Carpet Flooring

Carpet fibers, styles, and their importance

Selecting a fiber will be the most critical decision you'll make when buying carpeting because it affects everything, including appearance, performance, and longevity. It's the same with style, making the selection more than just about choosing the prettiest one. When you come into our flooring store, be sure to describe your needs and the room in which it's to be installed.

The five most common fibers are:

There are both natural and synthetic fibers, and your decision will ultimately come down to your personal preference. Wool, a natural, is soft, fluffy, and white.

Nylon, the most common synthetic, makes up over 50% of all carpets and is known for strength, superior stain resistance, and is a good choice for heavily trafficked, busy rooms. Polyester has excellent inherent stain resistance and is best for moderately active rooms. Olefin is budget-friendly and often associated with Berber (looped) style rugs which are durable and easy to clean. Triexta has a reputation for strength and permanent stain protection built into the fiber, making it ideal for active families with kids and pets.

Three basic styles

When you walk into our carpet store, you'll see hundreds of rolls in various colors, textures, and patterns, all from different mills. They all have another stain, strength, and resiliency levels, so choose the one that's most aligned with your lifestyle.

A cut pile rug refers to the fibers being sheared, sometimes short or long and in variation, with the ends exposed and can be any thickness and height. These include the iconic Saxony, the high pile shag, and low pile rugs, which can be soft and are easier to clean and, some say, more durable.

The looped construction means fibers aren't cut at all but, instead, looped through the backing at varying lengths. The Berber style is an example of a looped construction.

The third is the cut and loop, sometimes called the patterned rug. This is as it sounds, and the varying fiber lengths are used to create patterns and textures, such as geometrics, marbleized, or sculpted looks.

When you come into our showroom in Rockville, MD, the Carpet & Floor Express experts will help you find the right carpet. We service areas in and around Potomac, Bethesda, Silver Spring, Fairfax, Arlington, and Tysons and provide free carpet floor covering quotes.