Manmade vs wool carpets???

mjk_2

Hi,

I'm looking for a carpet for my stairs, landing and bedrooms. Went for a look round Carpet Right (not going to buy there, just for ideas), and expected to be pointed in the direction of expensive wool carpets; but no. I was advised that I should go for polypropylene because I have small children. Apparently you can bleach it and it is virtually impossible to stain it.

So, is their advice right; should I be going for manmade over wool? Does it wear well? No point in being completely stain-free if it's in holes after a couple of years! Also, if polypropylene is the way to go, how do I tell the difference between one poly over another - other than price is there a way of telling which is the best?

Any advice gratefully received, I've never bought a carpet in my life!

Strangled

Stairs, go for an 80/20 wool twist, bedrooms 50/50 wool twist would be fine.Some are scotchguarded,but, its all down to cost.Polyprolene tends to look grubby/flat after awhile.
And, on your H,S,Landing, don't skimp on your underlay, buy the best you can afford, your carpet will last much longer.

mjk_2

Hi Strangled,

Thanks for the advice. So you're saying go for as high a wool content as I can afford, is that right? I'm planning on having the same carpet for all areas, so would you recommend going 80/20 all the way? Ideally scotchguarded?

Will check out underlay as well, I've seen "Cloud 9" mentioned, is that good?

Strangled

Cloud 9 is the one to go for , its a lot warmer as its chipfoam instead of rubber. I always use it on my jobs, obvously down to cost to the customer. You can get 2 thicknesses, 9mm & 11mm, 11 being the better.It is expensive to,as much as £8 per sq mtr.
As regards carpet, yes, 80/20 is best, and with the cloud 9 underlay it will last years, and feels great underfoot.
I've just changed my own stairs & landing carpet, 80/20 twist, its been down 8 years and only reason for change was colour. Underlay was fine,even on the treads that gets all the traffic.

ixwood

What are the floorboards like? If they're OK, one weekend work (and mess) will give you a lifetime of free flooring.

And carpets are a bit of a weird invention. I'm not a big fan. Have you seen all the crap that comes out of a rug you beat outside depsite it being regularly hoovered? carpets are the same, but it never goes anywhere. Grim.

poodlehorse

Oooh we have an expert on the boards, great. Strangled would you be able to give me some advice too. I was assuming an 80/20 for the whole house but if you think 50/50 is ok for bedrooms then I will bear that in mind. 80/20 for the lounge then? I had 100% wool in my last house and it seemed to stretch a bit, is that because if was all wool? or was it down to poor underlay/fitting? Also do you fit things like Karndean and the like? Do you have any tips or advice about that type of flooring and if so is there any differences other than price in the quality of Karndean versus Amtico or Colonia etc? Sorry for so many questions but we are about to floor our entire house (cold and drafty farmhouse so no bare boards I am afraid) and I am cacking myself about getting it wrong considering how much it will cost. I have a toddler too if that makes a difference to anything. So I need something that will look clean for as long as possible and be easy to clean when it doesn't. We have a conservatory that currently has dodgy polyprop carpet in it and I will need to replace it and I like the look of sisal but I am not sure about cleaning that and it is a bit hard on little knees, I have been advised that carpet might be better if we want to use is all year round as opposed to a vinyl (cold windy Scotland) but worried about fading so wonder if something cheap enough to replace every few years might be better in there. I would be really grateful of any professional advice you could offer

mjk_2

ixwood wrote: »

What are the floorboards like? If they're OK, one weekend work (and mess) will give you a lifetime of free flooring.

And carpets are a bit of a weird invention. I'm not a big fan. Have you seen all the crap that comes out of a rug you beat outside depsite it being regularly hoovered? carpets are the same, but it never goes anywhere. Grim.

I kind of agree that floorboards could be a good option (I've just spent hours cleaning a rug and have seen all the muck that's come out!). However we've got bare boards in our bedroom at the moment, and I find it noisy (three small children throwing things and SCREAMING), carpet helps to muffle the noise (a bit!). Also, it's a small house and I would just like continuity throughout (well upstairs anyway).

I've got laminate downstairs and I must say that is great for small children, no panicking when they spill whereas I get neurotic when they go near the rug.

Strangled

No probs, will help where I can. I only have carpet on my stairs and landing, I have Karndean throughout the rest of the house. We love hard flooring as my 3 children all suffered from Asthma when they were younger, and since moving to a new home and changing to the 'minimilist' look with hard floors they've never been ill.
If you like carpets throughout, 80/20 would be better, even the same range/make of carpet there is a slight shade difference in 50/50 and 80/20 of the same colour.
Bathrooms and kitchens you can't beat Karndean 'Davinci' range for me,guarenteed 20 years, Colonia and Camero tend to scratch easier and Amtico, good but very expensive (you just pay for the name) more for really heavy traffic areas, we tend to fit it in stores like Binns & Boots etc.
Sisal carpet, yes thats fine, but with it being a natural product it will fade and 'dry out' in a conservatory, and damp areas like bathrooms etc it will rot.

Steve_xx

I would say 80/20 is a good combination. Wool is preferable to polyprops as it has good anti-soiling properties. Though man-mades can be improved by Scotchguarding. You would also choose wool in preference to man-made if you can't bear static problems. However, wool is prone to fading, ie if you put the couch over it and the rest of it is exposed to light, it will in time, fade slightly. This is only a real problem if you choose deep colours. Creams and beiges won't suffer to the same extent.

When choosing any carpet you would do well to concentrate on the pile density. You need tufts that are close together; the more tufts per square inch, the better the carpet. If you can part the pile easily and reveal the backing, then that would not be such a good buy because the pile will easily mat down after a while. When the tufts are closer they tend to support eachother and return to their upright position after walking on. A pile length of about 1cm is ideal for tufted carpets.

Berbers are often a good choice. They are often 100% wool and they usually have good density as well as good antistatic properties and excellent wearability.

Good quality underlay is imperative if you are to ensure good wear and soundproofing. There is also a notional benefit in reducing heating costs through good underlay fitting.

poodlehorse

Thanks guys that has been really helpful. You have made my mind up over the Karndean as that was the range I was going for anyway. I had decided that Amtico was very expensive and thought there was a good chance that had little to do with added quality over Karndean but wasn't sure. So that is brilliant news.:j The lady in the shop just said you get what you pay for but I thought that isn't always necessarily the case. Sounds like it is like lots of things in life it is the bits you can't see that you need also to get the best of ie underlay. I will have to persuade DH on that point as I can imagine he will try to save money there. I am going to print this page off for him Where I go for carpet I will go 80/20 and the rest will be Karndean - job's a goodun

You are both angels:A

mjk_2

Steve_xx wrote: »

When choosing any carpet you would do well to concentrate on the pile density. You need tufts that are close together; the more tufts per square inch, the better the carpet.

Is this the "weight" of the carpet? I've seen 35oz, 45oz etc, is this determined by how many tufts per inch? If so what is a good weight? I've seen an 80/20 twist, 45 oz for £11.95 per metre, is this a good price?