Why We Begin with Choosing Carpets in Hallway Design

In hallways, the right flooring must address building code, sound absorption and safety from slipping and falling. With these in mind, carpet flooring is the best choice; it is resilient, flame resistant and stain resistant. Carpets also offer great acoustic for noise reduction in hallways with high foot traffic. Unknown to most people, Carpets such as Axminster serves as an air purifier for hallways, absorbing pollutants such as Nitrogen and Sulfur Dioxide which other flooring types cannot offer. Additionally, when dust gathers in a hallway, the carpet fibers help trap it until it gets vacuumed away, as opposed a stone/porcelain hallway floor, the dust lingers until cleaners do the work. Most important of all, Carpet floors for hallways prevents slips and falls compared to other flooring types (like stone and ceramic tile).

The carpet types we recommended the most in our projects are Woven Axminster Carpet, Nylon Broadloom Carpet and Nylon Carpet Tile. All three (3) are perfect for high traffic areas but they may differ in design flexibility and maintenance.

We have numerous projects that are using Axminster carpets for their hallways because this is the most luxurious of all types of carpets. This type of carpet is known for its durability, resilience and soil repellent properties. It is a blend of 80% Wool and 20% Nylon. It gives the carpet a very dense plush feel underfoot and the carpet pile springs back as if you were never there. The method to create these carpets is called “Electronic Jacquard Weaving”. This allows designers to create very exclusive designs for their clients with up to 32 colors in very large scale patterns. The unlimited color choices and design possibilities are the reason for the high cost to produce this carpet.

We also point out to our clients that in renovating hallways, Axminster may be a great option since it can be installed over tack and a 40 oz. pad as opposed to Nylon Carpets that must be glued on existing flooring for fire code compliance; giving a plusher feel underfoot.

Axminster’s scaled surface makes it stain resistant which is less maintenance or less cleaning required. On top of that, its materials absorb harmful pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide; which serves as the building’s air purifier. Considering all these advantages, the cost may well be worth it.

Recently, we have gotten a lot of interest in Nylon Broadloom from our clients. This carpet is made of Nylon and Polypropylene which is also very good for high traffic areas and more cost effective than Axminster. Nylon Broadloom can also give a sophisticated look to as space since it is a seamless piece that comes in a roll with a 12 to 13 foot width. This type of carpet is also called a “wall -to-wall” carpet. Installation of this carpet may be more costly than carpet tiles since it requires professional skills to get to little corners to perfectly be installed. The excess carpets made from cutting losses may also add to the cost of this carpet type. Nevertheless, it is the next best option after Axminster to achieve luxurious looking hallways.

Lastly, we have Nylon Carpet tiles. The most practical and cost-effective type of carpet for your hallways. This carpet material is made of Nylon and Polypropylene as well. Carpet tiles primarily come in square and rectangular pieces which you can arrange in patterns such as: monolithic, quarter turn and ashlar. The image you see above has a vertical ashlar pattern and looks very modern and sophisticated.

The modularity of carpet tiles is the reason why our clients choose this type of flooring. The main advantage is that individual tiles can be replaced when worn or damaged which is very little maintenance and downtime when repairs are needed. Although design wise, the choices may come off more uniform and minimalist, the tasteful combination to mix and match different colorways and the creative arrangement of patterns gives your space a unique and sleek look. Overall, carpet tiles may also be a very smart and exquisite choice with the help of a great designer.

So, the choice of carpet material would depend on our client’s design goals, budget and maintenance preferences. With all these I mind, proper hallway design begins with a great carpet choice and design. Walking into an artful carpeted hallway can definitely attract more tenants and buyers giving added value to your property. Let’s chat and talk value!