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With many factors to consider surrounding carpeting choices, you need a comprehensive carpeting guide to help. With 50Floor, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about carpet so you can make the right choice for your home.

Carpeting 101

Upgrading your home can be exciting as you consider all the features you can change and update. Carpet is a comfortable and versatile flooring option that comes in many styles and materials, and its versatility makes it ideal for different rooms around the house. Some factors to consider include the following:

  • Type of backing: Carpet comes in different loop and pile options that will impact how the final product looks. When investing in a new carpet, you can narrow your options by knowing which backing type will best suit your needs.
  • Carpet texture: From plush velvet to firm cushions, carpet has diverse available textures. You can choose your carpet option based on how you want to feel in your rooms.
  • Durability level: Some carpets are great at withstanding higher levels of activity and heavy furniture. When you want a long-lasting solution, picking a more durable carpet can support your needs.
  • Color scheme: Carpet is a powerful design element when decorating a room. Your carpet choice can help complete color schemes and tie aesthetics together.

To explore these topics more, keep reading and discover what a carpeting can offer your home.

carpet flooring on stairs

When choosing carpet options for your home, you need to first narrow down the type. Each carpet option adds a unique experience, and it’s important to compare your options to pick the best fit for your lifestyle. Carpets vary by material, texture, height, color, density and level of care required for upkeep.

Most differences between carpet types come down to how it’s made:

  • Cut pile: Cut pile carpets have cut fiber loops that create a soft, upright pattern. It’s available in a range of lengths and fiber materials.
  • Loop pile: Loop pile carpeting keeps its fibers intact, uncut and woven into a series of loops that hides tracks and footprints.
  • Patterned loop: Patterened loops are uncut but arranged with different heights to create patterns and add dimension.
  • Cut and loop: Cut and loop piling combines cut and looped fibers for a uniquely textured look. Though versatile and visually appealing, it’s not ideal for high-traffic areas.
Smooth Saxony

Smooth Saxony

Smooth Saxony is a lush, velvety carpet that gives rooms a luxurious and formal feel. Its cut-pile fibers are tightly woven and twisted for a smooth, soft texture that optimizes comfort and clean lines. With this carpet type, you can sink your feet into the cushiony, stick-straight fibers.

You can easily vacuum Smooth Saxony carpet. Even with the long fibers, it doesn’t trap dirt, making it great when you want to prioritize comfort in a high-traffic area like the bedroom or living room.

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Living room with frieze carpet, gray couch and bookshelf

Frieze

Frieze carpeting has a more relaxed feel with twisted, uneven fibers. It’s similar to shag carpet designs but with shorter and more curled fibers. With a Frieze carpet, you can bring a unique style to your home. Its tighter twists offer increased durability, helping your carpet resist vacuum tracks, footprints and furniture marks.

Like Smooth Saxony, it hides dirt well, so you can use it in busier areas of your home without constant upkeep.

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Berber Carpet

Berber

Berber carpets have uncut loop fibers that sit low for a tightly woven fabric. It traditionally uses more neutral colors, but other hues are available to coordinate with any home. This carpet type is durable, so you can place it in the most traveled areas of your home, including bedrooms, living rooms and hallways. It also hides stains well.

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Living Room with Plush Carpet

Plush

As the name suggests, Plush carpets are soft, elegant types. They provide a smooth, even surface for a more balanced look, though you can customize carpet details for varied fiber twists, densities and heights. Plush carpet’s softness and comfort make it ideal for younger children and nurseries.

You can find options resistant to stains, moisture and dust, so you can apply them to any space where a luxurious, close-packed fiber can add style and comfort.

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Living Room with Patterned Carpet

Pattern

Pattern carpets range from looped or cut-pile fibers — or a unique combination of fiber types, piles and loop sizes — to create visually interesting flooring that hides stains and wear well. Most pattern carpets have thick piling, but several variations are available.

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Common Carpet Color Options

Learn how to choose a carpet color

After determining what flooring and carpet type work best for you and your home, you can start to explore more specific details, like color and aesthetics. Carpets are incredibly versatile, making it easier than ever to find the right style and hue for your home’s aesthetic.

Neutral colors can create a classic, luxurious look in your home, especially whites, creams, grays and beiges. These colors make it easy to coordinate your carpet with other furniture and wall colors. Neutrals are also timeless, so you can change your furniture to meet new decor trends while still maintaining a classic carpet that goes with whatever you bring into your room.

