Shag Carpeting: When Cozy Meets Groovy
Shag Carpets Provide Warmth, Comfort, and Style to Your Home
A classic hallmark of the 1970s is shag carpeting, but it has matured over the past few decades into a versatile flooring choice for living areas, bedrooms, and more. Modern shag carpet offers an affordable, comfortable option for homeowners looking to put quiet and cozy first in their flooring search. Learn the history of shag carpeting and why today’s soft, shaggy carpets are still relevant for deep consideration!
What Is Shag Carpet?
Shag carpet is characterized by a deep, thick pile, which gives the carpet a shaggy appearance (hence the name). The pile is usually made of strands of yarn or upright loops positioned very close together. Shag carpeting is a cultural icon synonymous with 70’s culture and is reemerging today with newfound popularity. With that in mind, Floor Coverings International® presents the history of shag carpet flooring.
Different Types of Carpet Flooring
The History of Shag Carpeting
While most homeowners think of 70’s shag carpet as the peak of its popularity, shag has been hip a lot longer than that. The first shag carpets were known as Flokati and came from ancient Greece, where they were hand woven from goat hair. Flokati rugs were used so people could sit comfortably on the ground and keep their feet warm. The shag style was also common in Turkey and Central Asia, where they were favored by royalty and decorated palaces. While shag has acquired a very different reputation in more recent centuries, there’s no doubt about its royal pedigree.
Shag Carpeting in the 60s and 70s
Shag carpeting’s popularity skyrocketed in the 1960s and 1970s. Commercially available wall-to-wall carpeting was still relatively new, and American homeowners were eager to experiment. The unorthodox look of shag carpeting was especially favored by hippies, and the new color TVs showed off shag in the houses of families like the Brady Bunch.
Manufacturing improvements lowered prices and allowed shags to come in a whole new variety of colors. This led to the quintessential 70s green shag carpeting and other contemporary colors, including orange and brown hues.
Retro Meets Modern: Shag Carpets Today
Recently, shag carpet flooring has surged in popularity. New materials and manufacturing techniques have allowed for softer and more durable shags. Many people have turned to retro shag carpet for a splash of nostalgia. Perhaps even more, customers simply love the feel of a soft, long shag carpet underfoot.
The Pros and Cons of Shag Carpet
Different types of shag carpet make it possible to fine-tune your choice to meet certain criteria. There are various piles, materials, and colors available, and your local flooring team can help you find the perfect fit for your home. As you start your search, keep the advantages – and disadvantages – of shag carpeting in mind.
The Pros of Shag Carpet
- Comfort – Shag carpets are soft, warm and comfortable underfoot.
- Quiet – For busy homes, the dense fibers soften footfall and absorb noise, making the room noticeably quieter.
- Aesthetic – Even if the look of “vintage” shag carpet is new to you, it offers a unique texture to any home, especially when providing a transition from one room to the next.
The Cons of Shag Carpet
- Cleaning – Shag carpet is difficult to clean because its long fibers trap dust, hair, and allergens easily. They require frequent vacuuming and may not be a great choice for homes with pets. Most manufacturers recommend professional cleaning to keep the materials looking new.
- Stains – The long fibers also make it difficult to remove stains from spills.
- Shedding – New shag carpets may shed fibers upon initial installation and under normal use. This isn’t typically a long-term issue, but it’s often alarming for homeowners to see fibers pull out of a newly installed carpet.
Shop Shag Carpeting at Your Convenience!
Bring back the 70s, or write a new chapter, with the perfect shag carpeting for your home. Our Design Associates are proud to bring the shopping experience to your door with our Mobile Flooring Showroom®. See and feel our shag carpeting options up close and in the comfort of your home. We’ll give you a free, detailed estimate and take care of the installation process.
At Floor Coverings International®, our process makes customers for life. Find the local flooring team near you or schedule a consultation today!
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