Choosing New Carpet

It depends upon wall-to wall carpeting or area rugs. If wall-to-wall, I go with neutral colors, no pattern. I like "oriental" style carpeting for area rugs (especially the real thing). Everything also depends upon the type of room (bedroom? living area?) and the colors and decor of the room. that's my 2 cents... maybe the colors you chose are just fine......

Tom Laramee What was it that you disliked about them? The color? Texture? I haven't installed anything but FLOR tiles in my last few places, and the last time Sara Eizen helped me make a final decision on the tile and design the pattern. I do know with carpet you want to look at a couple quality gauges: Face Weight of at least 35-40 oz. (a measure of how heavy/resilient the carpet will be), Tuft Twist of 5 or higher (# of twists/inch of fiber) for durability, and density rating of 2000 or more. The looks on the other hand... maybe you just need good taste for that (or to hire someone with good taste!)

hi Liz: Good question. The main thing was that I *thought* I wanted some texture in the carpet .. and so that's what I started with, but when I put the samples in the room, they looked terrible (the current carpet has no texture and is a very neutral color). So, I don't know what I'm looking for.

The other problem I saw was that, because the store I went to carried at least a half-dozen different brands of carpet, no one brand seemed to be well-represented in terms of carpet styles. You could tell because they also carry tile, and since I know the Porcelanosa offerings really well, I could see that their Porcelanosa samples were super limited (and not all that appealing). Does that make sense? So maybe I need to focus on a specific brand of carpet?!

My preference is hard wood and area rugs - easier to clean, looks best and can change the carpeting without changing the floors. I am against tile (not that you are contemplating that). Has been the rage, but cleaning the grout is never fun. I would definitely choose a high-quality carpet (the best), but I don't know how to decide that or where the best place to get it (I read a lot of personal reviews online as I think you do)

Sounds like this is a wall-to-wall job, then? I spoke with Driscoll Robbins -- they are highly recommended but I think more known for their area rugs. They do stock two specific wall-to-wall carpet brands (Cavan and Antrim) and go deep into those two collections. They also said that a lot of clients they work with use Associated Incorporated in Georgetown for carpet (they have a large showroom and selection).

Ooph, that's a big question. First thing is that it's possible the samples only looked terrible because they were sitting on your old flooring - it's like putting a small paint sample on the wall surrounded by the old color - it *can* make the new alternative look like garbage.

But as for how to choose the "right" carpet - I would start by determining if you want to add a lot of texture (maybe a frieze) or a interesting pattern (cut loop style) or if you want a low pile that is easier to keep clean but doesn't feel as plush (loop style). Similar questions would be if you want it to look more or less formal, and more or less contemporary. If you want it to be higher maintenance (solid color) or be more camouflaging (multi-tone). You can also narrow down the tech/fiber - wool versus synthetic. All those questions can at least narrow down which samples you want to bring home.

Then it's about figuring out the color, and that will be about both coordinating with other elements in your space (wall color, furniture colors, cabinet and other flooring colors) as well as what you want to "do" to your room - brighten it? Cozy it up?

Then last it's about being able to visualize what that little swatch is going to do once it gets bigger - that's hard to do if you aren't used to picturing how a small swatch will behave once it's bigger. I don't know if FreshChalk allows photos, but sharing a photo and the answer to the above questions could help folk provide guidance here 😀

And if you need in person help (and you are within 10 miles of Greenlake) our team can meet you either at a flooring store (we like vogelscarpet.com on Aurora in North Seattle, though most flooring stores carry similar brands) or at your home to look through the samples you collected - with a Quick Action Session (happystartsathome.com/servi...).

Good luck!

A great local company is Vogels. They can help you chose the right carpet for your spaces, send you home with large swatches of carpet so you can envision what it would look like in your space. They install and take away any old carpet you may have as well. Professional and reliable.

Hi Tom, sorry for my late chime-in but if you're still looking and are considering area rugs, I happen to be the Manager at Driscoll Robbins Fine Carpets and would be happy to help with any selections. We have a ton of beautiful inventory here, and access to so much more. We can come to your home to help you measure, and have a free delivery service so you can try full size rugs on approval in your space before making any decisions. We don't charge for any of our services, only for actual rug purchases. Let me know if you'd like to connect or have any other questions!

Hi Tom Laramee. Another late reply, but my my 2 cents... I assume you are talking about bedrooms, since those are the areas where carpet makes the most sense (warmer, quieter, less wear). I also assume this is your primary home and not a rental. If a rental, I would 100% go with LVP. If your primary home (depending on pets/kids/typical wear) and want something economical you might consider waterproof LVP and then drop area rugs on top (or if you want something higher end, go with hardwood). Ruggable has some interesting area rug options (we own one), but Flor also has some good options. Good luck!