Berber Vs. Frieze Carpet Quality

Choosing the right type of carpeting for your needs requires consideration of your lifestyle, the area of the home where it will be used and the different qualities of carpet materials. The ease of maintaining your carpet as well as how well it wears is determined by these factors. Berber and frieze carpeting are both durable materials you may want to consider.

Carpeting is available in straight pile, in which the fibers are attached to the backing and cut straight across for even fibers along the top, or in looped fibers. Level-loop carpeting forms loops with both ends of the yarn secured to the backing. Berber is a type of carpeting that has thicker yarns than other level-loop types of carpeting. Berber comes in a number of different materials, including wool, nylon, olefin or combination nylon-olefin. Wool berber is the most expensive type.

Berber carpeting is very durable and can last for up to 20 years. It will not show footprints or vacuum tracks. Berber provides a neat and elegant appearance. Olefin carpeting resists stains well and so is a good type of carpeting for households with small children and pets.

Berber does not offer the plush feeling underfoot as pile carpets do, nor does it offer a variety of patterns or textures. Berber carpet generally comes in neutral colors with flecks of darker shades. The woven loops of berber carpeting can snag and become ragged in appearance. Also, the loops of material can retain dirt that is hard to completely remove. Good-quality wool berber can be expensive. Olefin berber can develop a gray color due to soil abrasion, according to writer Michael Hilton at the CarpetBuyersHandbook site.

Frieze carpet consists of independent fibers of material that bend in different directions to help hide footprints and vacuum tracks. Frieze carpeting can be made of wool, nylon or olefin.

Frieze carpeting looks a bit like a cut-pile berber in its appearance. Frieze carpeting is very durable and hides blemishes, dirt and stains. It is good in high traffic areas and rooms in the home where children and pets spend a great deal of time. The bending fibers tend to hide dirt and stains, which help it keep a good appearance for a longer period of time than straight-pile carpeting. It does not have the snagging problems that berber carpeting often has.

Frieze carpet does not come in sculptured patterns such as straight-pile carpeting offers. Frieze carpeting costs more than plain pile but is generally worth the extra cost, because it lasts longer, making it a comparable value over time.