Polyester gets a bad rap (thanks, 1973!), but rest assured: it looks a lot better on your floors than on your pants. In fact, one trend that?s here to stay is polyester carpet and polyester rugs. Read on for the pros and cons you need to know before committing to polyester in your home.

For starters, polyester rugs are known for being super resistant to bleaching, fading, and water-based stains. They also keep their color well, making them a great option for ?statement? rugs. They?ll fulfill your little girl?s pink, red, and purple decorating fantasies, as well as your little boy?s sporty ones. In fact, polyester will pack the perfect punch in any room where color matters.Check out Houzz for examples of the beautifulboldness of polyester.

Polyester rugs are also durable and quick-drying. Improvements in the manufacturing of polyester carpet?think better heat settings and finer yarns?mean they?re now way better at maintaining that full, fluffy, and luxurious velvety look. Indeed, installing polyester carpet is a sure way to get those heavy, lush, soft-textured floors that up the coziness factor in your boudoir or dressing room.

Fans of Mother Earth will be pleased to know that polyester carpet has become increasingly green over the years. Today, a percentageof your rug, not unlike your polyester fleece jackets, is often composed of recycled soft-drink bottles. Polyester is also highly reusable, meaning that, when you?re ready to change carpets, your used polyester can re-enter the circle of carpet life, rather than the local landfill.

Above all, polyester carpet allows you to stretch your decorating dollar. There are a variety of weaves and a broad spectrum of colors which can be purchased and installed for a fraction of the price of, say, nylon carpeting. It?s a great choice for those rooms with less foot traffic (think: studies, guest rooms, etc.). However, for those rooms with high foot traffic, you?ll probably want to stick with nylon or with another carpet of comparable quality. Despite advances, polyester yarns are still relatively less resilient, and more likely to show matting and wear-spots. It?s also difficult to remove oil-based stains from polyester?so definitely steer clear of polyester carpeting in your dining room and favorite snacking spots!

A carpeted floor serves more than just an aesthetic purpose. The humble carpet cushion hides beneath your lovely carpet, but it?s the cushion that gives your carpet functionality. Depending on what you?re looking for in a carpet, the carpet cushion can be what insulates your home, protects your carpet and floors from wear and tear, or just makes your carpet a comfortable place to be.

INSULATION: Propercarpet cushion can reduce energy costs and help keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The measurement of the carpet cushion?s ability to resist heat flow is called the R-factor. Mathematically, the higher a carpet cushion?s R-factor value, the better it prevents energy transfer from one part of the house to another. Typically, carpet cushion R-values fall between R-0.2 and R-2 but can be somewhat higher, particularly once the carpet?s inherent R factor is considered.

CARPET PROTECTION: It?s seems perfectly logical to equate great cushion withlayers and thickness. But be careful ? while it may seem that thicker is better, that isn?t always the case when it comes to carpet cushion. When choosing carpet cushion, it?s best to rely on a carpet and flooringprofessional who can assist you in selecting the density and thickness of carpet cushion foam. As a general rule. most commercial carpet cushions range from about inch to about 7/16ths of an inch thick.

COMFORT: Thick or thin, what truly rules a carpet cushion?s feel is the density. For residential carpeting, you?ll want a carpet cushion with a 6 to 8 pound density rating. For commercial carpeting, which is replaced more frequently and typically doesn?t emphasizecomfort, a carpet cushion with a lower density rating works best. Carpet cushion with a higher density often incurs a higher cost, but it?s absolutely worth it in the long run: high-density carpet cushion keeps your carpet from wrinkling and buckling in ways that are both unsightly and damaging to your carpet.

Frieze Carpet: Popular for a Reason

Feeling a little behind the times? Need to bring your 70?s shag or 90?s Berber into the new millennium? Look no further than frieze carpet, the trendy and popular carpet of the 2000?s!

Frieze carpet is distinguished by its high twist level, which means that many short fibers are twisted tightly together to form the shape of the carpet. This not only prevents shedding and pilling, but also helps create a trackless look. No matter which direction you run your hands over frieze carpet, the color remains the same. Additionally, the fibers help insulate both sound and temperature, keeping your house quiet and cool!

