Carpets 101

Heintz family members wanted a carpet that would go with new floor tile, so they chose this carpet that was light and neutral. Kelly Heintz, 17, loves to lay on the carpet with the family cat Sydnee. (SHNS photo by Diana Baldrica / The Fresno Bee)

Lynn Heintz and her family had a tough decision to make.

They had to pick a carpet that would cover most of their 2,200-square-foot house. After some compromising, they narrowed down their choices to three different shades of beige.

In the end, they settled on the lightest-color carpet — "to lighten up the room," says Heintz, 47, of Fresno, Calif.

Annie Lanni said she was looking for carpet that would be light, airy and neutral, and settled on this tulare style called "Morning Sunlight." Lanni and her husband installed the carpet, covering about 2,000 square feet of the upstairs, downstairs and stairwell of their home. (SHNS photo by Eric Paul Zamora / The Fresno Bee)

Carpet samples at Bakers Sharp Floors in Clovis, Calif., offer a wide selection for decorating. (SHNS photo by Eric Paul Zamora / The Fresno Bee)

Johnnie Baker, co-owner of Bakers Sharp Floors in Clovis, Calif., shows a swatch book to customers. (SHNS photo by Eric Paul Zamora / The Fresno Bee)

For Heintz, her husband and their 17-year-old daughter, this was their first journey into carpet world. They only knew what they wanted: a durable carpet that wouldn't easily show dirt or wear.

Like many who are buying new wall-to-wall carpet, "we started off knowing absolutely nothing about it," says Heintz, who was replacing 23-year-old carpets. "We learned as we went along."

In case you're looking for a new carpet, here's a primer to get you started.

Carpet Basics

Residential carpet is commonly made from three synthetic fibers: nylon, polyester and olefin, which is polypropylene.

Nylon is wear-resistant, durable and ideal for all traffic areas. Typically, nylon carpets cost the most of the three. Polyester is easily cleaned, takes a lot of traffic and resists water-soluble stains. It works well in children's rooms.

Olefin is easily cleaned, resists wear and permanent stains and withstands plenty of foot traffic. "It's designed more for commercial use," says Vince Antonino, vice president of Adanalian Design Floors in Fresno.

Two other fibers are wool and acrylic. While soft and luxurious, wool is expensive. Acrylic is commonly used in bath and area rugs.

Carpet comes in several styles:

• Loop pile: The yarns are looped. They can be level or have different loop heights, creating a pattern and texture.

• Cut pile: The yarns are looped, then cut. There are three types of cut pile — plush, Saxony and frieze. Plush has a smooth, level surface and a formal look. Saxony also is smooth and level, but the yarns have a slight twist that makes the ends more visible. This type looks less formal.

• Frieze has extremely twisted yarns that give an informal look.

• Cut and loop pile: A mix of cut and loop yarns creates a variety of textures.

From dark blue hues to neutral, plain beiges, carpet comes in many colors. Customers can have carpets with colorful floral prints or simple two-color dot patterns. They can pick a berber carpet, which has random flecks of color and typically has loop-pile yarns, or go with a single-color plush.

Underneath every wall-to-wall carpet is a pad or cushion, which forms a good foundation for the carpet, adds insulation and reduces noise. Pads can be made of fiber, rubber or various polyurethane foams, including a multicolored bonded foam product called rebond. Pads range from 3/8 inch to 7/16 inch in thickness.

The cost of carpets varies widely, from $3.50 a square yard for an inexpensive plush up to $75 to $85 a square yard for wool carpet.

Selecting the Carpet

When people are out picking carpet, they need to ask themselves several things: How will the room be used? What kind of traffic will it have? How long do you plan to live there? Are there any pets or children?

According to a report by the Carpet and Rug Institute, a national trade association, shoppers should pay attention to the density, twist and performance of carpets.

Density refers to the amount of yarn in the carpet and the closeness of the tufts. Denser is better, especially for high-traffic areas. The twist of yarns should be neat, well-defined and tight. Yarns get their twist through a heat or steam process, which enables them to hold their twist over time. Many carpet manufactures also will give their carpets a performance rating — high, moderate or low — for various traffic areas.

Some carpets have been chemically treated with a stain guard such as Stainmaster or Scotchgard, making the carpets more resistant to stains and easier to clean, says Antonino of Adanalian Design Floors.

If there are pets in the home, customers might consider going with a darker carpet to hide stains and hair, unless the animal has light-colored hair.

Carpet with loop yarns also isn't a good idea if you have pets. "Dogs will get their nails stuck in the loops," says Jonnie Baker, an owner of Bakers Sharp Floors in Clovis, Calif. "Carpets also can unravel if pets get their claws in them."

Odor will be harder to prevent. "There's no carpet that is guaranteed against pet odors," says Harry Halajian, who sells carpet at Allied Linoleum and Carpet in Fresno. "If it soaks into the carpet, it'll be there."

However, there are pads that have a top film that stops urine and other liquids from getting into the pad.

As for pads, those that are 1/2-inch thick are sufficient. "If you get anything higher, you're wasting your money," says Halajian. "It doesn't enhance the wearability of the carpet."

When shoppers have narrowed down their selections to a handful, they should take samples of the carpets and lay them out in their home, carpet salespeople say.

"Look at the samples during the daytime, nighttime and in different rooms," Antonino says. "The same color will look different in different lighting situations."

Once the carpet has been picked and installed, keeping the carpet well-maintained will help it last 10 or 15 years. The Carpet & Rug Institute recommends carpets be vacuumed at least twice a week and get a deep cleaning once every 12 to 18 months.