Getting smart about carpet styles, qualities and quirks

Being knowledgeable about carpet styles is definitely to your advantage, because the variety of carpet choices, patterns, colours, textures and price levels can overwhelm even the best of shoppers.

Understanding the fundamental styles can give you a head start and help you determine which carpet is best for your home and lifestyle.

In this section we’ll cover the wide world of carpet – you’ll learn about the popular and practical styles, the highly sophisticated and low maintenance types, plus “need to know” information on making the smartest buy.

Our goal is to provide with just the information you need to choose the perfect combination of carpet beauty, performance and price to meet your needs today and tomorrow. So read on – and start dreaming about the carpet style that’s right for you!
Carpet can be divided up into 6 basic styles

The 6 are textured, saxony or plush, frieze, cable, looped, and cut & loop. Each style exhibits unique characteristics and performance qualities. Prior to making your purchase decision you should evaluate each style for all its features, advantages and benefits.
Textured: the laid-back, easy-going style

Many people live with this cut pile carpet that features alternating twists of yarn, producing a two-tone look.

Footprints and vacuuming trails aren’t nearly as evident thanks to this style’s textured surface –it minimizes and even hides them. In a word, this style says “causal and comfortable”.

Textured carpets work throughout the home, are the answer for active families and offer a wide range of price points.
Saxony: the choice for plush and elegant

If it’s the formal, more traditional look you desire, look to the beauty and sophistication of saxony carpet.

The experience here is smooth, soft and velvet plush, a silk-like touch of  beauty and character. Each yarn features a uniform twist and finish, creating a carpet ideal for the master bedroom, dining room or formal living room.

Saxony is not recommended for busy traffic areas or children’s rooms. Footprints and vacuum trails are also evident with this style.
Frieze: the style that stands up to wear

Wherever active living occurs, frieze style carpet shines. Its cut pile construction has a very high twist level – each strand is twisted so tightly it curls over at its end.

The result? A carpet with a textured surface and knobby look that’s very durable and wear resistant.

Feel free to place saxony carpet anywhere in your home and especially in high traffic areas. They’re great at hiding footprints and come in several pile heights to help you achieve any number of distinct looks.
Cable: comfy, but not comfortable in every room

Cable style carpet is made of thicker, longer yarn that is wonderfully comfortable underfoot and very attractive in a bedroom or ling room.

But be aware that it is recommended more for the non-active areas in your home. It mattes and can crush under heavy traffic so it is not a good solution for stairs, hallways and other busy areas.
Looped: bring on the traffic and life

Looped style carpets are usually called berber. Its big, bulky yarns are made in a level loop or multiple-level loop carpet construction. Many berber carpets are constructed of olefin fibre, but some are created with nylon or a combination of various carpet fibres.

Durability is the great feature of looped carpets due to not cutting the yarn tips during manufacturing. Each single loop is visible. If it’s casual living in active family rooms you’re after, looped carpets are the answer and available in solid colours, berber fleck and interesting patterns with different levels of loops.

While this style hides traffic trails, its seams are more visible and its backing is more noticeable on stairs. All in all though, this carpet is a smart, all-purpose choice and extremely durable in family settings.
Cut & Loop: ideal for today’s pattern of living

Also called patterned carpet, this unique style joins together cut and looped yarns that create pattern effects through the variation in surface textures. Similar to looped styles, cut & loop carpets feature a low profile and therefore perform well, although in some cases their seams can be seen.

The cut & loop style is popular today, it’s the carpet of choice in both casual and traditional settings and is available in numerous patterns including playful geometrics and formal botanicals.

This carpet’s carved look and many colours are very effective at hiding stains and bearing up to traffic.

This completes our explanation of carpet’s 6 basic styles. We hope this leads to a clearer understanding of the types of carpet available and helps you discover the smartest choice for your home, activities and lifestyle.