Guide to Wall-To-Wall Carpeting

Thinking of doing wall-to-wall carpeting for your home? Here are some tips that you should read before starting:

1. Density is one of the keys to durability in a carpet. The closer the tufts, the better the wear. Use the "grin test" to determine closeness: Bend a corner of the carpet over your finger and see how much of the backing shows. In a high quality carpet the visible backing or "grin" will be minimal.

2. To conserve energy and also deaden sound, choose wall-to-wall carpeting with very dense, deep pile and thick padding that incorporates many pockets of air.

3. If floors are in bad condition, it may be cheaper to carpet them wall-to-wall than to refurbish them. Mask any unevenness with padding.

4. For easy turning to distribute wear and cleaning, have carpeting cut to your room's exact dimensions (minus 2 to 3 inches) and bound on the edges. It will look like wall-to-wall carpeting, but you will be able to clean it better and more cheaply. For security, place padding benefit it or anchor corners with special carpet tape.

5. When buying carpeting, remember than a medium color will look better longer; a dark color will not show the dirt but will show the lint; a light shade, on the other hand, will appear dirty sooner, but you will not be able to see the lint.

6. Patterned carpets are extremely practical because they do not show dirt as readily as plain carpets. Abstract patterns are especially useful for disguising irregularly shaped rooms.