What Thickness of Carpet is Best for you?

So, you’re all sorted. You know how big the flooring area is. You know what pattern you want. You even know what material you’d like. But hold on. What about thickness? 

Thickness of carpet is crucial when it comes to durability. It can also have significance in terms of carpet feel. In short, whether you’re renovating a corner of your house or looking to replace a broadloom surface at work, it can make or break the carpet’s effectiveness in that space. And when you could be looking at a serious bill, you want to be sure you’re getting your feet on the right carpet. So, let’s get into the thick of it. 

Questions to ask yourself

Before we get to matters of thickness, there are some questions you should set yourself in the first place. 

• What use is the room put to? If it sees a lot of walking across from A to B then you’re going to have to up the durability. If it’s a room that just gets used for sitting and general lounging, you can think less about the hardwearing angle. Same if it’s a place where barefoot is the order of the day. Certain orders of monks – I’m talking to you. 
• Is there underfloor heating? When you’re buying carpet, remember that a very dense one will prevent much of that heat coming through. 
• Do pets have access to the area? Unless you have a penchant for pachyderms, your pet’s not going to have too much of an impact, weight-wise, on the floor. However, if you’ve got a feline that scratches like an 80s Brooklyn DJ then you’ll need to factor this in. 
• Is noise a problem? None of us like unnecessary volume, but it could be even more of an issue in a place like a library for instance. Or that monastery we were thinking about. 

How thick the carpet is will have an impact on all these areas. For instance, a thick carpet can muffle footfalls like a pair of noise-cancelling earphones. 

What do we mean by thickness?

Let’s start with what we don’t mean. We don’t mean height. If you have a carpet that you can lose your shoes in, that’s a carpet with tall pile, not necessarily thick pile. Thickness is more about density of fibre. Like thick hair vs long hair. 

Why is thickness of carpet important?

Three reasons. 

1. Durability

The most hardwearing carpets tend to be the thickest. This makes sense. If there are several thousand fibres supporting a weight across their combined strength, they’ll fare a lot better than twenty or thirty poor tufts being crushed to death. 

2. Feel

A thick carpet has a good quality carpet feel all of its own. Even if it’s very short, the feel when you run your fingers through a thick carpet says, loud and clear, luxury. 

3. Look

In some environments, there may not be much of a difference in appearance between a thick and a thin carpet. However, in brightly lit areas, the difference is striking. Thin carpets can look old, worn and generally uncared for. Thick carpets shout words like ‘opulent’ and ‘lustrous’. But not in a way that will upset a librarian. 

How is thickness measured?

No, it’s not just a question of ‘very thick’ or ‘a bit on the thin side’. There are three main measures you need to be aware of.

1. Face weight

This is the number of ounces of fibre per square yard. The range goes, in general terms, from 20- to 80-oz, with higher being better. What’s a good face weight? At least 34-oz. Is heavier weight carpet better? Depends. Face weight only tells you which carpet is better when you’re comparing similar types of carpet. If you’re comparing, say, nylon with polypropylene, the latter will have a higher face weight but it won’t be as resilient as the former. Some materials just weigh more. 

2. Tuft twist

This is the number of times the tufts are twisted together in a one inch length of carpet. The higher, the more durable. 

3. Density rating

This refers to the thickness of the fibres and how tightly packed they are. If they’re gorgeously thick and deliciously dense, your carpet will be as durable as the day is long. You can test this for yourself by bending the sample backward. If it’s got a low density rating you’ll soon see. Number nerds will no doubt be wanting some kind of measure here. OK, then – a density rating of 2000 or more is what you’re looking for. 

What about tiles?

When it comes to carpet tiles, they tend to be broadly similar in construction. Quite often with tiles, you’ll be given a very straightforward measure of how thick they are. This measure is known as ‘thickness’. (It’s this kind of technical talk that can make professional assistance so invaluable.) 6-8mm is the standard thickness for carpet tiles. 

In some commercial applications tiles can be an excellent choice. The main reason for their use is that they’re cheap, easy to install, and, crucially, you can replace just the stained one if the worst occurs. 

Not the whole story

Underlying the actual carpet is a subject we must mention: underlay. A carpet’s performance, no matter how thick  it is, will be impaired by inadequate underlay. What depth you should put down there is a matter for personal preference and budget, but a thickness of no less than 1/4 inch is recommended, up to 7/16 inch for those who like to be like Sting, walking on the moon. 

Underlay can have varying density too, with an 8lb figure being de rigeur for heavy traffic areas, but around 6lb for lighter footfall. 

You need to get the cushioning right – incorrect underlay can result in wrinkling, damage to the carpet and even warranty invalidation. 

OK, pile in

So, now you’ve got the carpet thickness thing under control. You know what to look for and what can help or hinder a carpet’s performance. Now you just need to make your choice. When it comes to choosing carpet, you can do no better than go to Jupps Floor Coverings. They have the expertise to guide you and the stock to ensure your carpet selection quest concludes triumphantly.