Carpet Buying Guide

Carpet Buying Guide – Where to Start

Welcome to our carpet buying guide. Here we’ll take you through the steps to choosing the best possible carpet for your home.

Think about the room

This helps determine whether your carpet needs to be hard-wearing or stain-resistant, and allows us to help you select the best material.

Long or short term

The length of time you plan to live somewhere will influence your budget and the type of carpet you go for.

Seeing for yourself

Our furniture store in Surrey, Hampshire, and near Guildford have an extensive flooring department which is full of sumptuous carpets from the best brands. Grill our experienced team and take away samples to help you decide.

Carpet colours and styles

If you’re looking for a carpet that draws the eye and makes a statement, a patterned carpet in rich colours is the obvious choice. Stripes are particularly stunning and can be complemented with a coordinating plain. If you’re looking for something subtler, a plain or self-patterned carpet in soft, light or neutral colours would be better. Greys and creams are a great base for most rooms and there are lots of shades to choose from.

If you’re looking for something subtler, a plain or self-patterned carpet in soft, light or neutral colours would be better.

Which room you’re carpeting will also help you decide on the style. Patterned, flecked or self-patterned carpets are good for high-traffic areas like hallways and stairs because they hide stains and wear better than plain carpets. This also makes them ideal if you have children or pets.

View our complete range of carpet styles here.

Carpet softness

Soft

A synthetic saxony carpet is your best choice if you’re looking for something lavish or ultra-soft. Popular for bedrooms, saxony carpets have a deep pile made up of twisted fibres that help them stand up straight. Traditionally they were not recommended for high-traffic areas because of their tendency to flatten and be more difficult to clean. However, recent technology has improved this. There is now an array of synthetic saxony carpets available that are more durable and easier to clean. Have a look at the Mohawk video!

A synthetic saxony carpet is your best choice if you’re looking for something lavish or ultra-soft.

Medium-soft

Wool carpets are probably the most popular and commonly used carpets in the UK. There are lots of different types and qualities. 100% wool carpets from brands like Axminster are woven using traditional methods, whereas most wool carpets nowadays are a mix of 80% wool and 20% synthetic fibres. This reduces the price and softens the feel of the carpet.

Hard

Natural plant fibre carpets — including sisal, jute, coir and seagrass — are not very soft underfoot, but are chosen for their distinctive look and superb durability.

Carpet pricing

Synthetic carpets are generally more affordable than natural carpets. Pure wool is often regarded as the best material for carpets for a variety of reasons (see below). 100% wool is more expensive, so the most common carpet fibre is a wool/synthetic blend (80/20), combining the best qualities of both.

100% wool is more expensive, so the most common carpet fibre is a wool/synthetic blend (80/20), combining the best qualities of both.

New technology is bringing some exciting new synthetic carpets to the market, although they are more expensive than traditional synthetic. British wool is generally the most expensive and regarded as the best quality wool because of our climate; the wool on our sheep is long, strong and oily, which makes for great carpet material. Cheap wool carpets can be brittle and won’t wear as well.

Of the natural plant fibre carpets, sisal is usually the most expensive and seagrass the least.

Carpet material

Wool

 Pros:

• Wool is naturally fire-retardant, so if you’re carpeting a room with an open fire, wool is a must.
• Wool is moisture-resistant; it will absorb and release moisture and return to its natural shape when dry.
• Wool is durable and retains its appearance well under heavy traffic.
• Wool has natural insulation properties, good for reducing noise and heat loss.
• Wool is easily dyed, which is why wool carpets are rich in colour and highly decorative.

 Cons:

• Wool is more expensive than synthetic carpets.
• Wool can stain because of the properties that make wool easily dyed.
• Wool isn’t always as soft as synthetic carpet.

Natural plant fibres

 Pros

• Sisal, jute, coir and seagrass make for extremely hard-wearing carpets. Coir is particularly durable.
• Plant fibre carpets have a tactile, textured surface, bringing a distinctive feel and look to your home.
• Plant fibre carpets are suitable for all kinds of room styles and ideal if you need a neutral backdrop.

Cons

• Plant fibre carpets are not soft underfoot. (Jute is the smoothest and softest and is considered the best for bedrooms out of the plant fibre options.)
• Like wool carpets, plant fibre carpets are not very resistant to stains.
• Plant fibre carpets are not moisture-resistant and should not be used in bathrooms or kitchens or any rooms prone to damp.
• Plant fibre carpets can be very slippery and should not be used on stairs.

Synthetic

 Pros

• Synthetic carpets generally do not absorb liquid, which makes them highly resistant to spills and ideal if you have children.
• Synthetic carpets have excellent stain resistance and are easy to clean, which is perfect if you have pets.
• Synthetic carpets are usually cheaper than natural carpets.

Cons

• Synthetic carpets generally don’t retain their appearance like wool or plant fibre carpets and will flatten quicker with heavy traffic.
• Synthetic carpets are not fire-retardant and should be avoided in rooms with open fires (a wool/synthetic mix would be a better option).

Alternatives

Vinyl, laminate, stone and ceramic floors are typically preferred in wetter rooms like bathrooms and kitchens. If you opt for a laminate floor, make sure you use a quality moisture-resistant board so that it looks its best for longer. Wood floors have a great feel to them but require more maintenance. They might also need refinishing in the long term.

Installing your new carpet

Vale Furnishers in Surrey and Hampshire offers a professional carpet estimating and fitting service. Our in-house carpet estimator can visit you in your home, produce suitable measurements and provide you with a comprehensive quote.

We always recommend laying underlay when installing a new carpet. We have a wide selection of underlay to choose from and will fit this for you as well. Underlay cushions, protects and insulates your carpet; it adds softness underfoot, reduces noise and heat loss and helps stop the pile from flattening, keeping your carpet looking new for longer.

How to get further help and advice

You can find our extensive flooring department at Ash Vale, near Guildford, where our team of flooring experts can answer any question you have about the different colours, piles, materials, and brands we offer which may not be covered in this carpet buying guide.

You might also consider an at-home consultation with a member of our Farnham interior design team, who can offer tailored advice on the type of floor that would complement your home and the rest of your furniture. They will then liaise with our flooring team to ensure that it will wear correctly and meet your budget.

Your carpet buying guide checklist

• What room are you carpeting?
• What is your budget?
• Do you want your carpet to be stain-resistant?
• Do you have an open fire?
• How important is it that your carpet maintains its feel and appearance?
• How soft do you want your carpet to be?
• What look are you going for? Do you want something that enriches your room, or is more neutral/subtle and lets your furniture stand out?
• Would an alternative flooring option like wood or vinyl be better suited to your needs?