Carpet or hardwood? Butler business details the latest house flooring trends
Just like in music and fashion, interior home design through the decades is marked by trends. What may be the latest must-have style in flooring or carpeting 10 years ago may be tacky tomorrow.
According to Robin Bowser, a sales representative for Butler Floor & Carpet, all four styles of carpet sold at the store are moving units, but some are more popular than others.
“There are four different styles of carpet, and we sell all of them,” Bowser said. “Solid plush pieces are still popular. The frieze has been around for years and years, and that's very popular.”
Frieze is often compared to shag carpet, due to its similarity to the style made popular in the 1960s and 1970s. It’s a carpet with fibers woven into loops and then cut to create an upright pile — a carpet with the strands or loops standing vertically to form the carpet’s surface.
The other two carpets include Berber and cut and loop. Both are known for their durability.
Berber carpet, especially has been gaining favor at the store, prompting Bowser to say it may be hard to come by.
“There's not a lot available right now, although the industry is having more and more available,” Bowser said.
This type of flooring is made of loops. It is an overall light color with darker color mixed into it. The style is stain-resistant and relatively inexpensive.
Another carpet gaining traction isn’t a favorite of Bowser’s, but it comes with its advantages. Cut and loop is made out of a combination of both cut-pile and loop-pile fibers.
According to Bowser, cut & loop carpets are known for their distinctive textures and their toughness.
“It's very, very durable,” Bowser said. “We found that it has done a great job no matter where we've installed it. It's tighter, it's firmer, so that makes it wear very well.”
For those who do not want carpet, she says hardwood and laminate installations are popular choices. These have increased in sales over the past year, while one type of floor has been “in” for quite some time: luxury vinyl.
“Luxury vinyl tile is still probably the hottest floor out there and has been for quite a few years,” Bowser said. “The biggest advantage of vinyl is that it is a waterproof floor.”
Laminate floors have their own pros and cons as well.
“The laminate floors have one of the hardest surfaces, so it's harder to scratch,” Bowser said. “The only disadvantage is, if you get water sitting on the floor, it’s going to get rough.”
