Before You Buy a Carpet

Before you replace the carpets in your home you need to understand how to select the right carpet for your room. To do this you need to understand what type of traffic the carpet will be subjected to, what your design goals are, and what your budget will be. With these things in mind your carpet shopping will be much easier to do.

Know the Room

Before you go shopping for carpeting you need to know a little bit about the room being carpeted. First of all take the measurements of the room. Measure from corner to corner, the length of the room, and the width of the room. All of these measurements will be used by the carpet store to determine how much carpeting you will need to order. Next determine how much traffic the room gets. If your room is a high traffic room then you will need to select carpeting that is more resilient then if you are choosing carpeting for a room that doesn’t get a lot of traffic.

Know Your Design Goals

Step 2 is to know what your room’s design goals are. Ask yourself questions about what type of look you are trying for. Are you trying to design a retro look? Do you want a contemporary look? Or are you looking to create a theme room? These questions will help you to decide on a color and pattern for your carpet.

Know Your Budget

Step 3 is to establish a carpet budget. Figure out how much money you can spend on your carpeting and then divide this amount by the square footage of your room. This will give you the price per square foot that you can afford for your carpeting and padding.

Know Your Options

There are several options that you will need to consider when you are shopping for carpeting. The first options deal with choosing the type of carpeting that will work the best for you. Some of your options include nylon, Olefin, wool, acrylic, polyester, plush, and frise. Your second options deal with choosing alternative flooring materials to carpet. In addition to carpet you can buy wood floor planks, laminate flooring, vinyl tiles, ceramic tiles, and stone.

Research Your Options

The fifth step when shopping for carpet is to shop around and research your options. Go to a carpet and flooring showroom. Here you will find samples that you can browse through and feel. Talk to the salesperson on the floor and ask questions that you have about the durability of the material, the stain resistance of the material, etc. When you find a carpet that you like ask for a sample square that you can take home to see if it will work with your décor.

Shop Around for the Best Price

After you have decided on the brand, style, and color of carpeting that you want your next step is to find a dealer that will offer you the best price on the carpet and its installation. Make sure that you take into consideration the price of the carpet, the price of the padding, delivery costs, and installation costs when comparing carpet dealers.