The carpet I'm considering can be seen with the link. (Mohawk Horizon - style 9500 Festive Mood). Though this is the sample and I would go with a more neutral color.

Is it a big turn-off to people if I ended up selling?

Here is a link that might be useful: Carpet I'm considering -but in neutral color

I am considering the same carpet for my new home in banana cream. we were just going to do it in the family room, if we could afford to do the whole house i would. did you end up picking the carpet? if so do you like it? does it show vacuum marks, footprints? would you pick it again?
we had considered the frieze for the rest of the house but have decided against it (even though it gets rave reviews) it is just not my style...kind of messy looking. i agree with you i don't like cut pile either.

you can get a frieze style in a more traditional cut pile. Look for a tight twist carpet that may not be as casual or as high a pile height as others. Basiclly you would be looking for a cut pile look but with a tight twist yarn so you have the advantage of a frieze but the look of cut pile. Its hard to describe but you don't have to have a long 'shaggy' type look. Ask to see a cut pile berber.

Best of all, carpet FLOR starts at less than $10 per square, with most designs priced in the teens. That means you can create a 5-by-8-foot carpet for as little as $150.

Here is a link that might be useful: TileLand

laganeze, I appreciate your enthusiasm for FLOR. I did my entire main level (except for the kitchen and bath) in modular carpet (some Interface, some Mannington). So I definitely am a fan of the stuff.

I'm not quite sure what you're selling (if anything) on your home-interiors blog (from which your text has been lifted). But I think it's fair for me to point out that modular carpet ("carpet tile") is available from many companies, often at substantially lower prices than FLOR (even after working in the cost of prep and adhesive).

Y'know. Full disclosure and all that.

(BTW, my full disclosure is that I am just a satisfied customer. I don't make a nickel if someone buys FLOR or another brand. I just like to see more people consider carpet tile, especially where a tough, sustainable floor surface is desired.)

Steve, any other brands you'd recommend for quality carpet-tile on a budget? I'm looking at a 210 square-foot room but can only afford a couple hundred dollars. Am I dreaming?

My original plan was to look at a remnant piece of carpeting, after seeing an 8x12' piece at Lowe's for only $82.00 (their biggest one)....I was planning to check out Roth Carpet to see if they'd have a piece the size I'd need at a good price...

I can think of three ways to meet your budget:

1) Go to a place that installs modular carpet for a living (usually "commercial interiors" or flooring-only stores, not mom & pop shops or big-box stores) and ask about remnants. These are tiles left over from some big job and they often are for sale at a good discount from new. You may have to be flexible and/or patient about colors/patterns.

2) There are some places on the Internet that carry modular, especially odd lots/remnants. There was one posted here some time ago that seemed to carry primarily Lee modular which seemed pretty decent; the post might still be here if you search for the phrase carpet tile in this forum (if it has scrolled off, let me know and I'll see if I kept a copy of the thread. I didn't post the name but I commented in the thread). Be sure to ask about the cost of adhesive, if required, and shipping and include that in your total. Again, flexibility in color/pattern is your friend. With only a couple hundred square feet to cover, FLOR might be pretty competitive with other brands, especially since you don't need adhesive with FLOR.

3) I had about 1,000 square feet to cover. That pretty much left out remnants. I found Mannington Commercial offered a pattern called ArtCraft that has a 100% recycled face (they gather leftover fibers from other carpet production runs and use them to make a patchwork/stained glass kind of pattern). The 100% recycling and "goes-with-everything" pattern appealed to me, but so did the price: about $2.70/sq. ft., about half the cost of the carpet I used elsewhere. Add $60-70 for adhesive (a 5-gallon pail that was twice what I needed) and I was set. ArtCraft should be a regular-order item.

Keep in mind that modular carpet from a good mill (that's almost anyone that isn't selling foam-backed peel & stick tile for 99 cents each) will wear for a good long time. The stuff I used is similar to what they put in the local airport, and it survives eight years of traffic, wheeled luggage, spilled food and drink, etc., before it's replaced, so it ought to last forever in my home. Compare that to the kind of wear you'd get from that broadloom at Lowe's or Roth. Modular may cost you some more, but you should get more life out of it.

A couple hundred bucks will be rather tight, but it can be done if you're willing to do some legwork. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

There are carpets that meet all budgets and style. It can be overwhelming.

What's hot... Patterns & especially cut & loop patterns. Patterns are the rave these days. I have not installed a non patterned carpet in at least a year now.

Frieze, is still a hot seller, but don't get frieze, confused with California Cut-pile Berber. A true frieze, will not show foot steps or vacuum marks, because your not stepping on the tips of the face yarns. They fall all different directions.

Loop piles tend to mat quickly and "ugly out" as we call this.

No matter who you purchase your carpet from, make sure your investment is installed by an R-2 or higher, CFI Certified Installer!!!!!!!!! And not jsut some subcontractor the retailers you purchased the flooring from, finds to send out . You may not want to let that guy in your house or you my not speak his language, to even communicate your needs, especially in Central Texas.

www.CFIinstallers.com Go to find an installer and type in your zipcode.

Here is a link that might be useful: find a certified installer