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The carpet market is a vast market, with many types
to choose from.  Below, you’ll find the several
different types of carpet and what they will offer
you and your home.

Woven
Woven carpet is produced on a loom that is very
similar to woven cloth, being cut pile.  There
are many different colored yarns being used and the
entire process is capable of producing very intricate
patterns from designs that are pre-determined.
Normally, woven is the highest quality of carpet
on the market.

Tufted
This type of carpet is produced on a tufting machine
by using either a single colored or sometimes a
non colored yarn.  If non colored is being used,
then the carpet will be dyed or printed with a
design as a separate process.  Carpets that are
tufted can either be cut pile, loop pile, or a
combination of both.  Machines can produce a lot
more meters of carpet than weaving, and they are
normally at the lower end of the market.

Needlefelt
The needlefelt type of carpet is a bit more
technologically advanced.  They are produced by
electrostatic attraction of individual fibers
that form a unique carpet with extremely high
durability.  You can normally find needlefelt
carpet in the contract market such as in hotels
or other places where there is always going to be
a lot of traffic.

Flatweave
The flatweave carpet is created by interlocking
warp and weft threads.  The types of oriental
flatwoven carpet include soumak, plain weave,
and tapestry weave.  This type is not well known
in the North American region, although it is
very popular in the orient and Japan.

Hooked rug
This is a simple construction of rug that is
handmade by pulling strips of cloth such as
wool or cotton through the meshes of a very
sturdy fabric.  Now, this type of rug is generally
known as a handicraft.

Knotted pile
With knotted pile carpets, the structural weft
threads will alternate with a supplementary
weft that will rise from the surface of the
weave at a perpendicular angle.

Cut and loop piles
The cut and loop pile combines both looped and
cut fibers.  They provide a variety of
surface textures for medium durability.  Cut
and loop carpets are available in either solid
or different colors.  The several different layers
in this carpet can hide dirt and footprints in
formal and informal areas.

Saxony
Saxony consists of tightly twisted cut piles
that are heat set straight.  They consist of
two or more fibers that have been twisted
together in a yarn, and they provide a very
soft texture for informal as well as formal
areas.  They will show each and every footprint
and even marks from vacuum cleaners.

Textured saxony
Textured carpet is the best selling and it
works well in informal areas due to the very
soft feel.  They are tightly twisted and
texture headset for medium durability.  They
also offer a multi colored look that will
hide tracks and footprints.

Plush/velvet
Both plush and velvet are lightly twisted and
offer a uniform color.  They are very soft
and offer more level than textures.  This type
of carpet is ideal for formal areas due to
it’s luxurious appearance.

Frieze
Frieze is a highly twisted cut pile type of
carpet that is suited for high traffic areas.
It has short fibers that will tend to curl
in different directions at the surface to
hide footprints and vacuum marks.

Level loop pile
The level loop pile is constructed by weaving
even loops of yarn into carpet backing at both
ends.  This type of carpet is durable as
well as track resistant, due to the strong
loops.  Higher loops in the carpet will create
a more luxurious look.  They are also great
because they will prevent dirt from filtering
on into the carpet.

Going beyond beige
Long ago, when the choices of carpet were limited
to basic beige, the designers tended to treat it
more often than not as a neutral background for
rooms.  These days, with numerous patterns, textures,
and colors to choose from, the carpet is quickly
emerging as the focal point in many interior
designs.

Although you may think the need for neutral carpet
has faded away, it hasn’t, as Berber is still an
excellent choice.  Unlike the plain choices of the
early 1990s, the versions of today offer more
pattern and texture.  Even the traditional types
of Berber carpet offer more visual interest with
more extreme differences in pile being cut thicker,
with deeper loop textures.

Color being sprinkled against a neutral background
will add interest and dimension while helping to
mask spots and spills.  The flecks of color are
now appearing against tan, beige, and cream type
backgrounds as well as in other neutrals as well.

