Carpets and rugs, especially when effectively used together, have the ability to fashion the cozy and inviting atmosphere that we all desire in our home’s living spaces. But contrary to common beliefs, these comforts do not need to cost a fortune with great sites like Junk Mail to shop around on. New or pre-loved, there is always a great variety of rugs and carpets for sale, and should you wish to part with a rugged friend or two, just simply post a free ad.
Today we take a closer look at the different types of carpets and rugs, including why Persian Carpets are so expensive. We also give you some home decorating ideas to help you create a truly awesome living space.
Carpet comfort
Nothing compares to the luxurious feeling of carpet under your feet. Plain and simple, carpet equals comfort. Although it demands more maintenance compared to vinyl or tile, there’s simply no better substitute for sound absorption, warmth and overall cosiness.
With such a variety of colours, materials and designs on offer these days, it can be difficult choosing the right carpet for your home. While each type has a distinctive style, this shouldn’t be your main consideration. Instead, consider how well a particular carpet style will mesh with your lifestyle. Some carpets require frequent cleaning that simply won’t fit into your busy schedule or budget, some may wear out quickly, fade or show stains that stubbornly resist your best cleaning efforts. Some stain-resistant varieties may be durable and low maintenance but often carry a higher price tag. It’s well worth doing a bit of research before making any decision, factoring in the use and lifespan of your carpet as well as maintenance expenses. A more costly durable type may be worth the splurge in your busy living areas, but cheaper, low-traffic carpeting may be just fine for your guest rooms.
Even a brief knowledge of the types of carpets available can go a long way in protecting your investment and making the best carpeting choice for your home. To help you find carpets for sale, a brief Carpeting101:
Know your Carpet Types
Plush and Saxony carpeting are thick, soft and inviting, but footprints and vacuum tracks cause “pooling” or areas that look shaded because the normal direction of the carpet fibers has been reversed. These types work best in low-traffic areas like formal living rooms and master bedrooms.
Berber carpet, in contrast, is more hardy and durable. This type of carpet won’t show tracks, soil and stains, and is ideal for high-traffic areas, or places frequented by kids and pets.
Frieze carpet is less formal-looking than plush, but fancier than many textured varieties or Berber. Frieze seems to carpet the middle-ground – it feels soft on your feet, yet its fuzziness hides footprints and dirt well.
Know your Carpet Fibers
Polyester is the most cost-effective option but it’s also the least resilient – suitable only for low-traffic areas.
Nylon is far from the most luxurious option but much more durable than polyester. With stain and abrasion resistance and colour retention, it is suitable for long-term wearability throughout your house.
Polypropylene is similar to nylon, especially with regards to the same stain and abrasion resistance, but is less bouncy underfoot.
Wool is the most ideal but also the most costly option. Provided it has been suitably treated to repel stains and resist static electricity, it boasts great resilience and strength and is suitable in all areas of the home.
With the choice of carpet-type out of the way, the most difficult part of your carpet-buying decision begins by choosing the right colour and finish. Narrow your search by choosing colours that match the overall mood you wish to set for each room. Try cool blue or green tones for a calm, peaceful environment, and warm reds or golden shades for a cozy large space. Light colours are able to “enlarge” small rooms and make them feel more open. Cream or tan shades are ideal if you’re feeling claustrophobic. Before settling on a neutral shade, however, decide whether you want your carpet to serve as a feature or fade into the background. Neutral works well if your walls, furnishings or artwork serves as focal points. Neutral patterns and colours are also a natural fit in the bedroom, creating a soothing, relaxing backdrop to this restful room. Dark shades or patterns can hide stains and are suitable for high-traffic areas. Tweed or textured carpet designs are also effective in hiding such unwanted mishaps.
Carpet-buying tips
Interested in finding awesome carpets for sale? Here are some great tips and tricks to keep in mind when looking for carpets or rugs.
Samples
When requesting samples, try to get the biggest samples available, take them home and examine them in natural light before you make a final decision.
Sunlight
Be mindful that sun exposure can fade coloured carpeting, so choose fade-resistant products if your carpet will be in direct sunlight.
Padding
Avoid the temptation of skimping on the padding used for carpets in order to save a couple of bucks.
Just as the structural integrity of a building lies in a solid foundation, carpeting relies on a layer of padding for support and strength. Padding is never visible, but you’ll definitely spot the extra wear and tear on your new carpet if you pick a sub-quality padding material. Carpet padding can be made from rubber or foam materials and its numerous purposes include: concealing floor imperfections to improve the appearance of the finished carpeted surface, acting as insulation to help control the temperature of your home, absorbing sound to protect your privacy and reduce neighbour noise, and most importantly padding supports your carpet through years of use by preventing the carpet’s backing and fibers from coming apart over time. As a rule of thumb high-traffic areas require firm, dense padding, while light-traffic rooms need less protection. The added benefit of padding is the extra cushioning for comfort.
Installation
The quality of a carpet’s installation is just as important as the carpet’s quality and padding. A second-rate job can cause obvious seams, bumps, lumps and other issues – imagine the disappointment after the excitement and effort spent in making your carpeting choices. Ideally look for carpeting businesses that employ their own installers. If this isn’t possible, make sure your carpet dealer’s subcontractors have worked with them for many years.
