New Carpet Advice

Carpet Fibre

Choose a carpet that is a "100%" blend.

Mixed fibres are generally to make carpet cheaper. The main fibre types are Nylon, Polyester, Polypropylene, Wool, Triexta.

Carpet is made in many different styles, the main types are cut pile and loop pile.

Carpet Information

Loop pile's won't show shading, however tend to show the joins more.

All cut pile carpets will show some signs of "shading" or "tracking", where you can see your footprints on the carpet. The best way to minimise this, is to choose a carpet with a dense pile, where the fibers are packed tightly together. A shorter denser pile won’t track as much as a longer looser pile.

• Carpet density is measured in ounces per square yard, ranging from 24 oz to 72 oz (or 3kg to 9kg).
• Depending on the budget and the requirements of the carpet, but somewhere between 28 - 48 ounce is an ideal weight.
• Choose a ‘’Residential - extra heavy use’’ (6/6 star) ACCS rated carpet.
• Just like other fabrics carpet can vary from dye lot to dye lot and also from any samples provided.
• It is recommended that all carpets be vacuumed regularly.

Underlay

Having a quality underlay is very important and should not be overlooked.

Underlay is measured in both thickness (9mm to 12mm), and density (90kg/m3 to 130kg/m3)

90kg would be the bare minimum to use and 110-130 kg would be the best ideal weight to use.

A good dense underlay acts as floor insulation.

Helpful Tips:

• Moving of furniture and uplifting old carpet yourself will save money.
• The wooden tack strips (smooth-edge) stay down and will get reused.
• Doors may need trimming/adjusting when changing to a thicker underlay/carpet.
• Allow paint sufficient drying time, before putting new carpet in.
• Use a spade to remove old underlay staples.