The 7 Questions to ask before buying Carpet and Flooring

Before you go to look at buying carpet or flooring for your home, there are a few key questions that you need to ask yourself. These include:

· How often are you going to walk on the floor?

· Who is going to be walking on it?

· How many people are in the house?

· Have you got pets, particularly large ones such as dogs?

· Have you got young children?

· Do you and your visitors take your shoes off at the front door or leave them on?

· Is your floor likely to get muddy?

However, it is important not to let the answers to these questions limit your thinking! You just need to be aware of the issues so that you can think about the solutions. There are ways around the issues!

So, you can still have three kids, four dogs and a carpet in your lounge, as some carpet fibres are manufactured to shrug off staining. Or you can choose a mottled blend - dark coloured carpets show bits, light coloured carpets show soiling, so if you choose a darker coloured carpet to hide the soiling, and then hide the bits with a two tone effect you can get away with it. The bits will still be there – you just won’t see them.

Also, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that because you have three kids and four dogs that you should go for a cheap carpet because you don’t want them to ruin an expensive carpet. If you put a cheap carpet into a room that has kids and animals running it through all the time, chances are that the fitters will have to come back next year to replace it as it will be worn out, so this isn’t necessarily the cost effective option. Be aware of the issues so you can discuss them with sales staff. 

For more information about choosing carpet and flooring for your home, click here to read our room by room guide to which type of flooring is best for each room of the home.