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credit: Bloomsburg Carpet Industries
Carpet adds style, color, and comfort to a home, and gives a room a cozy feeling.

There are many reasons for having carpet. It softens hard surfaces, making it more comfortable to sit on the floor or for kids to play. It feels warm and comfortable underfoot, and when temperatures outside are cold, it slightly improves the R-value of a floor and helps a home retain heat. And there is the soundproofing advantage: your rooms won't sound like an echo chamber, because carpet cushions footsteps and absorbs sound. And perhaps most importantly, carpet adds style and color, and lends a cozy feeling to a home.

So you've decided you want carpeting for your home...You don't want to skimp on quality, but this is a significant expense so you want a good deal. What things do you need to know when you go shopping?

Basic Terms

You'll come across these descriptors as you shop for carpeting. Here's what they mean: credit: Home Flooring Pros
A density of 2,100 to 3,100 is acceptable.

Pile Types

Pile is the style of the carpet—the way it's woven, constructed, and cut. All carpet fits into one of two categories: every carpet starts as a loop pile and it either stays that way, or the loop is trimmed so that the style becomes cut pile. Although pile affects the durability and ability of the carpet to repel stains and stand up to wear, it's in no way connected to the material out of which the carpet is made. credit: Carpet Captain
Plush and saxony are both cut pile, but their construction is different, as shown in cross-section. Loop pile can be the same height for a smooth appearance, or different heights to create texture. credit: Christoff and Sons
Patterned carpet viewed from above and in cross section, showing the taller cut pile and shorter loop pile.

Fiber Types

Fibers have the deepest impact on carpet durability. They come in two broad categories: natural and synthetics. Each kind contributes unique characteristics to a carpet. Manufacturers often blend different fibers together in carpets in order to get the best attributes possible. credit: Home Depot
Polyester carpet is plenty durable for a master bedroom that doesn't get much foot traffic or hard wear.

How Carpeting Is Ranked

The industry rates carpet on a 1 to 5 scale for performance, appearance, and retention, known as the PAR rating—the higher the number, the more durable the carpet is and the better it retains its appearance. This is based on in-house factory testing, and it is admittedly a subjective testing procedure. The PAR rating may be of limited relevance because the test conditions don't necessarily resemble conditions in your home. Furthermore, since there's no industry-wide standard, it's not possible to compare carpets by different manufacturers. For that reason, good retailers and manufacturers provide lots of other information—fiber type, pile type, density, face weight, and more—to help you decide which carpet is best suited for your room or home.

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