Buying & Caring Guide
- Selecting and caring for your carpet
- When you feel ready to choose..
- About carpets
- Choosing the right carpet
- Choosing with confidence
- Which carpet goes where
- Measuring and estimatig
- Delivering and carpet fitting
Selecting and caring for your Floor
Carpets
Some thoughts before you begin
Carpets are very much in tune with today’s clean, simple interiors.
Your new carpet reflects your individual taste and style so it is important that you consider your choice carefully.
This information is designed to help you with that choice and further provides sensible guidelines so that you can enjoy many years of satisfaction from your new carpet.
Display samples within the flooring showroom can give you a good idea of what your carpeted floor will look like, but only once it is laid will it take on a character all of its own. Here are a few initial tips to help you choose wisely - more of this under Which Carpet Goes Where section:-
Keep the use of the room in mind when you are considering the quality, colour and tone of your carpet. Areas of heavy traffic such as your hall or living room are best carpeted with a ‘heavy domestic’ quality for harder wearing. Also, colour and tone are considerations to be made if the carpet will be continually walked upon with outdoor shoes.
Your new carpet is unique and with sensible care, it will remain an asset to your home for many years to come.
When you feel ready to choose...
To help us help you make the right choice...
- Bring us a basic sketched plan of your room(s) including the window and door spaces.
- Bring any small swatches of matching decor, upholstery covering or curtains.
- Small samples can be ordered from most manufacturers if you wish.
- Tell us how much wear and tear you would expect your carpet to withstand.
About Carpets
Domestic carpets fall into two basic categories - woven and non-woven. The non-woven type has now become the most common and is generally less expensive than the traditionally woven Axminsters and Wiltons.
Carpet Pile and Material
- Various types of fibres are used to create a carpet’s pile.
- Different carpets have different qualities and properties according to their fibre content and pile type.
- Animal, vegetable and synthetic fibres are often used in carpet manufacturing and each of these materials used have their own individual characteristics.
- Some carpet piles use the special characteristics of two or more fibres. A good example of this is 80/20 wool/nylon mix, combining the natural softness and resilience of wool with the hard-wearing properties of nylon.
- Fibres most commonly used are wool, nylon, acrylic, polyester, and polypropylene.
- The fibre content is normally stated on the sample label and do please ask for details.
Choosing the right carpet
Behar strongly advises that you consider the wearability factor when it comes to making your choice. Design, colour and price are all prime considerations but we want to help you choose the right carpet, so do tell us about the use it will receive.
Some considerations
- We will advise you according to your own individual needs and daily use.
- Every style of carpet is unique and has different properties.
- Carpet for your main living area will need to withstand a tremendous amount of wear.
- An investment in a more durable carpet can pay dividends later.
- Do give us lots of information about your requirements and expectations.
- Be open to suggestions from our expert sales team.
Price versus Performance
Price is not always the main indicator of performance. Most expensive products will be durable, but others may be expensively manufactured to give a luxurious look and feel that may not necessarily withstand heavy wear.
Metrication
EU ruling dictates that all floor coverings must be sold in metric square metres rather than in imperial square yards. A square metre is larger than a square yard, which will be reflected in our prices. Please ask us if you would like us to additionally quote the equivalent square yard price.
1 square yard = 0.836 square metre
1 square metre = 1.196 square yards
Choosing with confidence
Behar will rectify without charge any manufacturing defect that appears within 12 months of purchase without limiting your statutory rights, some goods may carry even longer warranties.
However, a usage condition may apply so please ask for details.
Which carpet goes where?
Many types of carpet are suitable for an entire house, but do be aware that some areas will receive far more usage than others; for example, the hallway and stairs will wear much quicker than the bedrooms. Our carpet samples are labeled individually for room suitability.
Here are some tips to bear in mind when choosing:-
The Hall, Stairs and Landing generally take a very heavy pounding and the twisting action our feet exert when climbing or descending stairs means an extra resilient carpet is required. We may advise you to purchase an additional length of carpet to facilitate periodic shifting of the runners and risers to your stairway to help equalise wear.
