Which is better: carpet or rug

The main difference between carpet and carpet is size. The first has clearly defined boundaries, and the second can be as long as you like and reach 5 m in width. But that’s not all. When deciding which is better, it is important to look at the structure of the materials and their performance characteristics.

Distinctive features

Carpets are made from natural or synthetic fibers and are designed to protect your feet from the coolness of the floor. Sometimes they are used for decoration or additional soundproofing of walls. Based on the key differences, these products can be divided into three large categories.

Carpet — canvas of the size specified by the manufacturer with a pile and clearly marked boundaries. It can be double-sided, which is typical for manual work, or one-sided, more often in automated production. Rugs stand out as a separate subspecies - lint-free carpets with high aesthetic, but low heat and sound insulation qualities.

Carpet — canvas of unlimited length and width specified by the manufacturer. A characteristic feature is the absence of boundaries indicated by the pattern. The pattern is usually used neutral, which does not interfere, if necessary, with adjusting adjacent sections to each other in order to create the illusion of a single whole. It has high heat and sound insulation qualities, regardless of the length of the pile.

Carpet — arithmetic mean of previous options.The manufacturer specifies only the width of the canvas. But from the carpet she got the completeness of the pattern along the long sides. Most often it is made using technologies typical for carpets.

Pros and cons of carpet

It was designed as a floor covering that can be laid directly over the subfloor. This explains its structure:

• pile - cut or not, long, short or multi-layered;
• base - the pile fibers are woven into it;
• fixing layer - prevents threads from spreading;
• secondary base - responsible for maintaining its shape during operation.

Carpet is beneficial due to the fact that there is no need to lay a “finish” floor underneath it; it can be laid directly on rough concrete.

The service life of the coating is usually determined by the pile. It can be made from artificial or natural wool, its mixture with nylon, polypropylene or polyester. The last couple of options are the most popular due to their low cost and moderate wear resistance.

The shorter and thicker the pile, the longer the life of the carpet.

The cleanliness of this coating is maintained using a vacuum cleaner. It is important to regularly treat the entire surface of the carpet, since this is the only way to avoid compaction of lumps of dirt between the fibers. But even careful care cannot replace washing and dry cleaning, which are inaccessible due to the size and, quite often, reliable fixation of the fabric. Therefore, its service life is shorter than that of carpets.

Most often, carpet has to be replaced not because of wear, but because of severe dirt that cannot be removed without dry cleaning.

Pros and cons of carpets

Limited dimensions require mandatory installation of a “finished” floor.The canvas is not secured to the surface, which is why it can slide along it, increasing the risk of injury. Through a smaller number of layers (there is no fixing and secondary base), the strength of the coating depends on the way its fibers are intertwined. This increases the cost of production.

A carpet is always more expensive than an equal-sized piece of carpet.

Such products are quite lightweight, which, combined with their relatively modest dimensions, allows them to be easily moved to any convenient place. And this is a chance to extend the service life.

You can take the carpet to the dry cleaner or even wash it yourself.

When choosing a suitable option for decorating an apartment, it is important to focus on its dimensions - you won’t be able to change them. And this is a rather serious obstacle for those who want to cover the entire floor. For a small room, the carpet may be too large or, on the contrary, several products will be needed to cover a large area.

Summing up

When choosing what is best, you should focus primarily on your taste preferences. Carpet is well suited for those who appreciate large areas with soft surfaces. It is ideal for a child's room, as it will protect the child from contact with a hard and cold floor surface. However, you should not count on too long a service life. Especially when used in the hallway, dining room or kitchen.

The carpet is the best option for aesthetes who want to place “warm” accents in the room. Due to its relatively small size and mobility, it can always be sent to the dry cleaner, which extends the “life” of the product. But this is a rather expensive acquisition, and it will hide a small area underneath.What do additional time and financial costs for caring for a “bare” floor mean?