Single hen

[iar fach goch]

Have at long last managed to persuade OH that we need a new carpet for hall, current one has been down since before we moved in and that was thirteen years ago, and it could never have been described as stylish! Went to choose carpet today-aaaagh! Had decided on type of colour and design but had not thought about different types (have never bought carpet before, most of house is tiled or fllorboards). Different sales people said different things so looking to you lot for advice. Is a wool carpet better for a high traffic area? was told it would last longer and look good for longer. Or is man made better as they come with stain repellant but may not be as hard wearing? I know that I can pay more and have a wool carpet treated but don't think I can stretch to this. All advice appreciated as I don't want to make an expensive mistake.

[Avalon Fantasy]

You have my vote on Wool.

Its hardwearing and can be washed easily ect.

 

A friend of mine for different reasons has wool carpets in her farm cottage rental.. she would have lost a rosette had they been man made.. (rhe ) L

[Redwing]

The last lot of carpet we bought (9 years ago) was 80% wool 20% man made and we found that it always looked smart and immaculate (even though it was cream!) and it wore excellently, we were told that a mix is best as it give the good looks and feel of wool but is more hardwearing and I must say we were thrilled with it and when we moved out of that house last Oct the carpet still looked like new.

 

I am a firm believer that a carpet looks much better for proper underlay and fitting and even a cheap man made carpet can look good and wear well if you get the basics right

 

I have been told that the stain repellant that some carpets have gets washed off at the first shampooing and so is not worth the money so we didn't bother paying the extra for it - not sure how true that is though

[Old Speckled Hen]

We moved here a year ago and had the entire house re-carpeted; a lot of rooms.

We chose a mix as Redwing did.

I have to echo the comment about underlay and preparing your floor.

We took up the old carpet and removed every old staple then bought the best underlay our budget allowed for.

[Groovychook]

My parents had their whole house carpeted in pure wool. It was lovely until they started seeing worn patches here & there. The carpet was only a year or so old, so the fitter came out to investigate and discovered that they had carpet beetles. They thrive in pure wool only and there is no way of dealing with them- they will just gradually destroy every bit of wool they come across ! Their only option was to rip the whole lot up and start again with a mixed fibre carpet instead.

 

I don't think it's a common problem, but it's put me off having 100% wool!

[Cooks]

@ the thought of carpet beetles

 

I have a wool mix here 80/20 and it works really well.

[Groovychook]

@ the thought of carpet beetles

 

I have a wool mix here 80/20 and it works really well.

 

I think you're safe!!

 

They didn't look beetle like actually- just like bits of white fluff.... thinking about it, maybe they were carpet moths... Whatever they were- you wouldn't want em!

[MadMitch]

Definately wool and a really good quality underlay.

If you can try and use a local carpet place rather than the big brand stores. It will be cheaper, better quality, and better service.

[Egluntyne]

Wool every time.

[Omletina Kyckling]

We have 80% woold, 20% polypropelene and it has all the qualities of wool with a bit of man made for longevity! I hate the all manmade ones as they give you shocks when you vacuum.

 

If anybody is nearish to Huddersfield, there is a mill which makes carpets near there, which sell for about £35/sqm in carpet shops - they sell lengths of carpet at the factory for between £4 and £8/sqm - we have bought carpets from there, they are perfect, but they may have been rejected by the shop buyers because the shade of red on that roll isn't exactly the same as the shade on the swatch, but unless you are trying to match to that specific swatch, it's otherwise perfect.

[chickencam]

We have 80/20 carpet in a pale beige colour on most of the ground floor of our house. It has been down for about 10 years and has proved to be hard wearing and easy to clean.

 

We spot treat any marks as they appear then hire a Rug Doctor about once a year, these machines are brilliant.

 

We also have a deep fitted doormat that comes 1metre in from the front door and this has kept the hall carpet reasonably clean.

 

A great tip given to us when we bought the carpet was don't panic if you get mud on it, just take off any lumps then let it dry then vacuum, and most of the time this advise is spot on and the carpet comes up clean

[Aunty e]

Neither - I've totally gone off carpet downstairs, and we've replaced all of the living room and hall and office with laminate, although would obviously have preferred to use real wood. I was sick and tired of trying to make it smell fresh after the onslaught of animals, muddy feet, parties and years of smoking in the house (still smells five years later). I absolutely adore being able to wash the floor with hard core disinfectant. We still have carpet upstairs - it's an 80/20 wool/acrylic blend. We're replacing the upstairs landing too, and going for John Lewis cheapest carpet. I can't remember offhand what it's made of, I think it's acrylic, but it looks nice and their prices are very reasonable.

[AJuff]

Wool if I had carpet in the hall but when we change ours it will be for a wood floor!!!! Easier to sweep up the mud!!!

