When you select carpet for your home, you have many
things to consider and many different options to
weigh as well. Carpets come in many different colors
and styles, textures and fibers, and there are many
different qualities to choose from as well.

The two most popular choices of carpet today are the
loop pile and cut pile. Loop pile has individual
strands of yarn pulled through the backing of the
carpet twice, which creates a small loop.

The cut pile has the loop cut at the top, leaving
tufts of yarn that stand straight up. Cut pile is
normally more durable than looped pile. Cut piles
come in many styles, such as shag, textured, saxony,
and velvet. Loop pile choices include berber,
cable, or sisal. For high traffic areas, loop pile
is an excellent choice.

One of the factors with choosing your carpet is the
cost. Even though there is nothing more luxurious
than having wool carpeting in your home, most of us
can't afford wool. If you are able to afford wool
carpeting you'll find that even though it costs more
to install, it will prove to be far more superior
than any other type of carpeting. There is no man
made carpet fiber that come close to the durability,
rich look, or even the feel of wool - which can also
last for 30 years or more.

Acrylic carpeting is very similar to wool, and
sometimes referred to as man made wool. It is
resistant to moisture, fading, mildew, crushing, and
staining, although it isn't recommended for high
traffic areas.

Nylon carpeting is also popular, as it is recommended
for high traffic areas. Nylon is one of the most
expensive types of synthetic fibers, although it
is still cheaper than wool.

Olefin is a low cost carpet material, often used for
indoor or outdoor carpeting. Olefin is colorfast
and strong, very easy to clean. One of the draw
backs to olefin is that it can easily be crushed.

Another consideration you'll have is the color and
patterns of the carpet. Light carpeting colors
help to create a spacious effect, making the room
appear to be larger. Light color carpets will of
course, show much more soil than dark colors.

If you have pets around the house or little kids,
dark colors may be your best bet. There are many
different varieties of dark colors, which is great
for those interested in style. Dark colors are
ideal for stains or pets, as they don't show soiled
areas near as much as light colored carpets.

If you end up selecting light colors around pets or
little kids, you'll find yourself having to work
twice as hard to make stains less noticeable. It
would be easier and also smarter to select a dark
color and make it easier on yourself.