell you Anon, from California, you’ve never experienced a Northamptonshire winter. Slate underfoot is far from toasty no matter how stylish is looks.
As you know we’re currently redecorating the master bedroom. As beautiful as all those white washed floors look on Pinterest I know I need some carpet in my life. As far as I’m concerned there’s nothing more snug than a good thick pile, and so the search for new flooring has begun. Now there are lots of different carpets out there and it can be downright confusing so together with Carpetright we’ve put together a handy guide to carpet buying.
What’s Your Style?
Loop Pile
Made from either a flat weave, level loop or multi-level loop pile, these carpets are great if you’re after a textured and rustic feel to your pad. Made from uncut loops of yarn they are great for high traffic areas due to their hard wearing properties.
Velvet
For a softer luxury look opt for the smoother cut pile of a velvet carpet. Patterned carpet usually has a smooth velvet finish.
Saxony
The daddy of carpets. If you’re after luxurious and soft carpet then this one is for you. As they can be tricky to clean due to their deep pile so better suited to bedrooms.
Twist
Another style for those after a rustic finish. A cut pile made from twisted fibres with a course textured finish. Available in plain or heathered (mottled) they are durable and practical making them great for busy areas in the home. This is the style I opted for in our last house.
As I’m planning on re-carpeting the stairs as well as all the upstairs bedrooms in the same covering I’m planning on going for a twist or loop carpet. As comfortable as it would be to go for a saxony style I’d prefer to go for something harder wearing. We’re currently considering Dakota Textured Carpet in Platinum or maybe the Sahara Berber in Granite Cobble.
Material
The prices of carpeting differs drastically dependent on the fibres used to construct your carpet. The composition affects both softness and durability.
Wool
Strong and durable. The more expensive material for carpets.
Polypropylene
Inexpensive, stain resistant though not as durable as its woollen counterparts.
Nylon/ Polymide
Usually blended with wool fibres to make the carpet even more durable.
Sisal
Natural carpet fibre from renewable sources making for an environmentally friendly option.
Consider What Lies Beneath
I’m also planning on splashing out on a super squidgy underlay to insulate the room and cushion sound. In our first house we neglected to invest in the underlay in our main bedroom and found the room was considerable colder than the rest and the floor covering was really flat, definitely not luxurious.
Expecting Spillages?
Now we don’t have any pets at Chez Coleman and as you know no small people either however I am so clumsy so invariably the carpet is likely to end up with some form of spillage on it. If you’re like me it’s a good idea to look out for stain resistant finishes; 100% polypropylene carpets can even be cleaned with a bleach solution.
Thoughts On Colour
A carpet is a pricey investment and it can be tricky to get a real sense of colour from a tiny swatch. I’ve previously paid a deposit to bring home a whole bunch of samples from the store to try them out in situ, sliding them underneath furniture to get a sense of how they’ll fit in the entire room. I’ve often found when I take this approach I end up choosing a shade darker than I originally anticipated.
So that’s a whistle-stop guide to all things carpet. Anyone else currently carpet shopping? Have you gone for wool or man-made fibres?
This post is sponsored by Carpetright
Love this post! We bought a new build in the summer and got to choose our flooring options – my husband and I were having the carpet vs vinyl debate for the hall and dining room. We have a 2 year old and needed something practical. In the end we opted for carpeted entrance hall and dining room and i’m glad we did as its so comfortable and cosy and much warmer. We should have taken swatches home like you Lauren as we chose a much too light carpet which is now dotted with spag bol and bluberry stains 🙁 x
Oh no Katie, and what a waste of some good spag bol 🙁
I’m a big fan of carpet, especially in our draughty old house. I think unless you have some swanky underfloor heating its by far the toastiest option. We have wood int he hall and dining room for practical reason but carpet in the living and bedrooms
Agree Rachel, toasty feet are a must!
Hi Lauren,
Lovely post! Did you have any problems putting carpet over your slate floor? I want to carpet our living room but we have wooden floors and I’m wondering whether they need to be removed / what the implications are…
Katie x
Hi Katie, the carpet fitters glued the gripper rods rather than nail them so they could be removed easily if we wanted.
We’ve previously had exposed floorboards after carpet and there’s a few tack marks where the gripper rods went but nothing too bad x
I’m a huge carpet fan (worked for a very long time as marketing manager for carpet companies, but I don’t now!). I still love the product though, even though it’s not that trendy. I have learned the following, all of which you’ve mentioned above:
1) Buy the best quality underlay you can afford. It makes your carpet feel amazing underfoot and it protects your carpet from a poor floor underneath; wonky floorboards etc. Underlay companies often run promos with carpet retailers who then buy lorry loads of a particular range and will then try to get you to buy this. It may not be ‘the best’ though. So do your research, if you care to.
2) Do not be a wool snob. Wool is great, but there is so much more out there. My choice? Polypropylene! As you say, it can be cleaned with a dilute solution of bleach so is hugely practical for cleaning. It can be a bit ‘soft’ and possibly flatten more than other fibres, but is the perfect choice, especially for kiddies bedrooms, playrooms etc.
3) Sisal & seagrass floorings look amazing initially, but they are a devil to clean and look tired very quickly. If frayed flooring is your thing, then go for it! If not, there are lots of carpet alternatives that emulate sisal, or you could buy a sisal rug that gives you the look but is more disposable when it starts to look tired, or you want to ring the changes.
4) You are spot-on about colour. Often going a shade darker than you initially think is the right way to go. The bigger the sample, the better!
I could go on and on but don’t want to bore you, but I’m so happy you have covered this subject (pun totally intended!)
