Choosing the right style of carpet for each room is just as important as the type of fiber that is used to make the carpet.  Choosing the wrong carpet can yield undesirable results.

Cut Pile

The best-selling type of carpet is textured cut pile.  Cutting looped carpet fibers at the top creates cut pile with yarn bundles standing straight.  Pre-shearing cut pile several times creates a luxurious appearance.  Cut pile is less resistant to crushing than other types of carpet.

Saxony

Saxonies are tightly twisted cut piles that are heatset straight.  Saxonies consist of two or more fibers twisted together in a yarn.  They provide a soft texture for formal and informal areas. Saxonies show every footprint and vacuum-cleaner mark.  These carpets have medium durability.

Texture and Textured Saxony

Textures are the best-selling carpets and work well in informal areas (such as family rooms and children’s bedrooms) because of its soft feel.  Textures are tightly twisted and texture heat set for medium durability. They have a multi-colored look that disguises tracks and footprints.

Velvet/Plush

Velvets/Plushes are lightly twisted and have a uniform color.  They are softer and more level than textures.  This type of carpet is ideal for formal areas (such as formal living rooms and master bedrooms) because of its luxurious appearance.  Velvets/Plushes show every footprint and vacuum-cleaner mark.

Frieze

Frieze is a highly twisted cut pile carpet suited for high traffic, informal areas.  It has short fibers that tend to curl in different directions at the surface to hide footprints and vacuum marks.

Cut and Loop Pile

Cut and loop pile combines cut and looped fibers.  It provides a variety of surface textures or sculptured effects for medium durability.  Cut and loop pile carpets are available in solid or multiple colors.  The different levels in this type of carpet can hide dirt and footprints in formal and informal areas.

Level Loop Pile

Level loop pile is made by weaving even loops of yarn into carpet backing at both ends.  This type of carpet is very durable and track resistant because of its strong loops.  Higher loops create a more luxurious appearance.  Level loop piles with short and densely packed loops require through vacuuming, as the loops trap dirt, and can prevent it from being vacuumed out.  This type of carpet is ideal for high traffic areas.

Berber

Berbers are increasing in popularity faster than any other type of carpet.  Berbers limit footprints and vacuum tracks in informal areas.  Berbers can have thicker yarns than other level loop pile carpets for high durability. These loops can retain dirt and may be damaged from snags. Berbers come in expensive wool fibers or less expensive nylon, olefin, or nylon-olefin fibers.

Multi-Level Loop Pile

Multi-level loop pile is like level loop pile except that the loop heights vary (usually two to three different loop heights).  This carpet creates an appearance of random texture.  This type of carpet is good for high traffic areas but the smaller loops can sometimes hold more dirt.