FLOORED BY CHOICES? WHEN IT'S TIME FOR NEW CARPETING, ARM YOURSELF WITH INFO.

Byline: Vicki Smith Paluch Correspondent

Aside from wall paint, carpet may be the most effective way to change the entire look of a room. Whether you want bold color or a soft, neutral shade with pizazz in the texture, carpet can help you achieve the look you desire.

Choosing new carpet, however, can be a daunting challenge for even the savviest of homeowners. Angela Beach, an interior designer and mother of two, uses a mix of carpeting and hardwood floors in her Sherman Oaks home.

``I'm like 90 percent of my clients. I have wall-to-wall carpeting upstairs in the bedrooms, and hardwood downstairs in the heavy traffic areas, especially where people are walking in from outside,'' she said. ``It all comes down to a matter of maintenance.''

And style.

To tie into her children's themed bedrooms, Beach placed coordinating carpet remnants over the existing beige carpet in those rooms. The benefits were two-fold: The carpet remnants saved her plenty on installation costs and made the play space even cushier for the youngsters and their bare knees.

``I wanted to put down a cheetah carpet in my son's room and a neon green in my daughter's,'' she said. ``But I know they will outgrow the themes. So I bought sections (remnants) of the carpeting I wanted and I rolled it on top of the beige. When they want to change themes, we just have to roll up the carpet.''

When picking out carpet, Beach said, homeowners should ask themselves key questions: How will the room be used? What kind of traffic will it have? How long do you plan to live there? Are there any children or pets?

When homeowners have narrowed down their selection to a handful of potential carpets, they should take samples of the carpets and lay them out in their home, advised Denise Hampton, co-owner of Pasadena Construction and Interiors.

``The lighting I have in my store is different than what the customer has in her house,'' Hampton said. ``The carpet will look different. The same color will look different in different lighting situations.''

The cost of carpets varies widely, from $3.50 a square yard for an inexpensive plush up to $85 a square yard for wool, according to Beach.

Here's a primer to get you started.

CARPET FIBERS:

The four basic fibers used in carpets, according to the Carpet and Rug Institute, all have their individual strengths.

Nylon is the most widely used carpet fiber. It is resistant to matting and wear and is soft yet resilient. It shows color brilliantly and cleans well.

Polypropylene (also called Olefin) is extremely resistant to stains, fading and moisture. The color is added during production and not dyed later, extending the life of the color.

Polyester is extremely versatile as a carpet fiber, and is permanently stain resistant and fade resistant. Carpets made from polyester are easily cleaned.

Wool is the pre-eminent natural fiber, but it is expensive. Wool yields a soft, warm, comfortable feel. It will show some abrasion after time, but it ages well and is easy to clean.

CARPET TYPES AND STYLES:

In addition to knowing your fibers, you need to know the types of carpeting available: cut pile or plush, loop pile, patterned loop, and cut and loop.

These construction types are used to create various styles. The plush carpeting comes in smooth, texture, twist and shag styles.

Smooth carpet has a low and uniform pile height that lends a formal look.

Texture carpet offers a smooth, level finish, but the yarns have more twist, creating a less formal look.

Twist carpet has even longer yarns to create a soft, comfortable, casual appearance.

Shag carpet has the longest yarns.

Loop styles, often called Berber, come in level and patterned loops. The level loop is dense and firm, making it an ideal choice for high-traffic areas. Patterned loop, which uses two or three varying heights, can create unique patterns.

Patterned styles blend loops and cuts in varying heights for dramatic patterns ranging from floral designs to geometric to pin-dot. Prints, as the name suggests, feature a design printed directly onto the carpet for a stylish and often dramatic look.

The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends that homeowners purchase a carpet with a dense, firm construction for those high-traffic areas such as the family room, hallways and stairways. The twist should be tight and the pile should be short or a Berber selected.

Beach noted that a commercial-grade carpet would also work in heavy traffic areas.

