Let's talk about carpet...

[Cherrypickerpopoff]

Twist or loop?
Wool or polypropylene?
Fleck or velveteen?
Lumpy rubber underlay or foam?
Same carpet throughout or different in each room?
Please could I also see pics of your stripey stairs, esp those up and around ones.

Tricky and expensive choices to make and it's stressing me.

Thanks.

[BlackSatinDancer]

Twist pile.

Wool mix (80/20) to be soft yet hard-wearing.

I wouldn't recommend velvetine as it shows up every footprint indentation so will always look a mess.
I don't like fleck either unless the difference in shades is very minimal. I prefer one plain colour.

Cloud 9 underlay is great. It comes in different thicknesses, is made from recycled products and is thick but lighter than rubber I and has a high tog rating.

We have different carpet throughout but the colours flow from one room to the next
I hate it when you open a door and the colours of the carpets really jar.

We do have the same carpet throughout in a 2nd home though. It depends on whether you have a neutral of colourful home.

No pics as no stripey stair carpet here. All of ours are plain.

[DontCallMeCharlotte]

BlackSatinDancer

I bet the OP wasn't expecting such a perfect answer. Could be a very short thread!

[CarpetGate]

Loop
Wool
Fleck
Foam underlay
Same carpet throughout (most important)

[PostNotInHaste]

I wouldn’t do wool after having seen what carpet moth has done to neighbour’s recently.

[Cherrypickerpopoff]

Thanks for your replies. So how do you choose which carpet to go for when all the rooms are decorated slightly differently? Do I go darker or lighter? (4 kids, it needs to be robust). I've seen Cloud 9 on ebay, but a big supplier won't let you provide your own underlay and charge double what you can buy it online for!

[salsamad]

Definitely twist pile and 80/20 wool mix.
Use at least 40oz (especially on stairs) because the higher face weight the carpet the more yarn is used and so the carpet will last longer.
No to velvetine due to easily marked and tread pattern shows up quickly.
Depends if you like fleck personally - some are quite subtle.
We have just had a Heather carpet on our stairs and landing, which is plain with subtle variation via tiny flecks. It's a dark beige with greyish tinges.
If you have heavy furniture or high foot traffic rubber underlay is better (also suitable for underfloor Heating) but foam underlay Is great for stairs as it's easy to fit, durable and has a high warmth rating - we used 11mm foam underlay.
We have different shades of beige, cream and grey carpet/flooring throughout our different rooms, so neutral colours really that tone/match. All our carpets are plain - no patterns or stripes.
Hope this helps. Have included a photo even though our carpets not stripey.

[NewAndImprovedNorks]

We o oh have one carpet in the whole house, on the stairs, because of noise and it EXACTLY conforms to BlackSatin’s comprehensive list.

I am feeling very proud, like I passed a secret test

We considered stripes on the stairs, but we have a return half way up and the logistics were going to be a nightmare

[BlackSatinDancer]

Find a carpet you want to buy in a shop then see if you can buy that online too. Order both online and then just find a local (and recommended) carpet fitter.

However, you would need to be confident in measuring your rooms to ensure you have bought enough. If you are intending to carpet hall, stairs and landing too that can sometimes be a bit tricky to work out.

[ZippyBungleandGeorge]

We went for a simple stripe and neutral in two bedrooms, the nursery has faced original for boards as does the whole of down stairs. Wool mix 80/20 twist pile. We used a local business and the owner was very helpful. He advised against some of the uneven stripes as you need to pattern match and you'll need more carpet/more wastage and he feels it will go out of fashion soon as it's been around a while

[ZippyBungleandGeorge]

*sanded

[Pregnantabroad]

@ZippyBungleandGeorge

We went for a simple stripe and neutral in two bedrooms, the nursery has faced original for boards as does the whole of down stairs. Wool mix 80/20 twist pile. We used a local business and the owner was very helpful. He advised against some of the uneven stripes as you need to pattern match and you'll need more carpet/more wastage and he feels it will go out of fashion soon as it's been around a while

I love this carpet! I don't suppose you can remember what brand this is?

[Hankunamatata]

Complete no to wool. We got for a bedroom and have had endless issues with carpet beetles due to natural fibres and it hasnt worn well. Polyester all the way. Hard wearing and keeps looking great.

Go for best underlay you can afford that's what makes carpet last longer

[altiara]

Carpet measuring man told me not to go for stripes as my stairs turned after step 3 and it would be noticeable if it didn’t match up exactly or they couldnt match it exactly or something. He said it wasn’t so bad if your stairs turned near the top as no one would be looking as much there.

[ChocAuVin]

I’ve moved into a house with wool carpets throughout and they have been decimated by carpet beetle or moths (not sure) in several areas — will be researching the best quality man made fibres to avoid this when I replace soon so this thread is helpful, thank you!

[DuesToTheDirt]

I much prefer the feel of wool mix up synthetic, but like others we have suffered ftom carpet moths.

[Blossomtoes]

@Cherrypickerpopoff

Thanks for your replies. So how do you choose which carpet to go for when all the rooms are decorated slightly differently? Do I go darker or lighter? (4 kids, it needs to be robust). I've seen Cloud 9 on ebay, but a big supplier won't let you provide your own underlay and charge double what you can buy it online for!

Don’t go to a big supplier. Go to an independent, they’ll undercut the big boys every time.

We’ve got the same 80% wool, dark cream carpet right through our house. It flows really well and pulls it all together. If we moved I’d do it again.