You can also choose from an array of colorful carpet hues like bold statement flooring, a splash of subtle color or cool, calming tones.

Carpet Installation

50Floor assists our customers by installing your flooring, including carpeting. Our process is simple for a stress-free experience. We’ll move a handful of larger furniture items, remove old floors, add padding, cut everything to the correct size and clean up afterward. You just need to be there to confirm your installation in the beginning and to submit your payment at the end.

To prepare for your new carpet, check out our full carpet installation guide.

Carpet

Carpet Care

Carpet requires regular upkeep to ensure its quality. Most carpets only require frequent vacuuming to keep them clean and an annual deep cleaning to eliminate deeper debris and stains. Your cleaning schedule will largely depend on your carpet type and personal needs. Durable carpets designed to withstand more use can go longer between cleaning sessions and still maintain their quality. Carpet manufacturers typically recommend vacuuming your carpet at least once a week.

Other factors that influence your cleaning schedule include:

  • Foot traffic: Areas with more activity will accumulate more dirt over the week. You might need to vacuum these carpet spaces more frequently to keep them clean.
  • Pets and kids: Pets can track dirt, hair and mud throughout your home, and kids can be messy, leading to more frequent carpet cleaning.
  • Allergens: Carpets absorb dust, pollen and dander, increasing allergy effects in some people. If someone in your home suffers from allergies, you might need to vacuum more often.

For more carpet care tips, check out our guide here.

carpet in bedroom

Carpet Color Inspirations

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Different color schemes can add a new feel to your home, making them great when remodeling or redecorating. Some carpet color schemes to consider exploring include:

Beige Carpet

Earth tones

Browns and dusty shades offer a homely, grounded feel. With earth tones, your home will feel very balanced. These colors are very versatile and coordinate well with your existing furniture.

Pink Carpet

Warm tones

Warm tones include reds, oranges and yellows. These colors inspire energy and passion, making them great for spaces where you want to spark these feelings.

Dark Blue Carpet

Jewel tones

Jewel tones are vibrant colors that resemble gems, like emeralds, rubies and amethyst. These colors can take over rooms with their brightness, making them ideal for monochromatic or neutral rooms that need a pop of color.

Dark Carpet

Darker shades

Blacks and darker grays offer unique benefits to rooms because their clean look quickly hides dirt for a more formal appearance. They can also create a cozier environment because they absorb more heat.

up-close picture of patterned carpet

Patterns

Consider patterned flooring when you want something unique that catches the eye. You can find ones with geometric shapes, lines, dots and other sequences. Shapes can help draw attention away from uneven floors or stains and visually change a room’s shape to add length or create a focal point.

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Carpet vs. Other Floorings

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Earlier, we discussed some common color families for hardwood floor stains. Below are some quick tips for choosing a color:

Laminate Flooring

Laminate

Laminate flooring is highly durable and stain-resistant with a decorative layer on top. While carpet is much softer underfoot, laminate flooring is known for being hard and sturdy with a thick protective outer layer.

Compare carpet & laminate flooring
Tile Flooring

Tile

Tile floors can be just as visually appealing as carpet, with endless design options and colors at your fingertips. Luxury vinyl tile is one of the most popular choices in tile floors due to its durability.

Compare carpet & tile flooring
White cabinet kitchen and island with wood floors

Hardwood

Hardwood flooring is available in engineered, solid and floating designs, and you can choose from different finishes and wood types — such as oak, maple or cherry — to create a distinct look that coordinates with your home

Compare carpet & hardwood flooring
Apartment with light floors and gray cabinets

Vinyl

Vinyl flooring is as versatile as carpet but with the added benefit of being highly water-resistant and able to mimic other flooring styles. Options include luxury vinyl planks (LVP) and luxury tile vinyl (LVT).

Compare carpet & luxury vinyl flooring

Best Flooring by Interior Design Style

Certain flooring types naturally complement specific home styles, such as:

