Carpet Sales and Installation

We sell carpets from the leading manufacturers. Select a carpet from the manufacturer's websites below and contact us. We will show you a sample for a selected carpet at a showroom. The showroom has most of carpet samples presented at the manufacturer's websites below, thousands of samples. If we do not have a sample at the showroom, we will order it from the manufacturer.

We provide residential and commercial carpet installation. Our consultations are free. At a consultation, we will arrive to your home, take measurements, show you samples of commonly used carpets, and tell you about features of different kinds of carpets.

How to Choose a New Carpet

Buying new carpeting is a major investment for most people. Yet, for a big ticket item that is such a key decorative element in the home, many people don't spend enough time during the selection process and wind up buying a carpet that is not suitable for their lifestyle. They quite often end up unhappy with the performance of their carpeting, which is one of the major reasons why people often choose alternative floor coverings, such as tile, wood, or vinyl.

Often, consumers are mislead by carpet store salespeople, who may push certain brands or styles that they make a higher profit margin from, or are overstocked on. The salesperson's recommendation is not always the carpet that will work best for the customer.

This article will cover several factors to consider when looking for new carpeting. Hopefully, we can help you to make a selection that best suits your home and your budget.

Use

When shopping for a new carpet, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

Cost

Your budget and your needs are key elements in selecting a new carpet. Ask yourself how long you plan on staying in your home or how long you would like your new carpeting to last before you replace it. If the answer to either question is 5 years or less, buy a moderate grade of carpeting.

A better grade of carpet will give you a longer length of service than one of lesser quality. Buy the best carpet you can afford for the heavy traffic areas of your home family room, dining room, hallways, and stairs. A medium grade is sufficient in rooms with less traffic bedrooms and guest rooms. Many manufacturers sell different grades of the same color and style, making it easy to use different grades in your home, while maintaining a consistent appearance in all rooms.

When obtaining a cost estimate from a retailer, make sure that the estimate includes carpet cushion, professional installation, moving of furniture, and the removal and disposal of your old carpeting.

Color

Color selection can be a very personal choice. Lighter colors make a room seem larger, darker colors provide coziness. Light colors allow much more flexibility in decorating options. Medium and darker colors, tweeds and textures will help disguise common soil in your home's high traffic areas. Are you selling your home soon? Choose a lighter, neutral color. Studies have shown that homes with darker colored carpets, on average, take longer to sell.

In general, a bright fiber will show footprints more than a mid-bright because of the difference in color between the ends and side of the tuft.

Fiber Content

The four major types of carpet pile fiber are nylon, olefin (polypropylene), polyester, and wool.

  • Nylon - Approximately 65% of all carpets sold in the United States are made from Nylon. We highly recommend Nylon because of its wear resistance, ease in cleaning, ability to hold up in heavy traffic areas, and ability to hide soil and stains. However, nylon carpets are prone to fading in rooms that receive an abundance of direct sunlight.

  • Olefin (Polypropylene) - Moisture and fade resistant, Olefin is cheaper to manufacture than Nylon. Many Berber style carpets are made from this fiber. Negatives: Melts easily at lower temperatures, sometimes simply by the friction created while dragging furniture across it. Difficult to clean, it is "oil loving" meaning it absorbs oily stains but will repel water based cleaners. Olefin carpets tend to show wear sooner in traffic areas.

  • Polyester - Noted for its luxurious, soft feel when used in thick, cut pile textures, Polyester carpets, like Olefin, are more difficult to clean. Polyester fibers are prone to prematurely showing wear in traffic areas.

  • Wool - Probably the longest wearing of all carpet fibers, Wool is also the most expensive. If it is within budget, consider a blend of both Nylon and Wool fibers. This blend combines the durability of Wool with the "cleanability" of Nylon.

BCF or Staple?

When it comes to durability, there is little difference between bulked continuous filament (BCF) or staple (spun) fibers. The difference lies in the length of the fibers in the yarn, with staple having shorter lengths, giving the yarn more bulk (sometimes described as being more like wool).

When carpet is manufactured with staple fiber, there will be initial shedding of shorter fibers. It will soon stop, depending on the amount of foot traffic and the frequency of vacuuming. Wool is a naturally staple fiber, Nylon and Polyester can be staple or continuous filament, and Olefin (Polypropylene) is usually BCF.

The Most Common Types of Carpet Construction

Cut - The loops of a cut pile carpet are cut to expose the yarn ends. You will find cut piles in a variety of styles to suit any room in your home.

Loop - Loop carpets are marked by a continuous uncut surface that resists crushing and matting. Berber style loop carpets, however, wear well and are suited for any room.

Cut and Loop - Cut and Loop carpets combine these two carpet piles, usually in a sculpted pattern. Often multi-colored, they're styled for any room setting except the most formal.


Performance glossary

Density - Refers to the amount of pile yarn in the carpet and the closeness of the tufts. The denser, the better.

Twist - The winding of the yarn around itself. A tighter twist provides enhanced durability.

Heat-Setting - The process that sets the twist by heat or steam, enabling yarns to hold their twist over time. Important in cut pile carpet. Most Nylon, Olefin, and Polyester cut pile carpets are heat-set.

Performance - Some manufacturers have a rating scale for choosing carpet for various traffic areas high, moderate, or low.

It's Smarter to Be Dense

Carpet pile is the yarn on the face of the carpet. A quality carpet is marked by a firm, dense pile. To check a carpet's density, bend a corner of the carpet and see how much backing shows. The more backing that shows, the less dense and durable your carpet is.

Carpet Cushion

Never cut costs when choosing a carpet pad. A good quality pad will extend the life of your carpet while making it feel more luxurious. Make sure that the pad you select is recommended for your particular style of carpet. Installing the wrong pad may void your manufacturer's warranty.

For most residential carpet applications, choose a cushion no thicker than 7/16" that is rebond padding weighing 6 lbs or more. If the carpet is a Berber or low profile carpet, choose a cushion no thicker than 3/8" that is rebond padding weighing 8 lbs or more.

If you need further advice, feel free to call us today at 703-481-1261. See also FAQs at the Carpet and Rug Institute.

Some of this information in this article was obtained from The Carpet & Rug Institute or adapted from the Wear Dated Carpet How to Buy Carpet for the Real World brochure.

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Certification

Your home deserves the best care it can get, and you can rest assured that it will with Tus Group Our specialists are carefully trained and certified by the best organizations in the industry. The following are certifications obtained by Tus Group Owner and President, Peter Tu.


Our Service Areas

Tus Group provides services in the following areas: Northern Virginia, Loudoun County VA, Prince William County VA, Fairfax County VA, Arlington County VA, Sterling VA, Ashburn VA, Vienna VA, Great Falls VA, McLean VA, Reston VA, Herndon VA, Fairfax VA.