Decorating
Know Your Flooring: Carpet
Soft, warming and cosy, carpets can provide deep comfort and add value to a home. Here's what you need to know before you decide on flooring
Carpet has been used as flooring for thousands of years to insulate cold spaces and provide warmth underfoot – and little has changed today. Popularly used in bedrooms and studies, as well as on stairs, in hallways and living areas, carpet is an absorptive fabric that reduces sound levels and helps a room stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer. This guide gives you the lowdown on carpet flooring.
What to consider when choosing carpet flooring
- Choose a colour to suit the desired mood or tone of a room. Neutrals will suit most rooms and lighter colours can make a small room feel larger. Cool blues or greens can help create a calm, peaceful setting, while warm reds or golden shades can make a large space feel cosier. Patterns and darker shades hide stains and can add a touch of luxury to a room.
- Decide on a natural or synthetic carpet. Wool is the premium choice and is consequently more expensive.
- There are basically two types of pile: cut pile and loop pile, or a combination of the two. Cut pile carpets have had the yarn loops cut for an upright pile that looks more formal. Loop pile is where the yarn is continuously threaded to form a series of loops for a soft, smooth feel. Various styles include level loop, sisal, textured, plush, multi-level and shag, just to name a few.
- Choose a carpet that you can maintain easily. Pets and young children mean shag and high-end rugs may be more difficult to look after than they’re worth. Plus, if you choose a stain-resistant carpet, you may cut your cleaning time.
- Identify the high traffic and low traffic areas in your house as this will help determine the Australian Carpet Classification Scheme (ACCS) carpet rating needed in each area. ACCS ratings are administered by the Carpet Institute of Australia and the carpet is tested and star-rated on its performance properties. Carpets are rated out of six stars according to their suitability for use in light, medium, heavy and extra heavy traffic zones in residential homes. The more stars, the better the quality of the carpet.
- Don’t forget carpet padding for the support, strength, and extra cushioning. It will improve the durability of your carpets, reduce wear and tear, further insulate your home, and help absorb sound.
The pros of carpet flooring
- Carpet is available in a wide array of colours and textures to enhance the look and feel of a room or house.
- It’s soft and warm underfoot and its insulating properties contribute to a more comfortable indoor environment by keeping chills, drafts and outside heat from seeping through the floor. This helps reduce utility bills.
- Carpet absorbs sounds and reduces noise from footsteps and furniture.
- It provides safe and sure footing on surfaces, reduces falls from slippery floors, as well as providing a soft landing if a fall should happen.
The cons of carpet flooring
- Sun exposure can fade coloured carpet, but fade-resistant carpets can be used for areas in direct sunlight.
- Denser weaves will absorb more moisture, stains and mildew. Plus water-damaged carpet should be thrown out before mould and mildew develop in the padding. Thus, carpet is not a great choice for bathrooms.
- Carpet can aggravate allergies due to dust and dirt in fibres if not cleaned thoroughly and regularly.
Maintaining carpet flooring
- Vacuum carpet regularly and consider having them professionally cleaned on an annual basis.
- Attend to spills and stains as quickly as possible. A good-quality carpet can last up to 15 years with regular maintenance.
Variety of carpet flooring
A neutral grey carpet works well in this expansive living space. The whole room is light and bright and the carpet doesn’t detract from the main focal point of the room: the view outside.
A neutral grey carpet works well in this expansive living space. The whole room is light and bright and the carpet doesn’t detract from the main focal point of the room: the view outside.
A darker carpet in the dining room can hide accidental spills and make a larger room feel that little bit cosier. Choose a durable and long-lasting carpet that will stand up to frequently-moved chair legs.
Carpet keeps bedrooms feeling warm and comfortable, and the light carpet in this room serves as a neutral backdrop to the monochromatic furnishings and rich wooden feature wall. The cut pile has a sense of formality to suit the overall tone of the room.
This bedroom has durable sisal carpeting, which offers a textured and natural look in contrast to the luxe wallpaper and bedding.
What’s your bedroom decorating style?
What’s your bedroom decorating style?
The dark grey carpet in this kid’s room works perfectly with the wallpaper and grey felt dots. The multi-level loop pile carpet has subtle lines and will help hide any fallout from children’s activities.
Shag carpets have a deep pile, giving it a shaggy appearance that feels great underfoot. They are magic at hiding dirt and dust, so be sure to clean them thoroughly and regularly. Shag carpets and rugs will show footprints and vacuum marks, but it all becomes part of their laid-back appeal.
Patterned and coloured carpets can make hallways and stairs standout features of a home. It’s important to choose carpet that will withstand the wear and tear of footsteps up and down stairs, as well as one that easily folds over the edge of each step.
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Do you have contemporary carpet flooring in your home? Share your style by uploading photos in the Comments section below.
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Do you have contemporary carpet flooring in your home? Share your style by uploading photos in the Comments section below.
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Browse more stories on flooring
Carpet is a thick and heavy textile used to cover the floor. It can be made from natural or synthetic fibres and typically consists of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. Carpets are used to insulate a room, provide warmth and comfort underfoot, reduce sound and to add colour and decoration to a room.