Low, medium or high – Which pile is right for you?
To make things very simple, when choosing a pile, you're essentially deciding on whether you want a flat installation, a shaggy installation or something in between. But before you buy, here are 5 essential things to know about finding the right carpet.
1. Assess your preferred pile height
As we mentioned before, there are various types of pile heights. Anything less than ¼ inch is considered low pile, medium pile is anything from ¼ inch to ½ inch, and fibers from ½ inch to ¾ inch are known as plush. Installations over that pile height are call shag.
2. Don’t associate thickness with quality
Don't assume that thicker piles are necessarily better than other fiber types. Thickness does not equate quality per se. While some fine rugs are quite thin, other installations that are incredibly dense can be of poor quality. Having said that, you're always better off finding a reliable carpet flooring retailer to help you find good, quality wall-to-wall.
3. Shorter is easier to clean and maintain
As you can imagine, the shorter the pile, the easier it is to maintain and keep clean. That’s because crumbs, dust, and dirt simply sit atop the installation, making it easy to vacuum away.
4. Consider the furniture in the room
There’s nothing quite as luxurious and soft as a long pile carpet. However, because of its density, furniture can leave behind indentations, if not regularly moved around. Therefore, before choosing soft surfacing, consider the furniture in the room and how easy (or difficult) it will be to shift the items around to prevent crushing fibers.
5. Beater bars: Pile’s worst enemy
Get a vacuum that doesn’t have a beater bar or one that allows you to disengage it. Carpeting can get caught in the bar, pulling on the surfacing and increasing the likelihood of damage.