Carpet — Soft flooring by fiber and pile, from looped Berber to plush cut pile. It sits inside flooring; choosing well means matching its strengths to your room, moisture, and budget.
What Defines Carpet
These are the characteristics that set Carpet apart:
Key characteristics
- Fibers: nylon (durable), polyester (soft/value), triexta, wool (premium)
- Pile: loop, cut, or cut-and-loop
- Solution-dyed fibers resist stains and fading
Types of Carpet
Compare the main types — each links to its full specs, uses, and trade-offs.
Berber Carpet
A dense looped pile that hides traffic and resists crushing.
Frieze Carpet
A tightly twisted cut pile (the modern shag) that masks footprints.
Carpet Tile
Modular carpet squares you can lift and replace individually.
Stain-Resistant Carpet
Solution-dyed and treated carpet engineered to release spills.
Carpet Specifications & Ratings
The spec, not the sticker, decides how Carpet performs. The specs that predict how long a floor survives traffic, pets, and moisture.
Wear rating & hardness
Wear layer & abrasion
How much surface a floor can lose before it shows.
Rated by material
Vinyl
12 mil light use, 20 mil busy homes, 28–30 mil commercial
Laminate
AC3 residential, AC4–AC5 high-traffic
Tile
PEI IV–V for floors; DCOF 0.42+ wet areas
Hardness (Janka)
Resistance to denting, on the Janka scale for wood.
Typical by species
Softer woods
walnut ~1010 lbf — shows wear sooner
Harder woods
oak 1290–1360, maple 1450, hickory 1820 lbf
Which Carpet Is Right for You?
Free consultation and a recommendation matched to your space and traffic — written quote, no pressure.
Installing & Caring for Carpet
Installation basics
Carpet is installed by a vetted crew to manufacturer and industry standards — correct prep, method, and acclimation. See flooring installation.
Care & maintenance
Match cleaning and any sealing to the material so Carpet keeps performing; our team can advise the routine.
What Carpet Costs
We never quote sight-unseen. Cost depends on a few factors:
The factors that move the price
Material grade
The product tier — wear layer, thickness, species, or core — is the biggest single driver of cost and lifespan.
Project size & layout
Square footage, room count, transitions, and pattern complexity all change labor.
Substrate condition & prep
Leveling, moisture mitigation, or removing the old surface add scope where the base is not ready.
Access & site conditions
Stairs, tight access, furniture, and occupied spaces affect time on site.
A Representative Decision
How the specs above translate into a real recommendation — a representative, spec-driven scenario (not a specific customer).
How to Choose Carpet
Weigh durability, maintenance, moisture tolerance, and budget together — the right choice matches how the room is used.
- Match the spec to the room
- Moisture, traffic, and use decide suitability — not the showroom sample.
- Written, itemized quote
- Material, prep, and labor separated.
- Proper installation
- The best material installed wrong still fails — confirm method and prep.
Carpet Installation Standards
However good the material, the install decides whether it lasts. Every carpet job we match you to meets these:
- Spec in writing
- The exact carpet product, grade, and rating documented before work starts.
- Installed to standard
- Substrate prep, correct method, and any acclimation or cure time to manufacturer and Wear rating & hardness guidance.
- Accountable, vetted crew
- A vetted installer who stands behind the scope and the schedule.
Brands & Material Authority
Quality and construction drive long-term performance more than the label. These are widely respected names in this category:
- Shaw
- Mohawk
- COREtec
- Armstrong
- Pergo
- Mannington
- Bruce
- Karndean