How to choose the right carpet for your property

Maybe you’ve had it for a while. Maybe you’re moving into a new house. Maybe you’re a moving into a new office or shop. Whatever you’re doing, deciding on what carpet to put down is an important choice. Remember, carpet is an expensive purchase. It’s best to get it right first time.

The factors involved in making a decision on carpet

Firstly, consider how long you’re going to need to walk on this carpet for. For example, if you’re replacing it to sell a property, then you are going to want a relatively cheap carpet in a neutral colour. If you’re staying for a while or at least, the carpet is, then there are other considerations.

Think about the location of the carpet. Hallways, landings and stairs get a lot of foot fall. They are called high traffic areas. Consider paying extra for a quality product in these areas. Long lasting, hard wearing, natural floor covering work well here. Products like Sisal, Seagrass and Coir. You may pay more at the start, but you’ll save money by not having to replace it as often.

For bedrooms or if you have children, consider a stain resistant carpet. Again, it will be more expensive for the initial outlay. But it will look newer for longer and offer considerable savings in the long run.

Colour, is a very important factor when selecting a carpet. If you’re thinking of moving at any time in the near future, choose nice, safe colours such as beige, light browns, greys and natural wheat. Stay away from bold colours like red, pink and purple. Leave your personal tastes for the new house. Let your potential customers project their own ideas into the space. If you need a splash of colour – paint a wall to make it a feature.

If you’re putting carpet into an office or shop, you must seriously consider carpet tiles. These environments have high traffic. Any carpet will eventually become worn. However, with a carpet tile, when it becomes worn, it is easily replaced without removing and replacing the entire carpet.

You should consider the cost of the carpet. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Better quality, more expensive carpet lasts longer and looks nicer than cheap carpet. Spend as much as you can afford. Because remember, some of the cost goes into employing a professional carpet fitter to install the carpet. And if you replace the carpet less often, you’ll make some savings on installation.

Finally, take advice from a professional and make sure you see samples of the carpet before you purchase them. You won’t get a realistic image of the carpet from a computer screen. They look a lot different in real life. Ideally, see those samples in the environment you are hoping to carpet. The light and space in your home or office will have a dramatic effect on your how the carpet will look once installed.

Back to DIY articles