The Dining Room is subject to less constant use but more importantly the carpet in this room must be able to withstand spills and stains.
The Lounge is often in constant use and your carpet may need to be extra hard- wearing if you have an active family. The carpet will receive higher use around the seating areas where foot movements, known as ‘slipper shuffle’, concentrates wear.
The Kitchen requires specialist carpet types, which are hard wearing, water/stain resistant and very easy to clean. Alternatively, laminates, some hardwoods or vinyl flooring is ideally suited.
The Bathroom needs to be fitted with hard flooring like Amtico or vinyl which is ideally suited for this area of your home.
The Bedroom usually gets less wear than other rooms but do take into account any additional daytime use it may receive as a playroom, study or office.
Measuring and estimating
If you are selecting carpets for relatively complicated room shapes or hall, stairways and landings, then we recommend the services of a professional carpet estimator. If you are choosing carpet for a basic room shape, then your own measurements should be satisfactory. However, regrettably we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any measurement you make yourself.
- It is better to slightly over-estimate the sizes of your room(s).
- As house-building is not an exact science, rooms can be several inches ‘out of square’, so check your measurements at several points across the room both in width and breadth.
- If you live in a new house, don’t just trust the builders’ plans - measure the area yourself.
- If you are carpeting several rooms and any of them are complex shapes, it’s probably best to let us do the measuring for you. Simply give us a call and we shall be happy to help you.
If you are shopping around and comparing different offers, please beware of so called ‘bargain prices’. It’s the final, complete total estimate with no hidden extras that really matters.
Delivery and carpet fitting
Always use a professional carpet fitter. As part of our standard fitting service, we will organise the delivery of your carpet to your home and co-ordinate the services of the recommended carpet fitter you have chosen.
- Prior to the arrival of the carpet fitters, completely clear the room to be fitted, if possible or at the very least remove all ornaments and small items of furniture.
- If you cannot remove large items of furniture or uplift your current carpet, please let us know. We can normally arrange for this additional work to be undertaken for a small charge.
- The condition of your floors can also seriously affect carpet performance and may have to be suitably prepared.
- Never let another tradesperson tamper with your carpet once it is fitted.
- Running wires under carpets can accelerate wear significantly and can also be dangerous.
- If you are in any doubt about fitting, please ask us for advice.
Underlay
- Underlay is as important as the carpet itself.
- The ‘golden rule’ is to invest in the best you can afford.
- Good quality underlay gives extra resilience to your carpet and can extend the life of your carpet by up to 30%.
- Underlay makes your carpet feel more luxurious.
- Underlay is valuable thermal insulation, reducing downward heat loss by up to 50%.
- Underlay can help reduce sound transmission through wooden floors.
- When replacing carpet more than 2 years old, always replace the underlay.
- Certain carpets have a built-in underlay. These are less expensive but are suitable for bedroom or occasional use only.
- Never lay a carpet on top of another carpet.
Colouration
- Colour consistency is greater in yarn-dyed carpet but all carpet types are subject to variations from roll to roll.
- Slight variation in the angle of the pile can result in an apparent colour variation and is not a fault.
- Colour matching can be guaranteed only if all pieces are ordered at the same time and are the same width.
- Carpet samples may differ slightly in colour from the actual carpet supplied.
• Make sure you look at the sample in daylight and artificial light before buying. - Tungsten filament bulbs at home will intensify reds and yellows and dull blues.
- Pastel shades make a room feel restful and cool.
- Dark shades and bold colour add a feeling of warmth.
- Plain carpets work well with any type of decor and create a feeling of space.
- Patterned carpets add a touch of classical style, and are a wise choice for busy, heavy-wear areas, or homes with children and pets.
GLEN 80/20 WOOL TWIST 10 COLOURS, 34 OZ. 4M AND 5M WIDTHS
Was £29.99 sq.m
Now £14.99 sq.m
natural accents, 7 COLOURS, 100% wool, 4M AND 5M WIDTHS
Was £51.99 sq.m
Now £25.99 sq.m
