The warm comfort that carpet provides is not just your imagination. Unlike other types of flooring, carpet is a natural insulator, providing additional warmth in cold seasons.
The use of carpet in a wall-to-wall application actually increases the R-value, or insulation level, of the carpet area, potentially saving homeowners like you utility costs while reducing energy use. The R-value (thermal resistance) measures how much a material resists the movement of heat through a ceiling, wall, or floor in a building. The higher the number, the more effective the insulation.

• Carpet vs. engineered hardwood: From 3 to 7 times the R-value.
• Carpet vs. laminate: From 4 to 8 times the R-value.
• Carpet vs. ceramic tile: From 8 to 17 times the R-value.

How to pick the right carpet for you.

There are thousands of types of carpet to choose from and the best way to choose is to educate yourself on what makes carpets different from each other.

The first item that you want to look at is the face weight .The face weight is the number of ounces of fiber in a square yard of carpet. The higher the number, the better the product.

The second item that you want to look at is density. The density is how tight the yarn is stitched into the carpet backing. The higher the number, the better the product.

The third item you want to look at is the twist. The twist is the number of times the fibers are twisted together in a 1” length. The higher the number, the better the product.

The fourth item you need to look at is the backing on the carpet. You have 2 kinds of carpet backing, action backing and soft back. Action backing is on your low to middle grade products. Soft back is usually found on your upper mid-grade to high end carpets.
The last item you want to look at is the performance rating, this will tell you how well the carpet will hold up to foot traffic.