Hi, I urgently need some impartial advice. Im looking at a replacement carpet for hall stairs landing lounge and downstairs bedroom. I have somehow ended up approaching three different local carpet shops to compare prices but I've realised this was a mistake as I am so confused and I'm unsure which carpet to go for. Im currently sitting at home looking at a sea of sample books that have been dropped off. (as with all of them due to the showrooms being closed) Carpet Shop number 1 - Fantastic reputation but known for being on the expensive end. Only seems to stock high end carpet. I told him that I had loved the look of Invictus Syrius range. He told me to avoid it like the plague as I will only get two to three years out of it due to it flattening. Seemed to know his stuff about underfloor heating as the rooms downstairs have the underfloor heating. Advised me to go for a wool carpet but I told him that would be most likely way over budget. He measured up and has quoted me for Victoria Range... Ultimate Impressions. Carpet seems lovely and I've provisionally chosen the colour I like. Quoted me £2800 fitted etc. Carpet Shop Number 2 - Not heard of these guys before - one negative review about letting the customer down otherwise positive reviews. Again told me to avoid Invictus range. A little bit disorganised but seems to know his stuff. He brought two sample books round Trojan Elite (according to sample book manufacturer is Smart Choice) and Stainfree Twist (Abingdon Flooring) out of the two I preferred Trojan Elite as it seems it will be thicker underfoot. He has quoted me £1800 fitted for the Trojan Elite so its £1000 cheaper than the Victoria Ultimate Impressions carpet shop number 1. What puts me off is I cannot find any info online on this carpet range! I wanted to see if I could see some photos of the colour I like but I can't seem to find anything online. Carpet Shop number 3 - I think they are the budget end carpet shop.Has dropped off sample books for Trident Twist and other sample books from the Regency Carpets ranges. Carpets don't seem as luxurious as the other two carpet shops. But I could be wrong! Still waiting for a price from these guys. So as you can see, I'm torn between the Victoria Ultimate Impressions and the Trojan Elite. I don't know anything about carpet and wanted opinions on whether they are both as good as each other. Am I trying to compare a Primark jumper with a Cashmere jumper. In this case, is it you only get what you pay for?
So would you go for the Victoria Ultimate Impressions then and pay the extra £1000? I don't want to pay extra for the sake of it but I would if it is a much much better carpet.
You are best getting like for like quotes from the same company,I'm sure the shop with the Victoria also do cormar, one shop could be charging more for fitting or using a cheaper underlay, so its hard to make a true comparison
I've asked for a breakdown from both of them as so far they have just given me the total amount for the job. One shop recommended the Trojan and the other recommended the Victoria. I'm not sure whether they stock each others carpets. In your opinion which is the better of the two carpets? I think finding that out is my starting point.
Victoria are better in my opinion, also have a much softer backing unlike cormar which at the moment, is really rough on your paintwork
In this situation i'd personally go for a wool... Because you've got underfloor heating, you're probably not going to have the best of underlays when it comes to prolonging the life of the carpet. If you're already considering going for the higher offer, then maybe use that budget to look at woolen carpets like the first shop suggested. It'd most likely hold up a lot longer. Though despite the almost constant talk of delamination from the others on here - i've only ever seen an issue once in the last four years when it comes to a Cormar carpet.
Carpet shop number 1 said for his wool carpets suitable for me, (presumably due to the underfloor heating) i was looking at around £70 per square yard which is well over budget seeing as the Ultimate Impressions is £32 per square yard and coming in overall at £2800. The underlay under the rooms with underfloor heating is very good and apparently worth more than the carpet itself so I only need new underlay for the stairs and landing.
£70! You could go a lot lower than that and still have a very good carpet. Companies like Penthouse do very reasonably priced wools that are damn good quality.
Yeah, I didn't even look at it from that point of view! Just looked at our pricelist - we put it out for £24...
Westex, Brockway, Penthouse, Brintons all do decent 80/20 twists under £70m2 others like Cormar, Kingsmead do wools too but they’re not worth the money in my opinion for the price difference. The 1st store is right you want to avoid the cheap wools like the plague but once you get to the mid £30m2 price that’s where I would be going instead of a man made anything less stick to the polyprops. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I’ve fitted loads of both and they are both great carpets for synthetic Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
But yes 80/20 is a better quality and will out last most synthetics Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Buy wool and buy British When you’ve had your man made down 3 years you’ll wish you’d of bought wool. cant believe the amount of man made being pushed and has been for a while . were meant to be eco friendly and should be using sustainable products yet wool seems to be pushed to the back by most retailers . It will keep its looks better , hoover better , and the majority of the product is biodegradable . Chuck a piece of man made in you compost heap and it’ll still be there in 10,20 years time , do the same for wool and it will break down over time , particularly if you purchase a product with Jute backing.
Totally agree with this. We’ve been lead by the consumer I think as lots of customers are asking for these plastic carpets as they advertise them selves as easy clean. Also they are cheaper and thicker so customers think they are getting a great deal. I for one will absolutely be pushing wool carpets from now on as we’ve seen problems with wear, supply and quality on the plastic carpets. Can’t beat the smell of a new wool carpet either Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I seriously believe the flooring industry needs to step back and re-evaluate ,particularly retailers. Ive been a heavy promoter of wool carpets all my working life but like you say the consumer has been attracted to warranty's that give a false sense to the ability of these products. We the retailers have the ability to turn things around by promoting wool products, not just to give better value for money to our customers long term but it allows us to have more confidence in the product that we sell. We need to realise that we are there to offer the correct advise to a potential customer and by offering them man made with an all whistle and blows warranty we not just doing an injustice to our customer, were doing an injustice to ourselves! Yes there are certain products in man made that wear ok to a degree but when we have some of the finest wool manufacturers in the world at our call why disregard them for the sake of trend .
But wool isn’t a good material on its own it’s the 20% nylon that gives them their appearance retention, 100% wool (a good one which cost considerably more than man made carpets) will wear pretty well but usually don’t retain their shape over time which is why we mix them with silk/nylon or a polyamide. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