So when your home decorating ideas have reached fruition, shop around to find carpet and padding that fits your lifestyle and budget, topping off the process with quality installers to conclude the magical carpet ride of your home renovation.
Fun with Rugs
For a room that lacks personality, adding an area rug may just be the perfect solution. A favourite rug can be used as the basis for a colour scheme, or added after decorating so as to accent or harmonise an existing colour scheme. Although the aesthetic appeal is enough for most to take the plunge in purchasing a rug, there are many other great reasons for doing so. A rug can add texture and warmth, and create a space within a space. They can define and separate areas such as foyers, dining and seating areas, perhaps even that special reading nook you’ve longed for. Rugs can tie all of the features of a room together visually, adding a magical atmosphere to a mundane space. A rug or two may be all that is needed to generate many-a compliment of your beautiful home.
As with carpeting, selecting the right style of rug can be quite a difficult process with so many rugs for sale. An area rug can complement (or define) the style of a room, depending on the colour, pattern and weave you choose. Whether it’s a hand-woven Oriental, Persian or a bold, modern art design, nothing compliments beautiful decor more than an area rug that adds both style and comfort to your home. But how do you decide which rug is right for a room? The following design considerations should not (as the saying goes) be brushed under the rug:
Practicality
Due to the mobility of a rug they can be easily moved from room to room (or even house to house) to add variation whilst continuing to serve their highly practical roles. Rugs provide comfort underfoot, offer inspiration for colour schemes, hide unsightly flooring and can dampen noise. The type of material that a rug is made of and the intended use of the rug however should be jointly considered. A delicately made rug, for example, should not be placed under a dining table where table chair legs could damage it. Instead, a durable, hand-knotted Persian would be far more suitable. A bonus of such a rug is that its intricate pattern will also camouflage stains (highly likely from the many dinner parties you’re bound to have to show off your stunning home).
Define the Dining Area
The dining room is a perfect place to use a rug to define a space. An area rug beneath the dining table and chairs subtly unites the mass of furniture legs and grounds this functional area. Size consideration: the rug should be large enough that when pushed back from the table, the chairs remain on the rug.
Material and Pattern
When choosing a pattern, consider your decor. For example, rugs with a central design works well in an arrangement where the design will still be visible, for example, centred under glass-topped furniture like a glass coffee table. A patterned rug works best in a room with awkward proportions, because it distracts attention from problem areas. Pattern and colour can also create helpful design illusions, for example, a rug with a horizontal-stripe pattern makes a narrow space look wider.
Comfort
Rugs add texture and warmth underfoot – use this to your benefit. A rug can add a layer of comfort in areas where it would be most enjoyable – such as that first step out of bed in the morning, or in a family room where loved ones enjoy stretching out on the floor to play games or watch a movie.
Rug Liner
A liner is vital to keep your rug from slipping or creeping. The rug liner should be the right size so as to fully keep the rug from sliding and should be appropriate for your floor type.
Can’t find the perfect area rug or carpets?
Why not make one? By binding segments of wall-to-wall carpet, not only do you get exactly what you want in terms of pattern and colour, you can get precisely the size and shape you need.
Other Rugged Home Decorating Ideas
When using more than one rug in a room: ensure that the rugs are different sizes – same-sized carpets and rugs can divide instead of define a room.
Ensure that the rugs and/or carpets complement each other in style (i.e. texture, colour, shape) – a lack of harmony can have quite an unpleasant effect.
While often overlooked, the outdoor area, can also be a great place for an area rug, especially when experimenting with shapes and textures that mimic the outdoor space. It is important, however, to purchase textiles that are made for outdoor use.
Change up rugs and pillows throughout the changing seasons to freshen up the look of your living spaces, or as a way to introduce new colour trends.
Have an old faded favourite that you’re thinking of tossing? Why not first try dying it a bold change in colour – it may just extend its life and offer a cheaper alternative to purchasing a new rug. An old favourite reborn. Do sufficient research, however, into dying techniques, the last thing you want is the dye running and ruining the surroundings of your rug.
Thinking outside the box can be highly effective when it comes to home decor ideas. Why not consider the effectiveness of a wall-mounted rug? Oriental or Persian Carpets are firm favourites of such an artistic style.
Why do Persian Carpets cost a small fortune?
Persian carpets are considered as timeless works of art that exude beauty, elegance and quality. It is therefore understandable that Persian carpet prices are higher than regular rugs.
Take a look at some of the carpets for sale on Junk Mail.
Persian Carpet for Sale
You can buy a Persian carpet for R2500. This stunning carpet has been framed so that you can mount it on your wall.
Red Carpet
You can find an attractive Kristal carpet for sale online. It is priced at R900 and comes with a complementary red bar stool.
Ready to find some of the most gorgeous carpets for sale? Browse through our collection of carpets and rugs to find the ideal piece to make your living spaces come alive! Selling your rugs or carpets? Place your Free Ad on www.JunkMail.co.za today.
Wanted; exterior front door mat. quotation.
Regards
Lorna Burness