About Carpet

Carpeting is sold in more areas and installed in more homes than any other type of flooring. Ranging from ultra-luxurious to basic, carpets make a home feel comfortable and offer visual warmth and insulation. Carpet also absorbs sound better than any other flooring, reducing both surface noise and sound transfer between floors. When choosing carpet, there's an almost endless array of possibilities, considering fiber choices, construction, styles, colors, design effects, and possible uses -- not to mention prices that range from economical to extravagant.

When considering carpet, it is best to know three key factors about the carpet's construction to determine if it is best for your home:

• Manufacturing Process
• Tufted Styles
• Fiber Material

Manufacturing Process

There are two ways to make carpeting today: weaving and tufting.

Weaving

Weaving has been used to make carpets for centuries. Today, woven carpets are available as handmade or machine made. Weaving takes longer, but results in a finished product that is extremely durable. The yarns are woven through or around vertical strands of fiber called warps. The yarns are then locked into place with horizontal strands called wefts. The carpet or rug may be hand-knotted or woven around the warps. They come in a variety of patterns and allows for individual placement of colors in yarns for the finest quality looks and specialized designs. Most of our woven products use wool for the face fiber and are of the finest quality.

Tufting

Approximately 90% of carpeting today is manufactured by tufting. While weaving attaches the fiber to fabric strands, tufting involves hooking the fabric by needle into a pre-existing fabric structure, usually by machines at high speeds. Four processes are included in the making of tufted carpets: processing the fiber, tufting, dyeing and finishing.

1. Processing
   At this stage, many of the pattern effects, styling, and construction are created, the denser the construction, the better the performance. This stage determines the type of carpet style (frieze, Berber loop, cable, cut/uncut, etc.). The tufting machines of today use sophisticated computers to give the carpet just about any look imaginable.
2. Dyeing
   If the carpet is not using a solution-dyed fiber, it will need to be dyed using several different methods. This stage also gives the carpet color, pattern in color, multicolor, heather, and flecks as well as solids.
3. Finishing
   The final stage in manufacturing is finishing, where the carpeting is sheered for the best finish (higher twist products finish the best here). The carpet also receives a secondary backing. Here the poly or action back is applied to give the carpet dimensional stability and allow it to be stretched over a pad.
4. Stain treating
   All carpets today are treated for stain protection. There are only a couple of apartment grade products which do not come with stain protection.

Tufted Carpet Styles

Frieze

Tightly twisted yarns in higher density. Frieze is the best performing style in a cut fiber construction for texture retention. This style is now available in many different weights, solid colors, fleck colors and multi-tones. Considered casual or informal, it's a great style for high-traffic areas of the home.

Textured

Well-twisted yarns with a crimp give the pile a textured look. Carpets of this style can be used in moderate, medium or heavy traffic areas depending on the twist. Heavy traffic should use at least a 4.5 twist and be above 40 oz. in tufted face weight. Textured carpets offer a middle-of-the-road style that can be dressed up or down, with the homeowner's furnishings providing the design aesthetic for the room.

Cable

Cable carpets use well-twisted, heavier yarns that are usually tufted in a more casual construction. Typically good for light to medium traffic areas, a few more recent cable styles are suitable for heavy traffic. Offering cutting-edge style, cable carpets accentuate casual lifestyles where warmth and comfort are essential.

Cut/Uncut

These carpets are offered in both loop pile and cut pile. They can be styled with geometric patterns or a subtle scroll look. They are great where "traffic lanes" could potentially be worn in a carpet. More than the "old-fashioned" look of the '60s carpets, today's versions of cut/uncut carpeting can be elegant.

Commercial Cut Pile

These commercial carpets are usually offered in solid colors with a little more formal look. Used primarily in upscale office and professional buildings, their use in residential applications is increasing due to their durability and wide range of colors.

Cut Pile Berber

These products are usually cut pile with a large yarn bundle. They have a fleck color system that helps hide wear, and offer a more comfortable look and feel to the Berber customer.

Cut Pile Saxony

Similar to commercial cut pile or velvet cut pile, these carpets have a little more tuft definition and are not as smooth. They are not textured, but have some unevenness to the finish.

Sisal

Sisal carpets are usually twisted yarns in a loop pile construction. A style borrowed from authentic grass/woven sisals of native cultures, they are ordinarily tighter than Berber and are offered in both nylon and olefin. The nylons in this category are better for heavier traffic and are available in both solid and fleck colorations. If you're looking for luxurious comfort or softness underfoot, this style may not be for you.

Velvet Cut Pile

This style offers a very fine finished cut pile with a small yarn bundle to create a formal, elegant style that can turn your room into a showplace. Its finish has almost a razor-shaved look that leaves signature footprints and vacuum marks.

Shag

A large yarn bundle with a longer tuft in a casual construction offers a return from decades past. Use shag to turn a casual family room or den into a quiet retreat.

Commercial Loop Pile

Almost every commercial facility in America has at least some level loop pile carpet. Great for heavy commercial foot traffic, this style may also be a smart choice for bonus and play rooms.

Berber Loop Pile

This distinction is given to any loop pile construction yarn in either nylon or olefin. Air-entangled, they come in solids, heathers, multi-tones, flecks, and patterns. The key to its durability is the density of the loops and the denier (diameter) of the fabric.

Fiber Material

Carpeting is typically made from one of four main fibers: wool, nylon, polyester or polypropylene/olefin. For more information on these fibers and their benefits visit out Carpet and Rug Fiber Guide.