Hampton of Pasadena Construction and Interiors noted that many residential customers are buying commercial carpeting because it is durable, soft and very attractive.

``Families with children like the commercial carpet because they can see the things that fall on the floor such as pins and needles,'' said Hampton, who has been in the carpet business with her husband, Tyrone, since 1971.

If there are pets in the home, customers might consider selecting a darker carpet to hide stains. Also, carpet with loop yarns is not a good idea if you have pets because their claws can get stuck in the loops and the carpet can unravel. Further, odor will be harder to prevent.

``If the pet has an accident and it soaks into the carpet, the odor will be there,'' said Beach, the interior designer.

PADDING:

After you select the type of carpet you want, don't forget the carpet pad or cushion. The padding forms a good foundation for the carpet, adds insulation and reduces noise. Pads can be made of fiber, rubber or various polyurethane foams, including a multicolored bonded foam product called rebond, according to the Carpet Cushion Council. Pads range from three-eighths to seven-sixteenths inch thickness.

Pet owners should note that there are carpet pads that have a top film that stops urine and other liquids from seeping into the pad.

Berber carpet needs a thin, firm carpet cushion that has been specified by the manufacturer as suitable for Berber carpet, the council noted.

Also, if your home has radiant heating, you do not want a carpet cushion that is an exceptionally effective insulator, but one which allows the heat from the subflooring to penetrate the carpet system and heat the room, the council suggested. A relatively thin, flat cellular sponge rubber or synthetic fiber carpet cushion works well under these circumstances.

``A quality cushion makes cleaning more efficient because it raises carpet off the subfloor and provides an air space underneath, allowing the carpet to breathe,'' says Barbra Wilson, technical information manager for the Carpet and Rug Institute.

Keep it clean

With regular care and maintenance, your carpet should last between 10 and 15 years. To maximize your carpet's life span, follow these tips from Shaw Industries Inc.:

Vacuum carpet thoroughly and frequently

For rooms with light traffic, vacuum the carpet traffic lanes twice weekly and the entire area once weekly. In areas with heavy traffic, vacuum the carpet traffic lanes daily and the entire area twice weekly. Up to three passes of the machine will suffice for light soiling, but five to seven passes are necessary for heavily soiled areas.

Clean your carpet at least once a year

Carpet in a typical household should be cleaned every 12 to 18 months, depending on the number of residents and amount of activity.

When it's time for a professional cleaning, make sure the company uses a dry cleaning process or one that extracts as much of the cleaning fluid as possible. The water and detergent, if not extracted, can create a residue that will attract dirt, and the remaining water can break down the fibers in the backing of the carpet, shortening the life of the carpet.

Soil and stain removal - step by step

Remove as much of food spills as possible by scraping the carpet gently with a spoon or a dull knife.

Absorb wet spills as quickly as possible by blotting repeatedly with white paper or white cloth towels. Always blot; never rub or scrub abrasively, as a fuzzy area may result. When blotting, work from the outer edge in toward the center of the spot to avoid spreading the spill.

Remove the stain using a mild detergent or vinegar solution (for more information, visit shawfloors.com and choose ``Floor Care''). Rinse the cleaned carpet area with water to remove detergent residue that may become sticky and cause rapid resoiling.

Absorb any remaining moisture by placing several layers of white towels over the spot and weighing them down with a heavy object. This step is necessary even when the carpet doesn't seem particularly damp.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Carpeting 101

Know your fibers, styles and paddings

Photo courtesy of Honeywell's Anso Nylon

(2 -- 3 -- color) Above, Brianna Beach, 6, and brother Tyler, 3, play together in her room, which features a neon green carpet remnant over the main wall-to-wall covering; and interior designer Angela Beach, above right, enjoys some time at home with her youngsters in one of the lushly carpeted main rooms.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

(4 -- color) Loop Pile

(5 -- color) Patterned Loop

(6 -- color) Cut & Loop

(7 -- color) Cut Pile

Courtesy of Shaw Industries Inc.

Box:

Keep it clean (see text)