Dublin Twist

Dublin Twist has long been the main budget twist pile carpet sold across the UK, or at the very least in the North of England. In spite of the name, it is not made in Ireland, but in Belgium by Beaulieu International Group/Ideal Carpets.

If you are in the trade then you know all about it. For many it is the standard option to show people when they want something as cheap as possible. There are actually carpets that we can buy cut lengths of for less now, yet still a lot of retailers insist on advertising and showing this carpet to customers. The larger carpet retailers also run it.

It’s now available 4m or 5m wide and comes in around 20 shades and a choice of Action or Felt backing. The pile weight is a mega-low 13oz and yet still most sample books label this as heavy domestic. It is astonishing that this carpet can be labelled ‘heavy domestic’ and surely this makes a mockery of this entire system of carpet classification. If you are a propspective carpet buyer then pay no attention to what the label says in terms of ‘heavy domestic’ – almost every carpet claims this and it means virtually nothing.

The problem with Dublin is that it almost always looks terrible and lasts no time at all. Often it looks lined and shaded as soon as it is laid (some colours seem more prone to this than others) and if you go ahead with it then I can’t imagine you will be happy with the finished job. At best you will be satisfied. I don’t even think that it does a job at a price.

I’d definitely go with a cheap natural if you are looking to tidy a property up to sell rather than Dublin. At least they don’t look shaded immediately, but they won’t stand up very well over time either. Landlords often choose one or the other. If you can afford it, then try and step up a couple of pounds a metre to something like Revolution Twist, Wembley Twist or even Fiesta Twist. While you will pay more, they are easier to look after, look pretty good when fitted and will last at least twice as long, possibly three times as long as Dublin. In a tenanted property you will only get one tenant’s worth out of Dublin (if that), whereas the others may well be able to be used again. Buying Dublin Twist in my opinion is a false economy.

To sum this up then:

If you want a cheap carpet on a really tight budget – There is a new twist called Bali (AKA Kildare), which is better and also you could look at a cheap natural like Madrid, Buxton or Palma.

If you are a landlord – Try Revolution, Wembley or Fiesta as Dublin will cost you way more in the long run.

If you are doing it up to sell – Go for a cheap natural like Madrid, Buxton or Palma.