What am I looking for when buying new carpet??

Manchester_Lucy

Almost completing on our new house :j

The previous owners had a dog and some dodgy taste in carpet so we need to replace the hall, stairs and landing and the master bedroom.

I've had a look around a couple of shops but to be honest it all looks the same! I think the only real test is to take my shoes off and walk on it!

Serriously though what is a good carpet? Being FTB we don't want to spend a fortune and it's more for cosmetic purposes than anything else.

On the H,S&L we will need something reasonably hard wearing but I don't want sandpaper under my feet.

And what about underlay, is there a certain thickness/brand/style that I need to look for?

Please please please someone point me in the right direction!!

ariba10

If you want it to wear well you should look for 80% wool.

Most carpet shops that I know include fitting, underlay and grippers in the price they quote. You can always ask to see a sample of the underlay.

tawnyowls

As ariba10 says, the most hardwearing is generally an 80% wool/20% nylon mix. Having said that, one of the most popular and hardwearing carpets we used to sell was made from 100% recycled wool - it was very easy to clean because wool repels dirt, wheras nylon can attract some types of dirt. The name escapes me now, but it was a very popular one and lots of carpet shops stocked it. Another one that was very popular was a polyester one made from recyled bottles - apart from its 'green' credentials, it could be dyed very rich jewel colours, which are very hard to achieve in wool.

For hall and stairs in particular, a twist finish (where the wool tufts are actually given a twist) is the most hardwearing. You don't want a loop pile on the stairs - that can be dangerous. In the bedroom, you can have pretty much anything, because it's a low-wear area, but you might just want to continue the same carpet through from the landing. You'll often hear salespeople talk about a 'heather twist'; all that means is it's a twist carpet that has a sort of speckled pattern - it looks like a single colour if you're standing, but if you get down and look closely at it, you can see it's made up of different colours, so it doesn't show dirt as easily.

John Lewis has a useful guide here: http://www.johnlewis.com/46_Flooring/Content.aspx

Manchester_Lucy

Wow! Thanks so much for your advice. I really feel more confident now when I can finally go shopping!!

Can't wait to finally do it all now!

Debt_Free_Chick

Although I've not used them (yet), this company was recommended to me by a landlord with a number of properties.

Might be useful for a price-check, even if you don't use them.

startrekker

Have a look HERE for some informed advice

hardpressed

I would strongly recommend a 'tweedy' look rather than a plain colour which shows every mark.

benood

After our experience with Allied Carpets I would strongly recommend that you are very careful to find a firm who employ their own fitters. Lots are subcontractors and quality is variable.

We negotiated an incredible discount with Allied - their computer systems were iffy which allowed the salesman (we subsequently discovered) to put the balance of the cost onto an unsigned finance agreement. I think it was endemic in the branch.

However, they got their own back as the fitter managed to bring carpet beetle in with our lovely new carpets - luckily we caught them early but it could have been disastrous. What's more he left quite a mess and even left some hidden nails proud for us to step on, :eek:

Manchester_Lucy

Well we went round lots of local carpet shops. I like one type of carpet that was ribbed, it was called Cotswald or something. I've decided that I quite like the ribbed effect.

The only thing is we have a 'reasonably' limited budget and have been told that we shouldn't be spending around £11/m on a 'nice' carpet and go for a more traditional one. But I like it :drool:

Does anyone else have any ideas on more modern carpets which I will like just as much as the ribbed ones?

The ribbed one was quoted at £238 for an average size bedroom inc fitting and underlay. I don't know if this is good or bad

shockingmoment

we're looking at these:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/nationwide-carpets-and-flooring

not used them yet, so can't comment. had a sample from them that looks good

Lord_Gardener

Check out your local independant carpet shop who should be able to advise. They will also have a much larger range for you to look at than the large carpet chains! A decent tufted should suffice for your needs (50:50 or greater wool:manmadefibre mix). A decent underlay will make all the difference - Cloud 9 is a good starting point. Most important is to make sure that you get it fitted properly - ask for recommendations/references (if you're not sure). The carpet should be stretched tightly onto the gripper framework leaving no slack! Good luck!