You’ve probably noticed that carpet comes in a variety of shapes and textures. This is thanks to what the flooring industry likes to refer to as carpet type and style. There are three basic styles of carpet – cut pile, looped pile, and cut-loop pile. Find out how flooring companies differentiate between the three and what they recommend for your home or office.
Most Common Carpet Styles
Cut Pile
The cut pile carpet type and style is known for being highly durable, which makes it ideal for high-traffic areas. In cut pile carpet, you’ll see a high density of carpet fibers that are twisted together to provide resilience in the shape. This style of carpet can be pretty diverse, too. Cut pile carpet can refer to both velvet and shag, plush and frieze. The pile height of shag and frieze is a lot higher while still maintaining the cut style. Now, however, innovations have rendered multiple styles comfortable and easy to clean, regardless of carpet pile height or style.
Frieze and cable carpets have a looser, curly look to them because the fibers are tightly twisted to the point of individual formation. These textures become suitable to high-traffic areas because they minimize wear, such as footprints and indentations. Textured plush is going to be more effective for your home as a whole than velvet or something similar because it provides cushion flooring while hiding vacuum marks and footprints from heavy foot traffic. Velvet, while durable and aesthetic, isn’t going to maintain its clean look after enduring many feet.
Loop Pile
In contrast, loop pile consists of fibers whose tips are not exposed, hence the term “loop.” The fibers are tightly bound, allowing them to wear well over time and offer good support for high-traffic areas, such as hallways and family rooms. Loop pile carpets can either be level, meaning all fibers are the same height, or multi-level. Commercial carpet could be represented by level loop piles because the surface is made up of compacted carpet fibers. It’s the clean, uniform look you usually imagine in the office carpet of businesses. Multi-level loop pile fibers are known for their texture, so it’s the same concept but the opposite product of the typical industrial carpet you’d be seeing in your office. Multi-level piles provide dimensions and texture that elevate the look of your carpet as well as promote durability.
Cut-Loop Pile
This carpet type and style is exactly what you would imagine – a combination of the two previous styles. By having the two together, the carpet type and style reflects a variety of surface textures and patterns. This is when you’ll see fun, atypical movement, such as swirls, etched into the carpet. It’s designed to have a multicolor effect that conceals dirt and wear while being pleasing to the eye. The pay-off for combining the two styles is a great look and strong performance from your carpet.
Which Carpet Type and Style Is Best?
Flooring experts can provide insights based on your wants and needs, but factually speaking, no one style is “better” than another. It all depends on what you’re looking for and how you plan on using the space. Is it a residential or commercial space? Is there typically low or heavy foot traffic? These are the types of questions that only you know the answers to.
Luckily, that doesn’t mean you have to tackle this project alone. The professionals at Ozburn-Hessey Company are here to answer the questions you might have to ensure you’re making the best decision for yourself and your family. With decades of experience, these experts will offer you personalized service with guaranteed satisfaction. Take the next step by contacting Ozburn-Hessey Company today!