  • Modern: Modern and contemporary homes can play on bold, visually interesting flooring — like a patterned carpet — or stick with a subtle, low-pile option to keep the focus on other design elements. Smooth Saxony is a popular choice for contemporary designs, as it offers a combination of comfort, style and adaptability. Consider pairing carpet with other flooring options like luxury vinyl tile (LVT).
  • Farmhouse: Farmhouse owners often lean toward Berber and Frieze style carpeting for its balance of durability and coziness. Pair warm neutral carpets with wood-style LVT or engineered hardwood.
  • Industrial: Industrial homes use raw materials and deep neutrals to create a stylish, modern-meets-rustic appearance. Soft, dense carpeting can help reduce echo in industrial spaces and pairs well with stone-like hardwood or luxury vinyl flooring.
  • Rustic: Smooth Saxony or patterned carpet can bring warmth and comfort to rustic cabins and cottages. Choose a color that pairs well with natural lighting and wood tones.
  • Coastal: Coastal homes, like traditional Cape Cods, can pair luxury vinyl or tile with carpeting for a home that balances style and easy maintenance. Focus on bright carpeting colors, especially in rooms with natural light.
  • Ranch: Ranch-style homes are single-level, so mixing different flooring types can help you create separate living zones in open concept layouts or areas lacking dimension or height. Barber and patterned carpets balance functionality and style, while plush carpets can help elevate simpler designs.
  • Craftsman: Craftsman homes prioritize natural materials and visually appealing accents, but they also highlight practicality and coziness. Pair stone-like vinyl or engineered hardwood with a Berber or Frieze carpet for a cozy, open space.
Living room with frieze carpet, gray couch and bookshelf

Best Flooring for Your Home Architectural Style

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Each architectural style has unique aesthetic components your flooring choice can naturally complement, including:

Cape Code Style Home

Cape Cod

Cape Cod-style houses are popular homes designed to endure frigid New England winters and snowstorms. Carpet can help add to the warmth provided by fireplaces. Consider a Berber for more endurance paired with style or plush to contribute to the coziness.

French Country Style Home

French Country

French Country homes bring the luxury and elegance of France to your neighborhood. A neutral Smooth Saxony carpet will make you feel like French royalty with the velvet, luxurious feel it adds to rooms.

Colonial Style Home

Colonial

Identified by its brick and flat front exterior, Colonial homes are comfortable Southern staples. Tile and hardwood can pair nicely with the brick’s earth tones. Add a Berber or Frieze carpet for a homely, comfortable feel.

Victorian Style Home

Victorian

Dramatic Victorian homes include sharp-angled roofs, decorated porch posts and occasional turrets. Hardwood and carpet can add to the theatrics with contrasting colors and textures. A Smooth Saxony can bring an air of luxury, while a patterned carpet offers more character.

Tutor Style Home

Tudor

Tudor houses have a half-timber facade and steep roofs for a uniquely English countryside look. Hardwood is common inside, so a white or beige plush carpet can help visually open spaces and lighten darker rooms while adding a cozy feel.

Cottage Style Home

Cottage

Cottage homes are often smaller, cozier spaces. A Smooth Saxony or plush carpet can add comfort, while a neutral Berber can open up smaller areas and offer some durability for higher traffic areas.

Best Flooring by Room Type

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Carpet can work in many rooms throughout the home, including:

bedroom flooring

Bedrooms

Because people strive for comfortable, quiet sleeping spaces, carpets are ideal for bedrooms. Their soft texture adds to the room’s coziness, and their ability to absorb heat helps keep people warm in colder months. Carpet absorbs noise, making bedrooms quieter spaces to improve sleep.

Best flooring for bedrooms
nursery

Nurseries

When designing a nursery, you want to give your baby somewhere comfortable, safe and quiet. Carpet is the ideal option because of its soft, plush materials that will cushion your baby as they crawl, walk and play. The noise absorption will create a quiet space they can sleep soundly.

Best flooring for nurseries
office desk and flooring

Offices

When you need to work from home, you can create a quieter, comfier space to focus by adding carpeting to your office. Carpet absorbs sound, making it ideal for rooms you need quiet. More durable piling options resist footprints and furniture marks for a consistently clean space.

Best flooring for offices
Living room with frieze carpet, gray couch and bookshelf

Living Rooms

Carpet can create a more cohesive style in your living room by coordinating with your furniture and wall color. As a high-traffic room, resilient options won’t show stains or lingering footprints, furniture marks and vacuum patterns. Softer materials will encourage people to rest and appreciate the room.

Best flooring for living rooms
Light wood flooring

Schedule an Appointment for 50Floor Carpet Installation

At 50Floor, we specialize in flooring, including carpet. Our professionals can walk you through various carpeting and flooring options to help you determine what’s best for your home and its needs. We will efficiently install your new flooring, even helping move some furniture around and clean up afterward, so you can enjoy your carpet with minimal hassle. Schedule a free at-home estimate today and discover the perfect carpet for your home!

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