Colors and textures
The major shift in new products is going towards
layered color and softer texture in carpet.  The
combination of pattern and texture will always
be a popular choice simply because it minimizes
soil and vacuum marks.  The other advantage here
is that the color and texture offer a more
distinct styling and plenty of fashion appeal
as well.

The new products are rapidly changing the
perception of carpet as not only being a
background to showcase other furnishings to
the possibility that the carpet can become a
focus for design as well.

Construction
The new manufacturing capabilities have produced
several new looks with carpets that are constructed
with cut and loop yarns.  Some examples include
bows, swirls, lattices, plaids, pin dots, and
several others.

By taking advantage of these choices, you can add
a great deal of interest to the room and in
sequence with the florals, stripes, and other
patterns on windows and furniture.  The carpet
pattern and texture will also increase the
perception of quality and value in the carpet,
and will add a much broader element to the
surroundings as well.

These days, carpets can do more than just protect
your sub floor.  They can add a new level of
comfort and warmth to your home, with literally
thousands of choices available.  Carpet is
easier than ever to clean as well, making it
more than worth worthy of being in your home.

With several different trends and new and exciting
colors to choose from, the carpets of today
can make your house come alive.  The carpets
will add new meaning to your rooms, making you
appreciate your home even more.  If you have
older carpet in your home now, you shouldn’t
wait another minute to upgrade.  Once you take
a look at all of the choices you have, you’ll
want to get that new carpet in now - as your
floor with want to thank you as well!

Nylon
The fiber nylon was introduced first by the DuPont
Chemical Company in 1938.  Several years later, after
a great deal of development, nylon became the first
synthetic fiber to be used in the entire carpeting
industry.

The first 3 generations of fiber experienced many
problems with the worst being staining.  The 4th
generation fiber of nylon had a mill applied coating
that solved a majority of the staining problems.  The
ability of the fiber to repel water and oil based
spills as well as soil helped to propel nylon into
the top selling carpet fibers out there.

After several other changes, the DuPont company
introduced the fifth generation nylon fiber.  This
stain resistant fiber would repel most dye stains
if treated in a reasonable time.  This fiber is
more accurately called an acid dye blocker in that
it doesn’t allow acid dyes to penetrate and stain
the fiber.

The protective coating mill is applied and fills the
dye sites with anionic molecules.

Tip
An easy way to test fiber for the presence of a
fluorochemical is to cut a couple of fibers from a
non traffic area and apply a few drops of oil and
water mixture.  If it beads up, then there is an
active fluorochemical present.

Whenever testing for the presence of the acid dye
blocker, you should again cut a couple of fibers
from a non traffic area, then immerse the fibers
in a red kool-aid mixture and wait for 5 minutes
or so.  Remove the fiber from the liquid and
flush with neutral detergent solution.  If the
acid blockers are present and active, there will
be no discoloration.

Polyester
The fiber of polyester was first introduced into
the garment industry around in the 1950s. By the
late 1960s, polyester was introduced into the
carpet industry as a face yarn.  In hand, feel,
and appearance it is similar to nylon, although
it doesn’t possess that same resiliency.

Polyester doesn’t absorb water based spills, isn’t
affected by urine or kool-aid, but it will
absorb oil based spills.  Polyester is non allergenic
and mildew resistant.

Acrylic/modacrylic
Both of these fibers were first used as carpet
yarns around the late 1940s.  They disappeared
around 1988 due to the competition from other fibers.
In was reintroduced to the market around 1990
in Berber styling.

This was done so that people could take advantage
of the wool like appearance, hand feel, and the
fact that its more spot resistant, much easier to
clean, and not damaged in the ways that wool is.

Olefin
Olefin is the latest of the synthetic fibers to
be adopted to carpets.  Once only available in
continous filament, it is now produced in staple
form as well.  Olefin has a wide variety of uses
that include primary and secondary backing of
tufted carpets, warp yarns, and other uses as well.