Good quality carpet is dense - thick and luxurious between your toes. When you bend it, you don't see the backing. The best-wearing fiber by far is nylon. It's durable and soil- and stain- resistant. Wool carpet has subtle colors and is durable as well, but it's hard to care for and stains easily. If you have pets or children, choose something else.

The lowest grade carpets are made of polyester. While polyester is much more attractive than it was a few years ago, it still won't hold up like nylon or wool, which can be expected to last for as long as 20 years if installed over a good pad and cleaned regularly.

Many families choose tightly woven berber carpets - available with or without a pattern. A pattern can camouflage wear and is useful in high traffic areas. Multicolored berbers hide stains effectively.

For bedrooms or other low-traffic areas where elegance is desired, cut-pile carpet is a favorite. While footprints and vacuum marks are obvious, cut pile is an attractive choice. If you choose a light-colored carpet be sure to get one that has stain protection.

For rooms that get a lot of traffic like kitchens, playrooms and sun rooms, consider commercial grade carpet. It's a great deal more attractive than it once was and the price is very reasonable. Besides that, it wears like iron and cleans up beautifully. There are some negatives. Commercial carpet doesn't feel soft when you lie on it and it doesn't provide much in the way of insulation when it's installed on a slab. But all things considered, it's a good alternative in many situations in Virginia.

Whichever carpet you choose, it is particularly important to put a good pad underneath it. The most common ones are made from bonded urethane, a sponge-rubber like material made from waste urethane. Urethane pads come in various densities. The least dense (and the cheapest) absorb moisture and humidity and tend to disintegrate under heavy foot traffic. Let your carpet professional direct you toward a pad that is suitable for the style of carpet you purchased.