How to Pick the Perfect Carpeting for a Home or Office

Carpeting is one of the largest investments you will make in your home or office, providing comfort and increasing your home’s value.  With so many choices in different carpet fibers and padding, how do you know where to begin?  The following are some basic tips in choosing the perfect carpeting for your home or office, providing the most benefits for your investment.  

Work with a Reputable Retailer

For confidence in the quality of the carpeting you purchase, work with a reputable retailer to know for certain that the carpeting you purchase is truly what it is claimed to be.  A salesman from a budget store may try to convince you that their carpeting is just as good or maybe even the exact same thing, but the only way to know for sure is to work with a reputable carpet and flooring retailer.

Low budget carpeting may appear to look just as good, but if the carpet is not manufactured with high quality methods it could quickly fall apart, thus wasting all your effort and money.  For something as important as the comfort and value of your home, don’t risk being taken by a smooth-talking salesman, work with reputable retailers like Great Western Flooring.

For over 35 years Great Western Flooring has been adding comfort and value to homes and businesses with high quality, long lasting, beautiful and elegant carpeting and padding installed by experienced and professional carpet installers, at the most affordable price.  

Know Your Specifications

To get the most value from your investment, you’ll want to know the specifications that you desire.  Is it for a room or hallway with high traffic?  You’ll want a strong fiber for a high traffic area to retain its resiliency.  If the room will be exposed to intense direct sunlight you’ll want a fiber that can withstand UV exposure and retain its durability.

If you have young children or pets you may prefer a carpeting like Shaw’s LifeGuard® carpet that will repel water protecting the carpet fibers and the floor beneath it.   

Shaw has thousands of color and style combinations for any room design, no matter the size or décor.  Great Western Flooring is a proud retailer of Shaw quality carpeting and flooring, offering you an endless array of choices with textures, carpet fiber types and colors.  

Let Great Western Flooring show you how easy it is to pick the perfect carpeting for your room, assuring your specifications are met, for total satisfaction and ultimate comfort.  Add value to your home and get a quick return on your investment with comfort and style.  

Contact Great Western Flooring today or stop by one of our convenient locations in Naperville, Oswego, or St. Charles.  We have been providing comfort and value to homes and businesses for over 35 years with experienced and professional carpeting and flooring installations.  Contact us today for a free estimate, and to speak with one of our knowledgeable design specialists.  

Review Types of Carpet Fibers for the Perfect Selection

Reviewing the available types of carpet fibers for your carpet installation will pay big benefits in your satisfaction with your new carpet install.  Choosing the correct type of carpet for your environment is important to enjoy all of the advantages that specific types of carpet fibers have to offer.   Before you invest in your new carpet installation, let’s review the different types of carpet fibers and the characteristics of each.  

Different Types of Carpet Fibers:

Nylon

Nylon is used as a very versatile type of carpet fiber, giving high performance in all categories including texture retention, soil and stain resistance and a wide array of options for colors and styles.  Nylon is used in both cut pile and loop pile styles, and is the most widely used type of carpet fibers.  

Polyester (PET)

Polyester is a soft type of carpet fiber, but is typically not quite as strong and durable as nylon.  Polyester carpet fiber is naturally resistant to stains and to fading, but should not be used in high traffic areas.    

Polypropylene (Olefin)

Polypropylene is also known as Olefin, and is a type of carpet fiber that is solution dyed.  When a carpet is solution dyed it means that the color is permanently manufactured into the carpet fibers.  Solution dyed carpet such as Olefin gives excellent resistance to fading, even when exposed to direct sunlight.  This is an excellent type of carpet fiber to be used next to large sliding glass windows emitting intense sunlight into the room and onto your carpeting.

Olefin carpet is also water resistant, as polypropylene repels the water, making it one of the most ideal type of carpet fibers for kids and pets.  Waterproof carpet keeps the spill on top of the carpet, giving you time to tend to the spill without soaking into your carpet and pad.  

Polypropylene is not quite as durable as other fibers such as nylon, and is typically used in more loop pile textures that require less resiliency.  

PTT (Triexta Polyester)

Polyester became popular in the 1990’s as low-cost production of polyester carpeting was first introduced.  Polyester is also known as PTT, or Triexta, and performs well in stain resistance although this type of carpet fiber will attract soil and dirt that can make it difficult to remove.  

When you need assistance determining the best types of carpet fibers for your next carpet project, call on the experts at Great Western Flooring.   We provide professional flooring and carpet installations to residential and commercial customers in the Chicagoland area.  

Great Western Flooring is a professional flooring and carpet installation company, serving the Chicagoland area for over 35 years.   We have experience in determining the best types of carpet fibers for your specific application.  Stop by one of conveniently located design centers in Naperville, Oswego or St. Charles.  Call today to schedule a design consultation, and to speak with one of our flooring design experts.

Comparing Carpet Fiber Types and Characteristics

Carpets are made out of basically four different carpet fiber types, although some carpets are made with blends.  Each fiber has characteristics and qualities unique to that fiber type, and you should choose the right carpet fiber type for your purpose.  It is important to consider the environment in which you install your carpet, the foot traffic it will receive, the conditions it will be exposed to, and how long you want it to last.  

The four basic carpet fiber types are: Nylon, Polyester, PTT and Polypropylene.  Let’s take a look at the characteristics of each of those and compare their qualities.  

Nylon Carpet Fiber Types

Nylon is known as the most versatile of all carpet fiber types, with excellent performance in all categories of stain and soil resistance, texture retention, and options for style and colors.  Nylon is the most widely used carpet fiber, and is used in both loop and cut pile styles.

Nylon has great flexibility with color, and many nylon yarns are very soft.  Nylon carpet can be stain and soil resistant, and nylon carpet from Shaw is treated with stain resistant carpet treatment for added protection.  

Polyester (PET) Carpet Fiber Types

Carpet made of polyester fibers are exceptionally soft, and naturally stain and fade resistance, although polyester is not as strong as nylon.  Therefore, carpet made from polyester carpet fibers will not be quite as durable as nylon carpet fiber types.   This is why polyester carpet is desirable in low to medium traffic areas.  

Shaw makes polyester fiber carpet that will deliver high performance, with several styles to choose from.  

Polypropylene Carpet Fiber Types (Olefin)

Polypropylene, also known as Olefin, is a carpet fiber type that is solution dyed.  This means that the color is literally built into the fiber when manufactured, making the color permanent that cannot be removed.  Solution dyed polypropylene carpet fiber provides great resistance to fading, even when exposed to direct sunlight and harsh elements.

Polypropylene is also very water resistant, as it will not absorb water, making it one of the most ideal carpet fiber types for water proof carpeting.  Olefin is not quite as strong and durable as other fibers and is used in more loop pile textures which require less resiliency.  

PTT (Triexta Polyester) Carpet Fiber Types

Polyester fiber, also known as PTT or Triexta, first became popular in the 1990’s when low-cost production became possible.  Shaw introduced the first PTT carpet fiber types for residential use in 2001, featuring excellent stain resistance and resiliency.  PTT is adequate for stain resistance, although can attract dirt and soil which can lead to premature wearing in high traffic areas.  

For more information on all available carpet fiber types contact Great Western Flooring, your flooring and carpet expert.

Great Western Flooring is a professional flooring and carpet installation company, serving the Chicagoland area for over 35 years.   We have experience in determining the best carpet fiber types for your specific application.  Stop by one of conveniently located design centers in Naperville, Oswego or St. Charles.  Call today to schedule a design consultation, and to speak with one of our flooring design experts.