Karastan Carpet | 2022 Cost + Pros & Cons

As a part of the Mohawk and Pergo family, Karastan is a premium carpet company set on bringing new styles, patterns and textures to your floors.

Unlike many other premium brands, Karastan is like the fun aunt who takes you out for milkshakes after mom says no. They offer a high quality product that is easy to clean, low maintenance and has industry average installation prices.

They also have unique and stylish prints and designs like animal prints, plaid, stripes and various textures.

Best Karastan Carpet Styles

Currently the brand offers six different carpet styles. These are the 6 best lines:

• Karastan Persian/Traditional Carpeting. One of the most popular styles, the traditional carpeting is mainly solid color with a plush cushion underfoot.
• Karastan Animal Print Carpeting. If you want to stand out with an animal print carpeting in your home for a fun look found nowhere else.
• Karastan Casual Carpeting. Casual styles are laid back, low maintenance and look great year round.
• Karastan Modern/Contemporary Carpeting. For a more sleek, modern look the patterns and colors in this line stand out while adding a great accent.
• Karastan Floral/Trellis Carpeting. Another print and pattern style, the floral patterns are unique and fun.
• Karastan Checker/Plaid/Stripe Carpeting. If you want a more industrial look in your office or living room spaces, the plaid and stripe carpeting in might be to your liking.

At a Glance Comparison

Here, we take a quick look at all Karastan carpet styles. The costs listed include average industry install fees of $4 per square foot. Your costs will vary based on several factors and options. Across the country installation costs for carpets can range between $2 and $10 per square foot.

Here is another look at carpet from Karastan:

Karastan Carpet Styles

In this section we will look at the 6 styles of Karastan carpet in detail.

We will also look at all 6 together in a quick reference chart.

1. Karastan Persian/Traditional Carpeting

Best For: Smaller rooms where warmth and comfort are a priority

The traditional line holds 11 different styles and comes primarily in nylon and SmartStrand. There are a couple of wool options such as the Cape View and Leighland styles. What you find here, though, is a low pile, durable and sensible product.

The Persian and Traditional lines are warm and cozy, adding an ambiance to each room that invites you in and offers a chance to relax. While they are great for any room of the home, they are best used in bedrooms and living rooms where you want to unwind and take your shoes off.

The darker toned colors give you more décor choices with natural wood furniture or even more rustic and farmland designs.

2. Karastan Animal Print Carpeting

Best For: Home office spaces or smaller rooms where the pattern won’t repeat as often.

With the animal prints, you will find that you have fewer overall choices. In fact, you only have one fiber type, nylon, to choose from and only 3 animals. You can choose the cheetah print for an aggressive yet warm look. The dark brown and black spots on a muted and lighter background pull you into a room.

You can also choose from two zebra colors. The plain zebra print is black and white, as you would expect. With striking lines that don’t seem to repeat in pattern (though they do, about every 42 inches) you can have a wild yet comfortable look to any room.

Finally, the big portion is the antelope. With 7 different color options from natural to navy, you can find a color that fits your décor. The white speckles run the length of each dark antelope stripe to give you an authentic skin rug look.

While animal prints aren’t for everyone, there is something about a carpet that becomes the center of attention most people can thoroughly enjoy

3. Karastan Casual Carpeting

Best For: Those looking for a whole-home solution with one type of carpet

The casual line is by far the most extensive line. With over 55 style options to choose from, you can spend a while scrolling through the options. On top of that, each style has several colors with most of them offering 10 to 20 color selections.

The casual style is ideal for every room in the home bringing you light, medium and dark tones to accent your furniture, walls and even accessories. This line also features all three fiber types with the majority being SmartStrand.

The best warranty, the best fiber and the most options. You are sure to find what you are looking for with this series. However, it isn’t for everyone. While most options are low pile, there are several choices that are medium or high pile.

You want to ensure you know what you are getting before you buy so you can match padding and installation needs along the way. Unlike the other styles, though, there aren’t too many here that have samples to order. If you can head to a dealer and see them in person it is highly advised.

