Carpet Is a Performance Choice, Not Just a Soft One
Carpet and rugs do the quiet work in a room — they absorb sound, warm a floor and pull a palette together. But the wrong specification crushes flat, stains or delaminates within a season. Choosing well comes down to three things: fiber, pile and construction.
Fiber Decides Almost Everything
The fiber sets durability, feel, stain resistance and price.
- Wool — the natural benchmark. Resilient, naturally flame-resistant, hides soil and ages beautifully. Best for bedrooms, premium residential and boutique hospitality. Costs more and needs care with moisture.
- Nylon — the workhorse synthetic. The toughest common fiber, springs back under heavy traffic and takes any color. The default for busy homes and commercial floors.
- Polyester — soft and richly colored at a lower price, with good stain resistance, but crushes sooner under traffic. Great value for low-traffic rooms.
- Polypropylene (olefin) — moisture- and fade-resistant, which makes it the go-to for outdoor and basement rugs; less resilient underfoot.
- Sisal and jute — natural plant fibers with a raw, textural look. Beautiful in relaxed interiors, but keep them away from wet areas.
Browse fibers and weaves in the carpet catalog, and pair them with drapery from the fabric collection.
Pile: Cut, Loop or Both
- Cut pile — yarn tips are cut for a soft, plush surface. Warm and comfortable, but shows footprints and vacuum marks.
- Loop pile — yarn stays looped, making a low, hard-wearing surface that hides traffic. Ideal for hallways and offices; a berber loop is the classic.
- Cut & loop — mixes both to build pattern and texture, useful for hiding wear in busy family spaces.
Construction Sets the Ceiling on Quality
- Tufted — yarn punched into a backing, then glued. Fast and affordable; most wall-to-wall carpet is tufted.
- Woven (Axminster/Wilton) — yarn and backing woven together in one pass. More durable and pattern-rich; the standard for hotels and high-end contract work.
- Hand-knotted — each knot tied by hand. The most durable and valuable; heirloom rugs measured in knots per square metre.
- Needlefelt — matted fibers, extremely tough, used for events and high-traffic entries.
Match the Carpet to the Traffic
Specify by room, not by looks alone:
- Residential — comfort first: wool or soft nylon cut pile in bedrooms and living rooms.
- Commercial — durability first: nylon loop or woven in offices, corridors and hospitality.
- Outdoor — moisture first: polypropylene, and confirm UV and mildew resistance.
Ask suppliers for the fiber, pile weight (face weight), density and a traffic rating before you commit.
Care and Longevity
Vacuum regularly, treat spills quickly, and rotate rugs to even out wear and sun-fade. Wool wants pH-neutral cleaning; synthetics tolerate stronger products. A quality pad extends life and adds underfoot comfort on any floor — including over parquet.
Design It With the Room
Carpet rarely stands alone. Set the rug against your wood floor, wall finish and upholstery on a Slab Site moodboard so texture and color work together before you order.