Most people choose a carpet by walking into a shop, pointing at a colour they like, and asking for it in their living room. It works often enough — and it’s also why so many carpets look tired after four years when they should be lasting ten.

The single biggest decision after colour is pile type. It’s the word for the fibres that stand up off the backing — the bit you actually walk on. Get it right and the carpet ages well, cleans easily and feels good. Get it wrong and you’ll notice within a season.

Chapter 01

What “pile” actually means

Three things define a carpet’s pile: how the fibres are finished (cut at the top, looped back into the backing, or a mix), how tightly they’re twisted, and how densely they’re packed. Together these decide how the carpet wears, how it feels, how it cleans and how much it shows footprints.

You’ll see four main types on any flooring showroom floor. Here’s the short version of what each one does well — and where each one lets you down.

Chapter 02

Twist pile — the workhorse

Short, cut fibres tightly twisted so they stand upright and spring back quickly. This is what we fit more of than anything else — it handles traffic, hides footprints, takes a hoover without laying flat, and cleans well.

T

Twist pile

Short, tightly-twisted cut fibres · the most-fitted carpet in Britain
Best for
Hallways, stairs, living rooms, landings — anywhere walked on every day.
Heads up
Entry-level twists can feel firm underfoot. Want plush? See saxony below.
Chapter 03

Saxony — the luxurious one

Longer, softer cut fibres. The carpet you’d sink into on a cold morning. It looks lush, it feels fantastic — and every single footprint or hoover track will show. That’s not a defect; it’s just the nature of the finish.

S

Saxony (cut pile)

Long, soft cut fibres · maximum underfoot luxury
Best for
Bedrooms and formal lounges where luxury matters more than traffic.
Heads up
Avoid on stairs. The wear pattern gets obvious fast.
Chapter 04

Berber & loop pile — the tough one

Fibres are looped back into the backing rather than cut. The surface reads as a fine, textured knit — think sisal but softer. Tough as boots and hides dirt brilliantly.

B

Berber & loop pile

Uncut, looped fibres · textured, hard-wearing
Best for
High-traffic family homes, hallways, home offices, stairs.
Heads up
Cats or clawed dogs? Ask for tight loop specifically — looser loops can snag.
Grey twist-pile carpet in a modern living room
A mid-weight grey twist pile in a living room — the most-fitted carpet we lay.
Chapter 05

Cut & loop — the middle ground

A pattern surface — some fibres cut, some looped — so you get subtle texture without a printed design. Hides footprints better than saxony, has more visual interest than a plain twist. A good middle ground.

C

Cut & loop

Mixed cut and looped fibres · subtle texture, quietly patterned
Best for
Living rooms and dining rooms that want a bit more interest than plain.
Heads up
Pattern can date faster than plain — pick something subtle, not trend-led.
Chapter 06

Room by room: what we fit most

Across Yorkshire, the rooms-to-pile pattern we lay week in, week out looks roughly like this:

Hallways, stairs & landings

Twist pile, every time
Polypropylene for easy cleaning, or a wool-blend if the budget allows.

Living rooms

Twist pile or cut & loop
If hoover lines bother you, cut & loop is more forgiving than saxony.

Bedrooms

Saxony if budget allows
You’ll feel the difference every morning. Otherwise a soft twist works well.

Playrooms & offices

Loop pile
Tough, cleans well, doesn’t flatten under chair legs.
One thing nobody mentions Pile height matters almost as much as pile type. An 8mm twist pile wears very differently to a 12mm one even if the fibre and twist are identical. Always ask the showroom (or the fitter) what the pile weight is — not just the name.
Chapter 07

The question to ask next

Once you’ve narrowed it down to a pile type, the next conversation is about fibre — wool, polypropylene, polyester, nylon or a blend. That decides how it cleans, how it wears, how warm it feels and how much it costs. We’ll tackle that one in another guide.

Next step
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