Carpets are often referred to as the ‘fifth wall’. A classic flooring choice, carpets are available in an almost limitless combination of colours, styles and textures, and can easily brighten or soften your entire decoration as you please. When you feel like your room is a bit empty and missing something, as soon as you add a carpet to it, the room would be instantly light up.

Carpet adds a sense of quality to the home and visually gives warmth and harmony. But one can easily get confused when facing a large variety of carpets and deciding which to buy. Therefore, we unpack what you need to know about buying and choosing a suitable carpet for your home.

NEW CARPET CONSIDERATIONS

Before you even step foot in a carpet showroom, seriously think about your needs. Below are a few core things to take into consideration when it comes to choosing the right carpet:

• Geography – where you live impact your carpet choice
• Function – what room/s is it going to be used in
• Primary Users – who is going to be seeing and using the carpet most
• Mood – how will the carpet colour and style choices create a desired mood?
• Longevity – what lifespan are you looking to get from the carpet floor
• Maintenance – how high- or low-level maintenance do you want?
• Installation – are you going to use underlay? What’ s your budget?

DO YOUR RESEARCH!

With so many things to consider, it’s worthwhile carrying out thorough research into carpet brands, colours, materials, price and product warranty. The best carpet choice for you depends on how well it meets your needs from the above considerations and your budget.

GO TO THE SHOPS AND ASK QUESTIONS

Most people still choose to go to a shop where they can see and feel the workmanship and quality of the carpet in person. To get the carpet you favor, you need to be prepared to ask questions of the professionals. We have prepared the following information for you on what to ask:

1.WHAT IS ITS DURABILITY?

Density, quality of the fibre and product construction details are important indicators of durability, and you should definitely ask a carpet professional about it or look on the label for these information.

Sometimes, the product label will also say what traffic flow level areas it’s ideally used in. It’s always good to also ask the carpet professionals on hand about how it performed in independent wear and performance tests, or what it’s ACCS star rating is.

Bend the carpet sample to check the density (amount of pile yarn and how close the tufts are）, with the tuffs facing outwards, and looking for the carpet backing peeping through at the base. The less carpet backing you see, the denser the carpet, which means it’s likely to be more durable. Ask the shop staff about the product warranty and quality guarantee on the carpet as well.

2.WHAT’ S THE COST?

The cost of the carpet is usually decided by the size and material. When you make your plan on your purchase, you do need to have an idea of the floor size you want covered. Plus, it’s important to buy extra material or keep off cuts in case you need to replace worn carpet in high traffic areas, such as stairs and hallways. If you’ve got your budget on different options, then it’s better to start planning financially and compare different carpets.

Installation cost is also important to factor in. Some floor installation would require underlay to be installed, make sure you are aware of that cost whether that’s included in the installation cost or now.

3.HOW DO I CHOOSE THE COLOUR?

How different carpets look in your home would be influenced by lighting , the surrounding colours and style of your interior decoration.

At Silvertrading we are proud to provide a free in-home consultation and on-site quote, which allows you to see all your chosen carpet samples in your own home and lighting conditions.

You can check them in each room under different lighting conditions they might face, such as natural daylight, artificial lighting, or even moonlight. This vital step will help you decide which carpet best suits your house. Not only does it make it much easier to match your décor and colours without any guess work, but our experienced flooring experts can also give you the right advice after seeing the rooms as well as discussing the installation methods, placement of joints, and anything else relevant to your carpet installation.

A JOB FOR THE CARPET PROFESSIONALS

1. Choose samples from our incredible carpet range in store.
2. Book your free In-home consultation and quote with one of our dedicated flooring specialists, just give us a call on (02) 9648 2826.