Happy shopping!
Hi Sara, thanks so much for all you mentioned above. I’m glad you’re in favour of the polypropylene!
My boyfriend and I are choosing carpet at the moment for our Edwardian terrace renovation. We’ve also opted for loop and we want something fairly light (but not cream!) so as not to make the rooms feel small. I love the John Lewis selection but I think we will go with a local firm to try and get the cost down. We are only carpeting the stairs, the landing, and 3 bedrooms leaving downstairs floorboards. It is so much more expensive than I anticipated! Especially if you go for wool and cloud 9 underlay! EEK. It will be worth the investment and I can’t wait to walk around barefoot!
Hi Sarah, you’re doing all the rooms we’re doing! It’s a mammoth operation working out how to clear the rooms while we’re living in the house.
Absolutely worth the investment. I can’t wait to have the same floor covering rather than three lots of different laminate and a tired carpet!
Very good advice – especially on getting samples!
I have to admit though I really dislike carpet. Having grown up in the 80s with carpet everywhere, I never quite got the obsession with it (especially in the bathroom – why??) and I can’t help finding them incredibly unhygienic. With three dogs, a cat and a baby on the way, I can only imagine the filth we’d have in a few months, even with regular cleaning!
We had vinyl in our old house, practical but not so nice. Now, we’re very lucky to have an old Edwardian with wonderful wooden flooring throughout. We ripped all the atrocious carpets out and had the floors sanded, gaps filled and repainted. Personally, I prefer the feel of wood under my feet over carpet – but as much as I loved your slate floor Lauren, I can imagine how freezing that must have been!
We’ve compromised on a few rugs dotted through the house which can be stuffed in the washing machine if needs be 🙂
Yes carpets in bathroom are an odd choice Maike!
I love a rug or two layered over the floor x
I’m finding it very strange to say but I am loving this post!
I’ve just finished a cleaning marathon of the house (easter prep ) and was just thinking about how it’s finally budget appropriate to remove our hideous BLUE carpet in the front room and girls bedroom – loving all the info and have requested some samples!
Yay Gemma, glad to have been able to help.
Did you ever consider using a rug over your slate floor Lauren? We are at the start of a house renovation and considering flooring. I too adore the look of a wooden/hard floor but appreciate there are some places you want something a bit softer so are thinking of using a combination of hard floor and rugs – even in the bedroom and lounge. Anyone else gone down that route – any pitfalls we should think about? Thanks!!! xx
That’s exactly what we did Diane! We just made sure to get rugs that can be washed (probably less of an issue if you don’t have half a zoo…) and got some decent underlay so they don’t slip. It’s also cheaper to change the colour scheme I find 🙂
Hi Diane, we did consider rugs but as it was a 21 foot room we needed two and the cost just became prohibitive. The rest of the house downstairs was quarry tiled or slate so they were rugs galore over these surfaces! In two of the bedrooms we left the exposed wooden floor.
This post is very timely since we’re on the hunt for a stair carpet (else our downstairs neighbours may hate us with our stomping over their heads…). I did have to laugh when my husband turned to me in the shop and whispered “this is proper grown up stuff, I feel like an adult”, our wedding & buying a house clearly didn’t have the same effect! Haha.
This made me laugh out loud Lynsey. It is very grown up choosing carpet 😉
An interesting conundrum! I can totally understand your decision to go for carpet over slate in your previous home, in terms of the warmth and cosiness factor.
We have beautiful (original!) parquet in our living room that sadly has not been well looked after by previous owners, and bears the marks of being carpeted over by someone who clearly didn’t care in the past, and some serious damage where there was previously a fireplace/surround that extended beyond the size of the original. Given the damage it would be tempting to carpet the area – but I personally love the feel of the wood under my feet and the sense of warmth that the colour brings to the room, so we’ll be opting for a rug to up the cosiness. And we’ve taken the liberty of tiling the previously damaged section with some lovely tiles from fired earth, recreating the focal point where the fireplace used to be…
I seem to have wandered a little off topic – I have to say that I’m not sure carpet is something I’d find it easy to make a decision about (I simply wouldn’t know where to start, and wouldn’t find it something I could be excited about as I am about other decor elements), so this will be a handy little guide should I ever decide I need new carpets in my life!
Original parquet is a stunner Rebecca. Lovely idea to combine with a rug x
I am in a rented flat that has laminated wood flooring everywhere in the rooms apart from kitchen, the kitchen is vinyl or lino. I have to say I hate the wood flooring as too cold to walk barefoot on and constantly having to put on slippers or trainers so my feet dont get cold.
I prefer carpet for living room and bedroom as cosier and can just walk barefoot on, Kitchen and bathroom will always be either vinyl for sure!
I cant wait for the day I buy my own place and can decide what flooring to have!
Ahh Shona you must come back to this post when you buy a place x
Love this post and just ordered some samples from Carpet right! Really like the ones you have gone for!
We’re looking at carpeting stairs, landing (which is the size of a small room) and or bedroom. Downstairs? We don’t know yet – we have a open plan living room dining room – Kitchen is separate (but connected) and has lovely (but very cold) slate floor – going to keep it in the kitchen. You come in straight off the street straight into our living room (no hallway) – so thinking wood in that room with some big rugs but that is pretty pricey – basically its all for more than you think its going to be! But we did get new floor tiles from Topps Tiles by using Tesco club card vouchers – so thats helpful!
If you are looking for a reliable carpet and flooring fitter visit our website https://www.carpethotlinesuperstore.co.uk and get in touch, we are always happy to help.
I am so happy when reading on interior tips. It is an opportunity to expand my knowledge.