How to Choose Wall-to-Wall Carpet

Create a budget. Carpeting, especially wall-to-wall carpeting, can get pretty pricey. Knowing what you can afford will make choosing the right material a much easier process. Expect to pay between about $10 and $60 per square yard.

Shop around. Contact several different carpet dealers to visit your home and give you an estimate. This estimate should include the carpet's price, installation and delivery costs, and how long the job will take.

Consider stain-resistance. Stain-resistant wall-to-wall carpeting can help make your life easier, especially if you have children or pets. It can also make the carpeting a bit more expensive.

Look for a pile weight that works for your lifestyle. Wall-to-wall carpeting with heavier pile weights is more durable, but it's also more expensive. The higher the pile weight, the more carpet yarn there is per square foot. Carpet with a low pile weight, on the other hand, will have less density. Labels will address this, but you can also make comparisons yourself by visually inspecting the tightness of the yarn weave and seeing how many tufts of yarn occupy every inch of carpet.

Identify a color that matches the rest of your room. You can bring along a piece of upholstery fabric while shopping to give yourself a better idea of what looks good together. If you are putting the carpet in a room where dirt and spills are likely, a mixed design or a darker color might be the safest choice.

Note the carpet's colorfastness rating. A better rating means that your color will be less likely to fade or blend together.

Feel the carpeting. Carpets can be very plush or almost coarse, depending on their cut-pile, level loop and padding. The best way to choose the right carpet for your home is to feel different samples yourself. You may feel more comfortable taking off your shoes and walking on the different options in socks and bare feet if you take the samples home. After all, that's how you'll use the carpet at home.