Choosing a carpet: wool, twist, loop or herringbone

Written by the team that fits carpets across Isleworth, Richmond, Twickenham, Chiswick, Kew and West London every week. Short answers, no sales pitch; ask us anything we have not covered.

Wool or man-made?

Wool is naturally resilient, warm, hides soiling and springs back after furniture. It costs more and is not bleach-cleanable. Polypropylene is stain-resistant, bleach-cleanable and cheaper, but flattens more in heavy traffic and can shine on stairs. Wool-mix, usually 80/20, is the sensible middle for most family houses. Polyamide (nylon) is the most hard-wearing man-made fibre and suits stairs and halls.

Twist, loop, saxony or patterned?

Twist pile is the standard cut-pile carpet: tightly twisted tufts that stand up to traffic and suit almost every room. Loop pile keeps the yarn in uncut loops: flat, tidy, modern and durable, though loops can catch claws. Saxony is a deeper, softer cut pile for bedrooms. Patterned and herringbone carpets are usually a loop or a cut-and-loop mix and make a staircase or hallway the feature.

Room by room

Bedrooms: comfort first, so a saxony or soft twist in wool or wool-mix. Living rooms: a dense twist or loop that copes with chairs and feet. Hallways and stairs: the densest pile you like the look of, in a colour that hides the day. Kids' rooms and rentals: a good polypropylene twist, bleach-cleanable. Home offices: loop or dense twist so the chair wheels do not track.

Colour and light

Carpet looks darker in the room than on the sample board, and warmer under evening light than daylight. That is why we bring samples to your home: put them on the floor, look in the morning and again with the lamps on, and look at them next to the skirting and the wall colour, not in your hand.

Width, seams and waste

Most carpets come in four or five metre widths. A room wider than the roll needs a seam, which we place where it will not be seen and where the pile direction can stay consistent. Stairs are cut from the roll in strips, so the number of winders and the width of the stairs decide how much carpet the staircase needs.

Care

Vacuum weekly, more on stairs. Deal with spills straight away with water and a clean cloth, blotting not rubbing. Have wool carpets professionally cleaned every couple of years rather than wet-cleaned at home. Rotate furniture slightly now and then so the pile is not crushed in one spot.

Want it done?

We supply and fit carpets across West London from our base in Isleworth: samples brought to your home, measured, quoted in writing and fitted by the same team. See the carpet fitting page, stair runners, or send photos by WhatsApp for a quick opinion.