Steamboat Pilot & Today

Hardwood floors are popular in the kitchen and dining areas, but carpeting remains the consensus pick for the bedroom.

"It's a warmer feeling," said Virginia Everard, sales associate with CarpetsPlus and ColorTile. "When you see carpets you see a lot of thick and thin carpets. It's more textured. A little more yummy, a little luxurious. You also are seeing a lot more patterns, a lot more highs and lows."

Carpeting, whether it covers the entire room or is an area rug in the living room, is more than what a family and a pet walk across.

"They are truly an expression of art," Everard said. "People are buying area rugs like nobody's business."

Homeowners have different tastes when it comes to carpet, and carpet has varying levels of cost and durability. It's important to ask around for price options and select what is best for a home and a lifestyle.

"We get them in and listen to what they say," said Zach Sabel with The Carpet Shoppe. "We try to put them in the proper product. We need to know if you have kids or have dogs, live on a ranch or in town. We ask them what they don't like about their carpet. We have a lot of first-time carpet buyers. We try to get them informed on the proper product."

Wool fibers are the most expensive but last the longest. Nylons are in the middle, and polyesters are less expensive, but don't necessarily have the longest life. Nylon carpets, in general, are the most popular.

In addition to selecting a fiber, the stain protection and warranty on the carpet also deserve consideration.

Higher stain protection in a carpet's fiber often is appealing to Northwest Coloradans who have pets, children or spend a majority of their time outdoors.

"If you get into nylon products with a good stain protection, you can get 15 or 20 years out of it," Sabel said. "Wool carpets, you can get 60 years out of it. It really just depends."

Quality nylon carpet can cost $30 a yard. Wool carpet will start at $50 a yard.

A carpet's warranty often doesn't hold up if its purchaser doesn't follow strict cleaning guidelines, said ChemDry's Dave Hebert.

"I tell people to pick the carpet they like, and then learn how to treat it," he said. "Most people don't know you have to have them professionally cleaned within 12 to 18 months of purchase. You have to have documentation you did that."

ChemDry, recently purchased by Home Depot, is a hot-water extraction cleaning system, which is non-toxic, low moisture and neutral.

Mistreating carpet can destroy an investment.

"Home cleaning machines are OK to have between professional use but should not replace professional use," Hebert said. "Stop using soap or chemical cocktails. Don't use over-the-counter products and be careful. Carpet cleaning strives to be neutralized without elevated Ph levels because those totally destroy carpet."

It also is recommended to vacuum often -- up to seven times a week in high-traffic areas where children and pets are present -- to sustain the carpet's life.

Keep in mind, however, Hebert said, a carpet is going to wear. The fiber a homeowner selects, the stain protection it has and how the carpet is cleaned play a role in deciding how long a carpet will last.