4. Karastan Modern/Contemporary Carpeting

Best For: Homeowners looking for an updated look that fits any room

With the modern and contemporary line up, you get a sleek, stylish update to an old classic. Behind the traditional option, this is the most popular choice from Karastan.

You also have a decent selection to choose from. With over 20 different looks and more than 100 colors to go through, you are sure to find the perfect match for your needs. These options also feature patterns that you won’t find anywhere else.

While most of the line comes in wool or nylon, you will also find a wool blend (wool and nylon) that work together to create intricate patterns and designs.

If you want to update your current look without going overboard on the larger details, the modern and contemporary options here will give you exactly what you need.

5. Karastan Floral/Trellis Carpeting

Best For: Larger living spaces with a repeating pattern that is non-obtrusive

With the floral line, it is a little misleading. There are only 2 of the 7 options that have a floral print design and only 1 of them is really noticeable. Most of the other designs are diamond or tear drop designs.

However, it does add a softness to the room and will open up any space with the intricate, repeating pattern. You will also find that most of the 7 design options are wool fibers with a couple nylon and even a SmartStrand tossed in for good measure.

All of the options are soft underfoot and hold up well to high traffic, pets and even spills or messes. This makes them ideal for bedrooms, guest rooms and even living rooms. If you do want the floral pattern look at the Glovenia collection. It features a leaf and petal design throughout the fibers and comes in 7 different colors.

The Cultured Essence is also a decent pattern, though is it more muted. However, this line comes in 20 color choices and is the most popular of this line.

6. Karastan Checker/Plaid/Stripe Carpeting

Best For: Any room of the home that needs to match a specific décor

Finally, we have the smallest line up from the company. The checker, plaid and stripe collection features only 5 styles and 44 colors, total. All of the options here come in wool fiber with the exception of the Vintage Grace, which is nylon.

The plaid option, Woolston, is only a two-color plaid, but is made from a striking white and gray palette. One of the most popular selections is the French Encore line, which is a checkerboard pattern wool fiber carpet. It offers several colors in one and while it is among the most expensive options from Karastan it is also one of the most eye pleasing and luxurious.

For the stripe lovers, the Riviera Stria features long, slim lines between texture and loop wool fibers. It feels great underfoot and is easy to clean, maintain and costs less to install.

Regardless of your design needs, there is a Karastan carpet for you. You just need to know where to look and have an open mind, since you will most likely change it with every scroll through the options list.

Where to Buy Karastan Carpet

Karastan is not sold in any big box retailer. You will need to find a dealer, representative or showroom that carries the brand. Luckily, Karastan makes this easy for you.

By visiting their website you can enter your zip code in the Retail Partner locator. It will return every retailer that carries Karastan products, as well as other information. You will get the name, address and contact info for the retailer, as well as find out if they are a large or small selection company, if they finance and more.

Karastan Pros and Cons

Pro Tip: While the higher price of Karastan carpets may initially seem like a drawback, I firmly believe you’re investing in lasting quality. In the long run, the durability and low maintenance of these carpets actually saves you money on replacements and repairs. So, don’t shy away from the upfront cost.

Finding a Professional Installer

One of the most difficult tasks of having carpet installed is finding the right contractor or professional to install the carpet for you. This is difficult for two main reasons.

The first issue is the cost of the contractor. Labor fees vary from $1 to $5 per square foot, on average, across the country. You also have to account for removal and disposal of the old flooring, tools and equipment costs and more.

All told, your new floor on the shelf at $3.50 per square foot ends up over $8 per square foot by the time it is in your home.

To help with that you get estimates and quotes. However, this only tells you how much a contractor will cost to install your carpet. What it does not cover is how trustworthy the contractor is, if they are local and who is coming to your home.

In these respects, we can help. Using the free pro finder tool will give you instant results for professional, trustworthy and local. 

All you have to do is insert a few bits of information and click the button. Soon you will have contractor’s information at your fingertips, ready to get your quotes and estimates. Try it today.

Karastan Carpet Vs. Other Brands

Kartastan has a reputation of being a premium carpet and area rug brand. The true test, though, is to compare against other well-known brands.

In this section we look at Karastan carpeting as they stand up against Masland, Shaw and StainMaster.

