Karastan Carpet | Options, Prices, Installation & Cleaning
February 6, 2023, by: Greca Fotopoulos
What is Karastan Carpet, is it Any Good and How Much Does it Cost?
Karastan is carpet and rug manufacturer with a reputation for producing artisan-led, high-quality, luxurious, durable carpets over nearly one hundred years. They are known for their innovative designs and elegant, sophisticated styles. Karastan’s reputation for high quality carpet comes at a cost, with prices ranging from $3 to over $12 per sq/ft.
In this Home Flooring Pros overview of Karastan we will take a look at styles, cost and after care.
MATERIALS AND STYLES
Karastan’s current carpet collection features 118 styles in hundreds of colorways. Karastan offers four types of fibers in their carpet collection, wool, wool blend, nylon, and SmartStrand, with built-in stain and soil protection. Karastan carpets are available at independent carpet retailers.
KARASTAN WOOL & WOOL BLEND CARPETS
For their wool and wool-blend carpet, Karastan uses 100% New Zealand wool, the purest and whitest wool in the world, for its beauty, softness, and durability. Karastan spin, dyes, and weaves all of their wood in-house for superior quality-control.
Wool is also naturally non-allergenic and an environmentally sustainable choice. In fact, wool is shown to actually improve indoor air quality. Also, besides being easy to clean, wool carpeting is crush- and static-resistant.
Karastan features 36 wool carpet styles and seven wool-blend options. There are neutral, traditional choices including Donnington and Woolspun, and carpets featuring subtle patterns such as Barreta and Langbourne. Karastan is the largest U.S. processor of wool carpeting.
KARASTAN NYLON CARPETS
Karastan’s nylon carpeting includes 33 versatile options, all featuring high-quality Kashmere nylon fibers. Produced exclusively for Karastan, Kashmere nylon combines softness, style, and durability. The nylon collection offers elegant neutrals, in Maison and Elegantly Soft, refined patterns, such as Artistic Texture and Refined Legacy, and even several contemporary animal prints, including cheetah and antelope.
KARASTAN SMARTSTRAND CARPETS
Finally, Karastan also offers a line of carpet made with SmartStrand fiber. The 42 styles in the collection feature exceptional performance, making them family- and pet-friendly. SmartStrand is the only fiber manufactured with built-in stain and soil protection so it won’t wear off or wash away.
Advanced technology actually prevents spills from getting into the fiber’s core and becoming a stain. It’s also made from renewable sources and requires less energy and emits less greenhouse gas than other manufactured fibers. The majority of the SmartStrand line is comprised of elegant neutrals with a few tonal patterns and more bold styles.
PROS & CONS
Advantages of Karastan carpet:
- Large variety of fibers and styles
- Considered one of the most-high end brands in the industry
- Extensive warranties on nylon and SmartStrand carpets
Disadvantages of Karastan carpet:
- Customers report difficulty filing warranty claims
- Some options can be pricey
PRICES
Karastan carpet is only sold through local specialist flooring stores. With such a wide range of products and a wide range of retailers Karastan carpet prices can wary wildly. Sales, old stock discounts and new premium lines mean that Karastan prices can range from just below $3 per sq/ft to over $12.
Even if you find Karastan carpet at below $3 per sq/ft it should be clear that Karastan is a premium brand compared to other brands. If expensive, top of the line carpeting is what you’re looking for then Karastan is in the same league with brands like Farbrica, Masland and Tuftex.
Take a look at our price comparison table below to see what we mean:
|
BRAND
|
PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT
|
|---|---|
| TrafficMaster | $0.65 – $3.39 |
| Dream Weaver | $1.00 – $2.50 |
| Mohawk Smartstrand | $1.99 – $3.99 |
| Phenix Carpet | $1.75 to $5.00 |
| Mohawk Air.O | $2.90 – $3.60 |
| Lifeproof | $1.52 – $7.19 |
| Karastan | $2.89 – $14.00 |
| Fabrica | $6.00 – $16.00 |
INSTALLATION
It is generally recommended that Karastan carpet be installed by professionals. Besides extending the life of your carpet, professional installation is often necessary to keep the warranty intact. Also make sure that you’re using the padding specified by the type of carpet you’re having installed.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Karastan carpets are designed for quality and durability so simple cleaning and maintenance will keep your carpet looking beautiful for many years. Regular vacuuming is the most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your carpet.
Using a vacuum with adjustable height is key to getting the most effective cleaning. A brush that is too high won’t collect dirt and debris and a brush that is too low can cause the carpet to fuzz and pill. Karastan’s website provides several vacuum recommendations based on that type of carpet you install.
Household spills should be cleaned up as quickly as possible. Blot any liquids with a white cloth or paper towel, working inwards to the center of the spill. If further cleaning is needed, Karastan recommends the Mohawk Essentials Carpet Care kit. For tough stains, use a professional steam cleaning service. Never use bleach. Karastan’s website provides thorough cleaning instructions.
WARRANTY
All Karastan carpets are covered by their Customer Assurance Warranty. Wool, nylon, and SmartStrand carpet come with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.
Karastan nylon and SmartStrand carpets are covered by a limited lifetime stain-resistance warranty, a limited lifetime pet urine resistance warranty, a limited lifetime soil resistance warranty, and 25-year abrasive wear, texture retention, and fade-resistance warranties.
SmartStrand carpets are also protected by a limited lifetime all pet stain warranty. See Karastan’s website for complete details on what the warranties do and do not cover.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
A carpet retailer in Washington state had the following to say about Karastan carpet:
Karastan carpets are long-lasting carpets that are crafted with care, you can rely on them to last for years when they are well taken care of.
You won’t have to worry about replacing the carpet in your home constantly when you invest your time and money in the Karastan brand. Karastan carpets are high-quality carpets that resist stains as well as the soiling that occurs in heavily-trafficked areas.
A carpet retailer in Oregon consistenly ranks Karastan as his top carpet choice:
Karastan is the crown jewel of the carpet industry. It is the oldest brand in the carpet business. Karastan is the only carpet brand that manufactures both wool and man-made yarn types. The biggest difference between Karastan and all other top carpet brands is that Karastan costs less.
Karastan is made with the highest quality raw materials available. All the other manufacturers that make this quality charge 30% – 40% more for it. Karastan also has some proprietary manufacturing components and yarn systems that no other manufacturers can replicate. This makes Karastan truly one of a kind.
And this from a happy customer in Maryland,
I love our Karastan Smart Strand. We have it in our family room which is the most highly-trafficked area in our house. It stays clean even with our dog coming in from outside and has not been crushed down at all. Because it is so soft that every footprint is very noticeable. I think the fiber wears just as well as nylon after four years. Joyce, M
Do you have experience of Karastan carpet? Please leave your customer reviews below.
About the Author:
Greca Fotopoulos
Greca is the lead style writer at Home Flooring Pros (more), with a BA in Technical Art, she’s focused on flooring trends, flooring ideas, and flooring brand reviews.
“There’s nothing more satisfying than creating a home that you love. The hardest thing about this job is trying not to covet all the great floors I get to review; if I could remodel my home every month, I would!”