But frieze carpet isn?t just for keeping your energy bill down. Need a carpet that will hold up in even the most high traffic areas? Frieze is the way to go. Because the fibers move and shake around, they hide dirt, stains, and even footprints. While you want to be careful with heavier furniture, which may dent or flatten the fibers, lightweight furniture won?t have any ill effects, and the carpet will bounce back good as new.

If you?re interested in purchasing a frieze carpet, make sure to specify that you are interested in a ?true frieze,? and not just trackless carpet. The words have become synonymous in the industry, but some trackless carpets without high twist levels don?t hold up as long, or hide stains as well as a true frieze. Frieze carpets are more expensive than other trackless carpets, but need to be replaced and maintained far less often.

Drawing a blank when it comes to redecorating a room? An area rug can be the perfect way to spruce up a drab room, insulate your home, or just give a warm place for bare feet to stand. Additionally, area rugs can set the tone for a new room?s color palette or tie together existing color choices by complementing the tones in your artwork, throw pillows and other home accessories.

But area rug selection can go awry in one big way: size. No matter how great the color or print, an area rug that?s the wrong size can make your room look poorly decorated or unfinished. Here are some tips on how to select the perfect-sized area rug for your soon-to-be-perfect room.

Measure Your Space: Often, we select rugs that are too small out of fear they won?t fit in a room. Measure your space clearly so you know what you?re looking for when you head to the showroom. For example,ideally a 9?x11? room needs a rug that?s 8?x10?.

Visualize Your Rug: Move the room?s furniture and lay masking or painters? tape down to help get an idea of how things will look. This can also help soothe anynervousness that might lead you to buy a too-small rug for the space!

Move It Aside: If you?re looking for a hallway rug, push all of the hallway furniture up against the wall and measure the space between. You don?t want furniture half on and half off hallway rugs!

Leave Room to Breathe: The ideal size for your area rug is big enough to feel luxurious, but not crowded. To avoid a sense of crowding, the rule of thumb is to leave between 12 and 18 inches between the edges of your rug and the walls of the room.

Keep All Four on the Floor: If you?re choosing an area rug for a dining room, the rug must be, at a minimum, large enough for each chair to have all four feet on the rug when comfortably pulled away from the table. This is a good measurement to take at home, before heading to the showroom.

Nylon Rugs: Not Your Grandmother?s Nylons

Considering getting a nylon carpet installed? Nice choice! When we think of nylon, we often think of pantyhose that run easily. But when it comes to carpet, you?ll be glad to know that nylon is the strongest of all types of carpet pile. It?s marked by excellent resistance to abrasive materials, insects, mold, rot, and most chemicals. This is a large part of why nylon is today?s most commonly used carpet fiber. Read on to find out everything else you need to know before going nylon.

Nylon is typically more expensive than other synthetic carpets. But consider those nice nylon fibers an investment ? nylon carpeting is widely considered the most resilient carpet, and should last you for twelve to fifteen years. Its fibers should also maintain their original height and shape. Yes, you can drag heavy furniture across it to your heart?s content ? nylon carpet fibers will bounce back totheir good-as-new look almostimmediately.

Nylon rugs are also stain-resistant, and great at hiding soil. Select branded, premium varieties can be made to resist even pet stains! Consider nylon an excellent choice for high-traffic living areas (think living rooms, play rooms, and dens), and commercial facilities. Plus, it?s versatile ? you can create almost any look you desire with nylon. Think sleek offices, fashion-forward entertaining areas, plush boudoirs, and/or low-maintenance basements. (Glean some more nylon carpeting inspiration over at Houzz.com.

What?s more, nylon carpet piles have a reputation for holding their color remarkably well. Nylon is also static-free (unlike its primitive forms; i.e. your grandmother?s nylons). Technically speaking, nylon retains the same crimp and twist the manufacturer gave it. And cleaning is easy ? because nylon absorbs very little water, it dries quickly. It also responds well to almost all professional cleaning methods and treatments. And, it provides no food source. Yes, it makes for a blessedly inhospitable habitat for mildew. Phew!

And, now for the cons: Nylon fibers are almost always acid-dyed, and rarely solution-dyed. This means they can be prone to bleaching, fading, or absorbing urine. As we mentioned, nylon carpeting is not the cheapest option. While it?s not quite as expensive as wool carpeting, nylon carpeting will run you more than polyester or polypropylene options. But if you?re looking for value and have your heart set on nylon carpeting, consider unbranded nylons. And, know that most manufacturers offer wear guaranties.