faq / choosing carpet / requirements01

Durability

There are many different factors which will affect durability. Firstly the material -for example, wool, sisal and coir are all naturally hardwearing fibres, whereas man-made materials like polypropylene and viscose can be long-lasting but tend to ‘flatten’ more easily. Second, the construction - woven carpet is the most durable type overall, followed by loop and then twist carpet. However, this can be offset by the third factory, which is pile density - how many fibres there are per inch of carpet. Taking this into account, a twist carpet with a high pile density can be more hardwearing than a loop carpet with a lower pile density. There is an easy ‘sight test’ for pile density: simply bend your carpet sample backwards - if you can see the backing easily, then it’s a low density carpet that will flatten more easily.