Are you feeling frazzled about buying new carpet? Well you’re not alone. Shopping for carpet can be
a frustrating as well as confusing job to do. Here at the Floor Coverings of the Galleria, we can make your carpet shopping
a little bit easier on you. Your carpet choice is an important decision and we can help you find something that you’ll
live happily with for many years.
Why Choose Carpet for Your Home?
With its many styles, textures and types of construction, carpet is the right choice
for everyone, from first-time homeowners, to retirees, to families with kids and pets. Plus, carpet will maintain its beauty
and durability for many years when it is properly chosen, installed and cleaned. Carpet actually improves indoor air quality.
The Basics
Plan ahead. Consider everything that
will affect your carpet selection. At the Floor Coverings of the Galleria we begin by asking a few starter questions. Pick
a carpet for the way you live. Do you have children, frequent visitors or pets? Choose a carpet with a purpose. What room
will it be used for? Will you be eating in this room? Look at carpets with flair or designs. Is there a decorating theme you
are following? What about the color scheme? Are we going to coordinate this with your furniture? If you have sample fabric
swatches this may be helpful to us. Shopping within your budget. Do you have a set budget in mind to be spent on carpeting
only? Our carpet pricing includes the carpet, padding and installation listed as one price.
The Facts
Now that you have some idea of what you are shopping for, its time to learn more about the
quality of your carpet selection. Carpet pile is the yarn on the face of the carpet. Quality carpet is often known by a firm,
dense pile. The most durable carpets are those that have tightly twisted yarns packed into the carpet. Loop carpets resist
crushing and matting, often used for commercial use but Berber styles are well suited to any room. The loops of a cut pile
carpet are cut to show the yarn ends. There are many styles to suit any room. We have Velvet Plush, a rich luxurious surface
or a Saxony, great for less formal rooms or a Textured Saxony that is tough enough for any room and the sculpted design doesn’t
show dirt or footprints easily. The cut and loop carpets combine carpet piles to form a sculpted pattern and are often multi-colored
making them great for any room in the house or for less formal settings.
CARPET
CONSTRUCTION
Textured Plush: Most decoratively
versatile cut-pile carpet. Preferred style for busy households, also hides footprints and vacuum marks.
Saxony: Refined cut-pile surface, luxuriously smooth, soft finish, ideal for living
and dining rooms. Shows subtle highlights and accents.
Berber
loop-Pile: A wool-like look and rugged loop surface. Tight lop texture helps hide footprints and
vacuum marks. Ideal choice for contemporary to country to cottage furnishings.
Berber
Cut-Pile: A new berber look with all the wonderful color and interest of traditional loop Berbers. The
great plush "feel" of thick, cut pile carpet. Beautifully crafted and colored yarns add personality to any
room. Very versatile decoratively, ideal for casual rooms, kids' rooms.
Cut/Loop:
Carved definition with cut-and-loop pile. Accent colors spice up floor surfaces. Multicolor effects hide soil and stains.
Looks great between vacuuming.
Commercial Loop:
Durable long-wearing surface pile engineered for high traffic areas. Textured surfaces provide subtle highlights.
FIBERS
Knowing
your carpet fibers will help you choose the right one for your needs.
Nylon:
is the most strongest and durable widely used fiber. It’s soft and holds its texture well, resists most stains and is
easy to clean. Offered as BCF or staple. Used in residential and commercial applications. Produced as a solution-dyed
fiber or white yarn to-be-dyed. Accounts for 65% of all face fibers in carpet. The characteristics are durable,
resilient, abrasion-resistant, versatile in color possibilities. Must be treated for dirt and soil resistant.
Nylon is treated at the time of manufacturing. Depending on the company many different soil protections are used.
Examples are DuPont, Scotchguard, and Anso.
Acrylic: offers the
look and feel of wool and is available in many Berber selections, it wears well and is naturally stain resistant.
Nylon/Acrylic Combination: Combining both features provides strength, softness, and
natural beauty. These carpets are known for their durability and excellent stain resistance.
Wool: Warm and durable, but can be easily damaged if not cared for properly. Available in fewer colors and
don’t take bright dyes as well makes this selection somewhat limited. Natural fiber. Offered as staple yarn.
The characteristics are a natural fiber with moderate soil and stain resistance. Durable, luxurious "hand",
reduced visible soil due to fine, light-scattering characteristics. The most expensive of the fibers.
Polyester: Reasonably durable. Made from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol.
Offered primarily as a staple product, although some BCF is being produced. Used in residential and commercial applications.
PET Polyester is made from recycled plastic bottles. The characteristics are resistant to water stains, color clarity
and colorfastness.
Polypropylene (OLEFIN) : These carpets are moisture
resistant although limited in selection of colors. Fiber-forming substance of any long chain synthetic polymer composed of
at least 85% by weight, of ethylene, propylene, or other olefin units. Offered primarily as BCF with some staple product
available. Primarily sold as solution-dyed or pre dyed fiber. Can be engineered for outdoor carpet applications.
The characteristics are resists fading, inherently stain resistance, limited color selection, generates low levels of static
electricity, chemical, moisture and stain resistant.
So what does this all mean?When you are shopping don’t overlook
the value of good carpet padding. A good pad will increase the life of your carpet. It softens your walk, noise control, insulates
a floor and prevents slipping of the carpet. We can help you to choose the right padding with your carpet selection.
Rugs, Padding and Floor Care Products
We also carry area rugs, braided rugs, miscellaneous floor care products as well as underlayment/padding.