Carpet

Carpet Solutions

Carpet can make most any room feel more at home. Newman & Holmes offers a diverse line of Shaw's carpeting solutions, including the highly regarded Anything Goes! product line.

Installing new carpet for any room is a considerable investment. We recommend you take the time to fully understand the different types of carpet and the pros and cons of each before purchasing.

As you consider buying new carpet, it is important that you understand the...

1. Traffic of the room
2. Fabric types
3. Carpet styles
4. Color selections
5. Carpet that is right for you and how to ge it installed!

1. Understand Traffic Patterns - Is area high traffic?

Various rooms in the house get different levels of foot traffic throughout the day and ultimately throughout the lifetime of the carpet. Therefore, it is important to understand the levels of traffic that an area will see in order to select the appropriate fabric and style. In thinking about a few different things.

1. How many people are in your home?
2. Do you have children? How many and what ages?
3. How often do you entertain guests in your home? This room specifically?
4. How often do you vacuum this room?
5. How often do you get your carpets professionally cleaned in this room?
6. How big is the walkable area in this room?

More = Higher Traffic
More = Higher Traffic, Younger = Higher Traffic
More = Higher Traffic
Less = Higher Traffic
Less = Higher Traffic
Small = Higher Traffic

If the area you are installing the new carpet is a higher traffic area, you should consider a more durable fabric and style. For higher traffic areas you should consider darker colors, tighter weaves and more synthetic materials.

Obviously, everything ultimately depends on your budget and if there is a style and color that ultimately appeals to you.

2. Select a Carpet Fabric - What is most important for me?

However, before selecting a color or style of carpet, an informed consumer must understand the various types of carpet fabric that they can install in their house and which is most relevant to the particular use and level of traffic the carpet will experience.

Characteristic	Description	Wool	Nylon	Polypropylene Olefin	Acrylic Modacrylic	Polyester
Resiliency	Determined by fiber structure and modifications.	Good to excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Fair to excellent	Good to excellent
Abrasion Resistance	Determined by fiber and density of face fiber -- the more tightly packed the yarns, the more resistant to wear.	Good to excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Fair to excellent	Good to excellent
Soil & Stain Resistance	Determined by color, texture, dyes, fiber structure and modifications.	Good to excellent	Good to excellent	Good if oily soils and stains are treated promptly.	Good	Good to excellent -- oily stains should be promptly treated.
Resistance to Sunlight	Determined by fiber structure and modifications.	Poor -- If protected from ultraviolet rays, degradation does not occur as rapidly.	Good -- special dyes may be used to inhibit sun damage.	Loses strength and deteriorates unless chemically modified to resist sunlight damage.	Excellent resistance. Prolonged exposure may cause deterioration in some pieces.	Good -- may weaken with prolonged exposure.
Static	Determined by fiber structure and modification.	Builds up in low humidity unless modified.	Builds up in low humidity unless modified.	Builds up in low humidity but at a lower level than nylon or polyester	Builds up in low humidity unless modified.	Builds up in low humidity unless modified.
Hand		Warm, soft	Varies from warm and soft to cold and coarse.	Waxy, soft	Warm, soft	Varies -- finer deniers are soft and silky.
Resistance to Mildew	Determined by fiber structure and modifications	Poor if damp or soiled.	Fiber may be modified	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Flammability	Determined by fiber structure, modification, construction methods, dyes, padding and carpet installation methods	Burns slowly indirect flame; considered self-extinguishing. Burning hair odor.	Burns slowly, melts in direct flame; self-extinguishing. Structure may alter what occurs. Celery-like odor.	Melts at low temperatures (170Â°C); burns and emits heavy, sooty, waxy smoke. Paraffin wax odor. Pulling a heavy object across the carpet surface can cause enough friction to melt the carpet fibers.	Acrylic burns readily unless modified. Modacrylics are difficult to ignite, will not support combustion, are self-extinguishing and dripless. Acrid odor for both.	Burns slowly, melts; some are self-extinguishing. Chemical odor.

Source: http://www.carpetbuyershandbook.com/carpet-basics/construction-fibers/pile-fibers.php

3. Select a Carpet Style - Which style do I prefer?

Once the appropriate carpet fiber has been selected, the consumer should then focus on the carpet weave that they are considering.

The manufacturing of carpet--which can be described as sewing strands of yarn into a backing material--creates thousands of yarn loops. When the loops are cut, we create a CUT PILE carpet, often known as PLUSH. When the loops remain uncut, we create a LOOP carpet.

Both Cut and Loop Styles have various sub-styles to consider.

Cut Pile

When the loops are cut, you create a cut pile carpet. Types of Cut Pile include Plush / Velvet, Saxony and Friezé

Plush / Velvet

Smooth, level surfaces; formal atmosphere, "velvet."

Saxony

Smooth, level finish, but pile yarns have more twist so that the yarn ends are visible and create a less formal look. Minimizes foot prints.

Friezé

In this cut pile, the yarns are extremely twisted, forming a "curly" textured surface. This informal look also minimizes foot prints and vacuum marks.

Loop Pile

When the loops remain uncut, you create a loop pile carpet. Styles of Loop Pile include Level Loop, Multi-Level Loop, Patterned Loop and Cut & Loop. Additionally, common berber carpets are loop pile construction.

Level Loop

Loops are the same height, creating an informal look. It generally lasts a long time in high-traffic areas. Many of today’s popular Berber styles are level loop styles with flecks of a darker color on a lighter background.

Multi-Level Loop

Usually has two to three different loop heights to create pattern effects, providing good durability and a more casual look.

Patterned Loop

When the loops remain uncut and different color yarn is used, the result is a patterned loop carpet. May also have multiple levels of loops, as well.

Cut & Loop

When cuts and loops are combined. Provides variety of surface textures, including sculptured effects of squares, chevrons, swirls, or more natural looks to the carpet.

4. Select a Color - How do I decide?

Color is a highly personalized choice, but it is wise to again consider the amount of traffic that is going to occur on the new carpet. It is advisable to have a darker color carpet in high traffic areas, as it will do a better job of masking potential stains and wear over time, potentially prolonging the amount of time before you need to replace the carpet again.

5. Come into the Showroom, Find the Right Carpet and Get It Installed

Once you have selected all of these things, head down to your showroom to find the perfect new carpet. Once you work with our specialized staff, we will be able to arrange for a free, in-home estimate and ultimately schedule a full installation with one of our installation experts.