Carpets Explained: different types of pile

When it comes to choosing a carpet for your home, it can be a bit of a daunting task.

With so many fibres, styles and designs available, it’s enough to make your head spin. Think about the area of your home that you want to carpet.

How much foot traffic does it get? To help you make the right choice, here are the different carpet types available:

twisted rope fibers

Twist Pile Carpets

Twist carpets are one of the most popular carpets found in UK homes.

They are created from yarn, which has been tightly twisted together. The fibres often have a coarse finish, giving the carpet a rustic, textured appearance.

They come in plain or heathered styles. Marks are less likely to show up on heathered carpets, which combine yarns of complimentary shades to create a flecked, multicoloured effect, making them ideal for heavily used areas.

  • Hard wearing and easy to maintain
  • Perfect for high traffic areas, including the lounge, hall, stairs and landing
  • Available in a wide variety of shades

Saxony Carpets

If you’re looking for a carpet that is dense and luxurious, Saxony, which is similar to Shag pile, is a good option.

The pile, which is longer than some of the other styles, can show footprints and flatten more easily than other piles, so is not recommended for areas that take more wear and tear, such as main rooms, hallways and stairs.

But if you want to wake up in the morning and sink your bare feet into a deep pile, the Saxony is a perfect choice!

  • Popular for bedrooms and dining rooms
  • Provides additional warmth to homes
  • The deep pile adds a sense of luxury

Loop Pile Carpets

A hardwearing carpet that is well suited to busy rooms is the loop pile. It is made from heavier and wider uncut loops of yarn creating a more textured look and feel. It can add style to hallways, stairs and landings. If you’ve got pets and children, a patterned carpet would work well to help disguise stains. It needs less vacuuming, but the loops may get snagged by pets’ claws.

  • The weave bounces back easily
  • Contemporary and stylish
  • Suited to both modern or traditional homes

Velvet Carpets

Just like the name suggests, velvet carpets are soft and smooth to the touch and have an elegant cut pile finish.

They are straighter than twisted yarns, with the cut ends at the top, creating a superb, velvety surface.

Luxurious and soft to touch, they look well in many rooms, particularly bedrooms and formal rooms.

  • A deluxe carpet combining comfort, richness and style
  • Best suited to areas with low or moderate foot traffic
  • Can be a bit more expensive than some other types of carpets

Natural Carpets

People are looking more and more to natural fibre carpets to reduce the impact on the environment.

Materials such as wool, Coir, Jute, Seagrass and Sisal are stylish and hardwearing.

Some fibres, however, have little resistance to staining, so it’s advisable to choose a practical colour for areas that are going to be heavily used.

  • Good for the environment
  • They help boost the economies of communities around the globe
  • Hard-wearing and suitable for all over the house

Brent Carpets are the leaders in supplying quality carpets for those throughout Hampstead, Mill Hill, Hendon, Stanmore, Central and surrounding London areas.

Brent Carpet Company Ltd are one of London’s leading carpet fitters, offering a range of commercial carpets and flooring, including vinyl & laminates.

Hopefully, this will help make your choice a little easier.

If you have any questions, please contact the team at Brent Carpets in London. They will be happy to offer their professional advice on their wide range of high-quality carpets for domestic and commercial use.