Sisal Carpet

Sisal carpet is woven from sisal, a natural fiber which is produced mainly in East Africa, Brazil, and Mexico.  It is made from the long and very tough fibers of the agave plant, which has been in use in indigenous societies around the world for centuries for making objects that needed to be durable.  Such objects included footwear and bindings, and have come to include carpets and rugs.  Because sisal is extremely tough, it's great for use as carpeting in hallways and other high traffic areas.  Being a natural material, it is also pleasing to the eye as well as to the touch.  Anyone who has come into contact with agave knows what a strong plant it is, so it's no surprise that it has become a preferred material for making rugs.  Because sisal also has the benefit of being relatively easy to dye, colors can be clear and rugs made from it are available in many different colors.  It is available in a wide variety of sizes as well, making it easy to get a carpet to fit your living room or wherever you want to use it.  The simple designs of many sisal carpets also means that matching it to your interior decor can be easy and pain free.  One of the greatest benefits of using sisal for carpeting your home is that sisal doesn't build up static electricity, which means you won't have to deal with electric shocks.  Of course, sisal can also be blended with wool, making it softer to walk on.  Such blends will usually look and feel much like sisal, with the durability to match.  Keep in mind that wool by itself is also very durable and naturally water and stain resistant, so a wool sisal carpet blend can make a great rug that is the best of both worlds.  Blends are usually of 60% wool and 40% sisal, which means such rugs are considerably softer while maintaining durability and wear resistance.

Sisal carpets can come in several different weaves.  Some of the different weave patterns you'll find are sisal boucle, sisal panama, and sisal herringbone.  Boucle is a small, tight weave which is great for durability and resisting wear.  This is one of the basic and most popular weaves.    
For sizing, it is possible to get rugs that are sized for specific locations like the living room.  It is also possible to get large rolls of sisal carpet to use as wall to wall carpeting.  Installation of wall to wall carpeting is obviously more involved than simply making use of an area rug, so make sure you really want to cover the entire floor before you go out and buy large rolls of sisal.  A sisal area rug can look just as good, depending on how you set up the room around it.
Another option is to get sisal carpet tiles, which allow you to cover as much or as little floor space as you want without having to install something wall to wall.  Tiles can also create an interesting grid appearance, if that's something you feel would be an asset.  Another benefit to using sisal carpet tile is that individual tiles can be easily replaced.  If you spill something on one tile, you can just replace that one tile instead of having to replace a whole carpet.     

Because sisal is a natural fiber, it doesn't do well in places with a lot of moisture or humidity. Such environments encourage the growth of mold and may also cause natural materials to rot. For this same reason, take care not to spill liquids on sisal carpets. Doing so can significantly shorten the life of the carpet.
Also, the use of sisal carpeting for stairs is not recommend. The toughness of sisal means that rather than fraying with use, the fibers get compacted, shiny, and smooth, which can be dangerous for stairways. Another consideration when it comes to natural fibers (as well as many synthetic ones) is fading due to exposure to UV light. It can happen, and one way to preserve the color on a sisal carpet is to turn it from time to time so that one surface is not always exposed to sunlight. Cleaning sisal carpet regularly is a good idea, as even regular vacuuming will help prolong the life of your carpet.

For those who want something that can better resist moisture, whether in the form of high humidity or spills, an alternative is synthetic sisal.  Spills are also more easily cleaned up if they do happen.  These are usually made of polypropylene which has been UV stabilized, meaning the a carpet will be relatively resistant to fading.  Although these carpets are not made with natural sisal, they can look very similar to the real thing and be virtually indistinguishable from natural sisal.  This would hold up better outdoors as you don't need to fear the rain and sun with synthetic sisal.