Help with carpet

[namechangedtoday15]

We are about to carpet upstairs (4 bedrooms) 2 x landings and stairs.

I have absolutely no idea what I should be looking for.

I have heard that I should be spending more on the stairs / landing as they are high traffic areas. Have only ever bought carpet once and that was just trying to do it as cheaply as possible (although it lasted quite well!!)

Should I be going for 80/20 / all wool / all manmade? Loop? Twist? Then they talk about weights (how many oz it is) and I am baffled. Is it better to get expensive underlay and mediocre carpet for stairs, or do you need top of the range for both?

We have 3 children (past the spilling phase but about to enter the "couldn't care less" teenage years I fear) so whilst I want it to last, I'm not expecting to avoid replacing it at some point.

Any advice? I've had a local company come out to measure up today - they brought a couple of sample books (need to go in to look at more) but the manmade stuff was £20/metre which I thought was quite high.

Anyone bought online, or is this one thing that is best sourcing locally?

Thanks

Watching! Am about to leave the world of wooden floors and venture in to carpet land for some of my rooms - have not a clue!

Google 'carpet mumsnet' and some older posts come up with some good advice from a poster whose dad is a carpet fitter

I found some I liked in a shop but they refused to negotiate on price. I orded online and got someone to fit.carpet was slightly damaged but on edge and they knocked money off. I bought from www.burts.co.uk/carpets/associated-weavers/associated-weavers-invictus-perseus. Looks great

I would go for good quality both. Underlay is essential for the nice squishy feeling and acoustics - I recommend the Tredaire website, which has a great comparison of the different qualities of different underlay.

Wool - as high ratio as possible. Twist, not loop.

Actually high volume areas are the areas where I reckon you can get away with harder-on-the-feet more practical carpets. In bedrooms it's nice to have deep soft carpet.

Thank you

We had an independent carpet fitter bring his samples round and explain all the differences. We did go for 80/20 wool for the strairs and bedrooms and it's lovely. You could have cheaper in the bedrooms but we wanted it to match.
It was replacing threadbare carpet that was old when we moved in in 1999! The same carpet is still in our lounge which is being done next, that is not at all threadbare, just stretched now and stained, but we are amazed at how well such a good quality carpet has lasted and want the same to replace it with.
The carpet in other rooms that was cheaper literally disintegrated around the edges, as did the underlay. We thought a floorboard had broken but it was lumps of underlay!

5little we are having that carpet laid today!

So I am glad you like it. We wanted bleach cleanable and that carpet feels amazing, thick and soft.

We are going for the heavier weight version of Pegasus for our bedroom for that sink into the carpet feeling.

Underlay wise we are having the Tredair equivalent of Cloud 9.

Years ago, 80/20 was the recommended carpet but times have moved on and polyprop stuff has come on leaps and bounds in terms of look and feel. Worth a look if you think you might spill something or your children might.

I recommend polypropylene too, we have it on our stairs and it is soft and fluffy but so far has not worn.