Carpet is one of the softest flooring materials available, providing a cushioned surface for your feet in almost any location. With so many types to choose from, it’s important to know the characteristics of each type, to ensure you get the appropriate one for your space.

Even though the number of carpet choices can be easily overwhelming, we took the time to break it all down to help make your decision easier.

So, let’s start with the two most common types: cut pile and loop pile. There are various styles in these common types, as follows:

Cut Pile

This carpet gets its durability through the fiber used, the density of the tufts, and the twist of the yarn. There are five popular cut pile styles to choose from:

• Plush: Plush style, sometimes called “velvet cut pile,” features short, luxurious, densely packed fibers that create a rich surface for your feet.
• Textured: This style uses low density fibers that have uneven height. Even though the textured look helps hide dirt, it isn’t the ideal choice for high traffic areas.
• Saxony: Saxony pile is made of individual strands standing straight up to create a lush fuzzy surface. This is one of the most popular styles out there today. The only disadvantage to this style is that it can be easily crushed by feet, furniture and vacuuming so it’s not great for high traffic areas.
• Frieze: The frieze carpet style features long fibers with more twists, which gives the texture a more casual look. It’s known to hide footprints and other annoying marks that usually show up on other carpets. Though it has this great advantage, it’s still best if used in low traffic spaces.
• Cable: Cable style is made heavier with thick and long fibers to provide a cozier feel to the carpet making it great to walk on.

Loop Pile

Loop pile carpets do not have the cut the yarn tips, which makes the loops visible. They are durable in construction and are considered an “all-purpose” carpet. There are various styles to choose from:

• Berber: The Berber carpet style features packed short looped fibers. This provides a durable surface for high traffic spaces with a casual appearance. Some color flecks in the fiber may make it easier to hide dirt, but the height of the fibers might make the seams more visible.
• Patterned Multi-Level Loop: This kind of carpet features loops of varying heights to create a texture and or even a pattern.
• Cut and Loop: This carpet style is a mixture between cut pile and loop pile fibers. The variant makes for a textured appearance that’s ideal for highly trafficked areas. As an added bonus, this type of carpet also hides dirt and stains.

Armed with this information, we hope you will be able to determine the best carpet for your home. Regardless of your choice, when properly cared for, carpet can last many years and be an excellent investment.

At Bayat Floor and Home Interiors, our design consultants are equipped with the knowledge to guide you through the wide selection of products we offer, and our expert installation team is professionally trained to make sure everything gets installed the way you envision. We know your home is an expression of your sense of style, and we’re here to make sure you’ll be proud of it for years to come. Call 703-298-8876 for your free in-home consultation or visit one of our showrooms.