How to Buy Berber Carpet

Choosing carpet can be a confusing time. Most home and business owners want a carpet that looks nice, repels stains and feels good underfoot. Berber carpet is popular because of it's flecked color appearance and the lack of footprints and vacuum marks that show up on the surface. Keep the following tips in mind if you are thinking about buying Berber carpet.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Visit a carpet gallery with experienced carpet sellers. Berber carpet has different choices in color, loop size and fiber type, and you want an experienced professional who can answer questions.

2. Look at the loop sizes on the sample carpets and decide what you like best. Loop sizes range from small, tight loops to larger, looser loops.

3. Choose Berber carpet color based on whether you have kids or pets. Darker colors hide stains better. Berber carpet can come as a light base color with darker flecks throughout, giving the appearance of a darker colored carpet.

4. Check with the carpet retailer on which fibers the Berber carpet is made of. Berber carpet can be made of wool, nylon, olefin or a nylon-olefin combination. Finding wool is difficult, but nylon is popular and cleans well.

5. Buy Berber carpet squares as an alternative for an area rug or kid's room. Put the squares together for a unique carpet that cost less than carpeting the entire room.

6. Get sample swatches from the carpet gallery for making final decisions. Take them home and lay them in the rooms where you need new carpet, and decide if you need different colors or textures.

Tips & Warnings

• Berber carpet loops can snag easily and cause runs and tears that aren't easily repaired.
• Some consumer reports claim that Olefin style Berber carpets have a very short life-span, showing stains, dirt and rips after only a few months.