[miffy]

We always go for a mix get the best of both worlds and best underlay is essential for even cheaper carpets!! we have a red hall and stairs carpet and an ESS that sheds white hair all over it....not the best colour as it needs hovering at least once a day but we love it

We are not keen on laminate floors, just personal taste (and the noise) although I would kill for a genuine parkay wood floor hall

[iar fach goch]

Thanks all for your great advice - have chosen carpet today and am going for 80/20 as recommended by you! What would I do without Omlet?!?

[chooklady]

I'd go for the same as Redwing.

 

They are much easier to clean. A few years ago we thought we were going to have to move and we bought a cheap man made carpet to smarten the place up well unfortunately we still have the carpet as we didn't have to move in the end but it is awful now and I want it to go asap.

[Valkyrie]

OH is a carpet man. He only does 100% wool or 80/20 blends. I don't like man made fibre because of static - yowee never again (that was my parents when I was 12)! Personally I don't like laminates or bare floorboards - it makes the rooms echo. Carpets are also warmer. I would like wood in the hallway though - light oak would be nice - can but dream.

OH likes loop pile, I like velvet. The designers more often than not go for loop pile and brown or shades of brown are the most popular along with white or cream. I like colour. Good job I only help out with the admin!

There should not have been carpet beetles in a new carpet - it must have been faulty. Anyone who has this problem must complain to the place from where it was purchased - carpets should last a lot longer than a year, I know we live in a disposable society, but that's a bit much!

Make sure the fitter clears the floor properly because any dirt etc under the new underlay will soon work its way through. Also uneven flooring might need sorting out - the fitter should know.

I hope you enjoy your carpet, iar fach goch. Bet you tiptoe around on it at first!

[Groovychook]

There should not have been carpet beetles in a new carpet - it must have been faulty. Anyone who has this problem must complain to the place from where it was purchased - carpets should last a lot longer than a year, I know we live in a disposable society, but that's a bit much!

Make sure the fitter clears the floor properly because any dirt etc under the new underlay will soon work its way through.

 

Oh dear, too late now- this all happened a few months ago. The carpet fitter told his boss who said that in 24 years in the business had never seen a case of it before. Made out that they'd been unlucky and told them to rip everything up, including the underlay, to hoover thoroughly throughout and to dust the floor with a powder...can't remember what that was... There was no offer of any recompense! The fitter wouldn't even remove the carpet for them in case it contaminated his van!

At any other time, Mum might have questioned all of this but at the time, she was recovering from a double heart bypass and was trying to keep her stress levels down. Anyway, they're thrilled with their new carpet and went for an 80/20 mix this time

[Valkyrie]

Glad to hear your folks are happy with the new one. That was a naughty carpet company, they should have got someone in from the manufacturer to have a look, or if they make the carpets themselves, they should have asked an independent specialist to look at it to find out why - or sent them a sample. Your parents should not have had that problem at all. However, it has happened once in our lifetime. The carpet was several years old (I think it was 11 and quite threadbare anyway) and apparently when the independent inspector sent in his report it was found that the owners had their carpet cleaned every year and as a result of the chemicals used, the carpet was not protected any more and fibres damaged (normal wear and tear possibly). I don't know whether the wool is treated before weaving, so I am not sure of all the processes involved. The manufacturer should have replaced the carpet at their expense not your parents - I'm sure they didn't have their carpet cleaned every week/month!

We've lived here 17 years now and in that time only the childrens bedrooms and the spare room have had new carpets. We have only underlay on the landing and half landing, and the rest of the house (apart from the bathrooms and kitchen which has slate tiles) has the old carpet from previous owners, now covered in paint splashes - we just never get around to finishing the decorating. No point in doing the landings because the stairs are supposed to be ripped out and changed to give more room in the hall. I can't guess at the age of the remaining carpet, probably much older than 20 years and no bugs. They (I am told) are an 80/20 mix and originally came from John Lewis!

[Shirl]

I'll have to remember this thread when I replace our bedroom carpet. The OH has taken to throwing his coffee around in the bedroom lately (twice in one week) so I want it replaced. We only have carpet in 3 of the bedrooms, everywhere else we have oak, slate or tiles.

[iar fach goch]

OH is now undecided about my carpet! returned to shop to arrange visit for measuring only to be told that original calculation was incorrect and it is now £200 more expensive! He thinks that I should now go and look elsewhere - especially as I am now clued up about carpets!

[Valkyrie]

Another note to remember is to make sure you have good quality underlay - that can cause a fair few problems. Cloud 9 is good and depending on the flooring underneath, a good quality felt = that can make the carpet last even longer.

[Angie]

The higher wool mix you can find , wears for years and holds its shape, buy really good quality underlay and you will be fine.

[Egluntyne]

This thread is an old one which reappeared because of a spammer.

 

[Valkyrie]