Carpet Flooring Options
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Have you ever walked on a carpet and marveled at how soft and resilient it feels? That probably has as much to do with the quality of pad, than the actual carpet. Good padding protects your carpet, makes it last longer, and feel better. It acts as a shock absorber and protects carpet from the wear and tear of everyday use.
Why Choose Carpet?
Carpet is soft, warm, and comforting and absorbs noise. This makes it ideal for bedrooms, living rooms, basements, and kids' play areas. Many of the manufacturers today use stain-resistant and hypoallergenic technologies in the manufacturing process and are engineered to resist staining and fading. There are many color and style options available along with textures and patterns allowing for you to personalize your living space.
Styles of carpet include:
Texture
Twist/frieze
Cable
Loop/Berber
Patterned
Plush
Types of carpet fibers include:
Nylon
Polyester
Olefin/polypropylene
Wool

Reasons Why We Love Carpet
- Offers endless color options, styles, and patterns.
- With its warmth and soft feel, it is luxurious and inviting.
- It is a great decorating tool, providing a relaxed backdrop or making a bold statement with bright colors and unique designs.
- Cushions sounds and minimizes noise.
- Decreases the risk of slipping and reduces the impact of falls.
- Improves air quality by trapping dust and allergens, removing them from circulating in the air.
- Reasonably priced and lower installation costs than other flooring options.
- Can hide flooring irregularities.
So Where Do You Start?
Consider the following:
- What will you use the room for?
- What is the feel of the room?
- Do you have pets or kids?
- Will this area have high or low traffic?
- Will this carpet be in a hallway, entryway, or close to an outside door?
- Will the carpet be exposed to direct sunlight?
Choosing the Right Carpet Construction
Understanding carpet construction is important for choosing the right carpet. Things to consider – what type of construction suits the traffic, ease of maintenance, look, and feel you want. Please browse our guide below to understand the style of carpet you are looking at and if it will fit your needs.
Texture
A Textured carpet is one of the most popular and well known. It is a cut pile carpet with tight crimps and alternating twists. This creates a casual and super soft feel. It is also known for hiding footprints and vacuum marks. This construction comes at multiple price points to fit the style and budget of anyone. It will hold up to heavy traffic and active families.
Good For: High traffic. Informal look. Goes well anywhere in the home.
Saxony
Saxony carpet is dense and elegant. It looks like velvet and feels as soft. The yarn is level cut, with equal twists, and heat set for a uniform finish. This carpet has an expensive look and feel. Saxony is not recommended for high traffic areas since it will likely show footprints and vacuum marks.
Good For: Low traffic. Elegant spaces. Great for a master bedroom, dining room, or formal living areas.
Twist / Frieze
The Twist, also known as Frieze, is a cut style with tight twists that bend away from each other and slightly curl at the end. It has a textured surface look, highly durable, and good for active areas in the home. This carpet is the best choice for hiding footprints and common markings. It can also be a good choice for commercial projects.
Good For: High traffic. Contemporary look. Family and pet friendly homes. Commercial locations.
Cable
This carpet style is thick, long, and twisty. The yarn is cut at a variety of lengths. It is soft to walk on, but not good for high activity rooms, hallways, or stairs, due to its tendency for it to crush beneath the feet.
Good For: Soft feel. Bedrooms and low traffic areas.
Loop
A Loop carpet is an uncut yarn that creates a durable surface. It is easy to clean, holds up to wear, and lasts a long time. Since seams are more likely to be visible, it may not be a good choice for stairs.
When the loops are all the same length, they are called Level Loops. This creates a smooth surface and each individual loop can be seen. They are firm and tend to be casual.
Thick, bulky yarn when looped is often called Berber. Berber is denser and resists stains. Be advised, berbers may not be a good choice for pet owners since claws or nails may catch and cause fraying.
Good For: Active rooms. Casual look.
Low maintenance.
Cut and Loop
Cut and Loop combines both cut and uncut loops to create patterns and textures. These styles can come in one color or in multiple colors. The advantages are they offer many different styles and looks, whether a contemporary and formal space is in mind. This construction of carpet can disguise stains and withstands wear.
Good For: A variety of choices. Contemporary or formal areas. Hides soiling and regular wear.
The correct cushion is important for maintaining the life and look of your carpet. According to the Carpet and Rug Institute, texture, cut-loop, or high level loop needs a resilient, firm cushion of 7/16 inch and no less than ¼ inch with 6 pounds cubic feet density. Polyurethane foams, including rebound, fiber, or rubber are good options. Berber or thinner loop and thinner cut styles require a stable, low-flexing cushion. Cushion thickness should not exceed 3/8 inch. Check with the carpet manufacturer to see if a specific cushion is required.
Carpet Fiber
There are four basic types of fiber and each of them has their own strength or benefit.
Decide what’s important to you and your decision will be easy!
Nylon
Nylon carpet fiber is soft yet strong, shows color brilliantly, and is easy to clean. It is very resilient, fade resistant, and retains its texture well. Newer Nylons called “Nylon 6” or “Nylon 6/6” are more expensive but are engineered to be more durable and resistant to wear. These carpets are great choice for anywhere in the home, especially places where stains may occur.
Polypropylene (Olefin)
The use of polypropylene in carpet has grown dramatically over the past ten years. It is extremely resistant to moisture, stains, fading, and chemical cleaning agents. Polypropylene, a value-oriented fiber, is notably colorfast because it is solution dyed, which means the color is added during the fiber production and not dyed later. Because it’s so resistant to moisture and mildew, it’s generally a good choice for both outdoor and indoor areas including playrooms, kitchens and dens.
Polyester (P.E.T.)
Made from recycled P.E.T. products, like plastic soda bottles, it is stronger than polypropylene and can perform as well as nylon at a lower cost. It offers exceptional softness, making it ideal for thick, cut pile styles. Polyester is also naturally and permanently stain and fade resistant. It has excellent color clarity, color retention, strength, and abrasion resistance. Carpets made from polyester are easily cleaned and they resist water soluble stains. As a recycled product, it is an inexpensive environmentally friendly option.
Wool
Wool is the crème de la crème of carpet fiber. It was the original fiber for carpet and is the only natural one of the four main fibers. It is tough and durable yet soft and luxurious. Dust, dirt, and oil-based stains come out easily because wool naturally releases the soil rather than absorbing it. In a high traffic room, it stays resilient and bounces back. It’s also environmentally friendly because it comes from a renewable resource. Wool is the most expensive carpet fiber and is generally used only in luxury carpets and area rugs. When you purchase a carpet made with any of these fibers, you’ll get a comprehensive warranty from the manufacturer. Ask Northern Flooring, Inc for more information about the performance and warranties on these products.
Advanced Generation Nylons (Branded Fiber)
Advanced Generation Nylons are also called “branded fibers” because they have a specific brand name. Buying branded versus unbranded carpet makes a huge difference. Branded fibers are manufactured to a strict set of standards and offer better performance, stain, static, and crush resistance. The fibers have been specially treated with stain and soil resistant resins that were applied during the dyeing process. We feature the following branded fibers:
- Softique®
- Infinity Nylon Carpet Fiber®
You’ll find carpet made with these branded fibers on our Designer's Choice and Creative Elegance displays in the Northern Flooring, Inc showroom. These branded fibers receive our Exclusive Lifetime Warranties.
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Northern Flooring, Inc
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