Although hardwood floors are a great option for many, some homeowners want something a little softer beneath their feet. As another eco-friendly choice, carpet comes in a wide variety of fibers, colors, styles and more. What do you want to consider before you make your selection?

Carpeting Fibers

The most important thing to remember with carpeting: fuzzy side up!

But, as you know, there are all sorts of degrees of fuzzy when it comes to this type of flooring. Ultimately, there are four types of fibers that modern carpets are made out of:

1. Nylon
2. Polypropylene
3. Olefin
4. Wool

There is a polypropylene-olefin blend that's available, too.

Which Fibers Are Best?

When you start considering what type of carpeting you want, one of the big things to think about is how much traffic it will get, and what type of traffic. For example, a home with a lot of adults coming in and out will want something different than a family with young children and/or dogs.

If you want carpet that will stand up to a lot of wear, you might want to look at nylon or wool. Polypropylene isn't quite as good an option, but it is more cost-effective, which is why some homeowners choose it instead.

What about stains? The good news is that all modern carpeting has some sort of stain protection. Still, nylon, polypropylene and olefin are better options for cleaning, whereas with wool, once it's stained it can be very difficult to clean that spot up.

When it comes to look and feel, some people really don't want to be able to see footprints or vacuum marks, in which case we recommend textured carpeting, or shorter carpet with a pattern in it. Alternatively, if you want something really soft and gushy under your feet, velvet plush might be a good fit for you.

With seams, the reality is that there is no way to make a seam completely invisible. If a seller tells you that there is, don't believe them. But to diminish how visible the seams are, think about where it will be. Will there be floor-to-ceiling windows on it that will make it obvious? The type of material you choose makes a difference, too. Wool shows seams the most, whereas the artificial fibers like polypropylene and nylon mesh better, therefore hiding the seams better.

Want to know more about carpeting? Feel free to stop by our San Jose flooring showroom to talk to one of our experts, and contact us for a free in-home estimate today!