Karastan Carpet Vs. Masland

Masland carpeting is another premium carpet brand that offers unique styles and a great product. What you get with Masland is comparable with Karastan on many levels. Like Karastan, you will also find a lifetime warranty, though the lower end products drop to a 10-year wear and tear portion.

Masland has a slightly larger selection of colors and styles but also has a higher end price. Unlike Karastan, though, Masland doesn’t have the industrial, floral and plaid color patterns. However, they do offer a Pet Protection line that is specifically designed for homes with pets.

Maslands big fiber is known as STRONGWOOL which offers animal prints, undyed and fun designs. Karastan has SmartStrand, which offers unrivaled protection, comfort and performance.

Karastan Vs. Shaw

Shaw is a premium carpeting company and the largest carpet manufacturer in the world. However, they don’t have the ultra high quality that you find with the top end of Karastan.

What you get with Shaw carpeting, though, is a much larger selection, better pricing, and a lower installation cost. What Karastan offers, though, is a better warranty over the entire product line and more modern styles.

With Shaw the availability is a little higher and more of the brands styles and options are available in more areas. However, with Karastan, the dealers, retailers and carpet professionals are always improving their stock and carrying more of Karastan’s options.

Karastan Carpet Vs. StainMaster

StainMaster is one of the largest names in carpeting. Their stain fighting and stain prevention products have been embedded in carpeting by many companies in their products. Today, StainMaster produces their own carpet brand and uses their own proprietary stain fighting products in those carpets.

StainMaster doesn’t have the wild colors and patterns that you will find with Karastan. However, you do get better stain fighting properties, with the StainMaster product embedded into the fibers instead of added during the manufacturing process.

Karastan offers more modern and alluring looks, and they have a better fiber option. With the SmartStrand option, Karastan offers a slightly more durable and comfortable option that still has incredible stain fighting technologies. While StainMaster may be better for homes with pets, Karastan is still a gold standard everywhere else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here, we will answer some of the most common questions about Karastan carpet and carpet in general. As always, if you have other questions feel free to use the comment section below the article.

Q. Is Karastan carpet good for pets?

1. Karastan, as a carpeting brand, is a decent carpet for homes with pets. The SmartStrand carpet style is best for pets, as it is a more durable fiber. However with the nylon style stain fighting properties and the durability of wool, you won’t have many issues with any option.

Q. Do I have to use a professional cleaning company for Karastan carpeting?

1. Karastan has not yet added a condition to the warranty for professional cleaning. However, they do recommend professional cleaning of their carpets every 18 months (or more). Since it is only a recommendation, you can clean your carpet yourself using vacuums and shampooers. However, you should have a professional cleaning at least once every other year.

Pro Tip: When it comes to professional cleaning, it’s definitely a plus rather than a must. I’ve been able to maintain the beauty and durability of my Karastan carpet with regular vacuuming and spot cleaning. However, I would suggest professional cleaning at least once every few years — it can really extend the life of your carpet.

Q. Does Karastan offer financing?

1. Karastan doesn’t directly offer financing, however they do offer the Karastan credit card and financing is available through Synchrony Financial who, on approval of credit, will extend a line of credit for finance.

Q. Does Karastan or any carpet brand require a specific vacuum?

1. There are a few brands that request you clean with specific vacuums. Karastan is not one of them. However, with any premium brand you should use the right vacuum for the carpet style. Pile type, fiber type and thickness. We have several best vacuum articles to help you find the best one for your specific carpet. If all else fails, though, the Carpet and Rug Institute list certified vacuums to choose from.

Final Thoughts on Karastan Carpets 

Karastan is a premium carpet and area rug brand that is designed for the modern home. With colors, styles and patterns that aren’t found anywhere else, you can turn any room into a cozy, cushioned and beautiful space.

From plaid to animal prints and modern, sleek solids, your colors can compliment nay décor. They also offer highly durable, stain and soil fighting fibers with SmartStrand, wool and nylon.

The price point of a Karastan carpet is a little higher than some other premium carpet brands. However, the quality backs up the price point and with a lifetime warranty for stain and soil and pet urine, you won’t be disappointed.