Carpets For Home & Decor
Carpets are basically textile floor covering different from rug by being fixed to the floor and extending wall to wall. In ancient times people covered their dwelling floors with animal skin, grass,and later by woven reeds.
Traditionally, carpets were made of wool. But due to their high cost, a majority of carpets are made with synthetic fabric attached to a backing. These are cheaper in comparison to wool rugs.
Making Of A Carpet
Synthetic fabric is used to make yarn. This is woven in and out of backing through a process call “tufting”. The tuft machine holds the yarn and poke a hole through the backing before looping it through and securing with backing. Backing is usually made of polypropylene. After yarn is woven through backing carpet is dyed by screen printing or a process called Beck dyeing.
The last step involves adding latex to the backing. A second backing is applied for extra protection. The carpet’s loose ends are cleaned and the carpet is ready.
Basic Material In Carpet Making
To understand in depth about carpet we have to know about the fiber. It is the basic material that a carpet is made. Today almost 90% carpet is made of synthetic fiber. The rest is natural fiber mainly wool.
Synthetic fibers are made of three material - nylon, polyester or polypropylene. These three are made by chemical processes using natural gas and oil.
Nylon-
It is the undisputed leader with 75% of carpet being made of nylon. Nylon carpets performs the best in appearance- colour and style, stain and soil resistance, heat and fade resistance. The tight molecular construction of nylon in type 6.6 makes it more resistant to stain and thus suitable in areas of heavy traffic. Polypropylene (Olefin)-
Initially designed for outdoors and basement cause of its resistance to staining, moisture, mildew, water damage, piling and shredding. Polypropylene is soft as nylon and similar to natural wool, often used as a substitute for wool. Olefin is dyed before being made into fiber so it is colour fast and also limited in colours. It is often used in loop pile carpets like Berber cause it’s prone to holding oil or soiling.Polyester-
Made popular in the 1960’s. It has wool like appearance and is used for cut pile carpets. The luxurious feel and vibrant fade resisting colour makes it popular. Its eco friendly as it is made of recycled plastic bottles. Not as resilient as nylon and may flat down but is affordable and stain resistant. Acrylic-
It is closest to wool and is manufactured for commercial use. It offers excellent clean ability, soil resistance, moth, mildew and static resistance. Acrylic is available in wide variety of colours which are less likely to fade even in bright sunlight. Wool-
The original staple fiber used in making carpet is wool. The wool used in carpet is sourced from Argentina, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It is a fiber that is imitated by synthetic fibers the most as it is expensive. The natural, durable, wool is the softest carpet fiber. Wool is naturally stain resistant and flame retardant.Silk-
Produced mainly in India, China and Turkey. Silk carpets are soft, durable and luxurious. Silk carpets are available in vibrant colours. As it is expensive the fiber is blended with wool and other synthetic.
Common Carpet Terms
Fiber-
As seen above is used in the carpet making. Single fibers are spun to make two,three or four ply yarn which is then attached to a woven backing. Pile-
The height of the fiber also called face.Weight-
Measured in ounces per square yard. Face weight is the amof fiber on surface of carpet and total weight includes backing and latex. High face weight indicates good quality. Density-
It is measured in how closely packed the strands of fiber are. The higher density the stronger the carpet. Twist-
Number of times fiber turns in an inch length. Higher twist count are characteristic of being more resilient and resist crushing and traffic.Texture-
The style in which fibers are looped that is cut or twisted. It determines the feel, look and durability of the carpet. Some common types are:
Cut pile
- Yarns are cut at the ends giving it a soft feel. Thus, making it perfect for comfortable areas of your home like bedrooms, family rooms and living room. The cut pile has five basic style like- cable, shag, saxony, velvet and frieze. The basic difference in these styles is the amount of twist in the yarn that makes up for carpet durability.Loop
- It has yarns that are uncut and looped on carpet surface. The height of pile varies from low to tightly constructed to more luxurious high- level pile. It is durable and perfect for heavy traffic area. ‘ Berber’ the most common variant can be made as multi- loop carpet or level loop. Cut loop
- A combination of lower loops and high cut tuffs in variety of sculpture pattern. They are good performers but less durable than loop carpets.
Latest In Carpet Designs
A through knowledge about your carpet is advantageous as it enables you to understand the product you will be living with. Plus, knowing the different materials and various carpet helps you in evaluating their performance.
Taking a glance at some of the trendiest designs that are available this year at LimeRoad are:
Neutral carpet colour-
Flint grey according to LimeRoad designers is the new beige. Nylon carpets in this shade is the most wanted. Nylon is favourite cause of low maintenance. Bold geometric pattern carpet-
Your love for bold geometric pattern carpets in floor tiles can be transferred to carpets too.Animal print carpet-
They are back with a bang. But behold it is not zebra or leopard pattern but fawn print carpeting.Stripes-
Looks perfect towards fireplace or stairs as it flows down.
Benefits Of Carpet
- Amazing beauty and softness to a room.
- Carpets are made in a wide variety of fiber, each offering different qualities that are suited for your home.
- Huge variety of patterns and colours to choose from.
Some other benefits are:
Health-
Carpets have the best dust trapping properties. Dust settles quickly and is then securely held by pile fibers of carpet until vacuumed again. This dust is not disturbed by incoming air flow thus, keeping the dust content of indoor air low. This is important as dust particles act as carriers for allergens, germs and other contaminants.
The myth that carpets encourages dust mite is false. This is due to faeces of house dust mite. Bedding and bed linen contains up to 70% more house mites than carpet. Regular cleaning and vacuuming combined with sufficient ventilation and dry room gives no reasons for carpet to contain allergens.
Sound insulation-
Noise pollution in house can have serious impact on the well being of its inmates. So a fitted carpet plays a key role in eliminating this impact.
Use of carpet enhances absorption of sound and is impact is reduced by up to 30 decibels.
Energy saving-
Carpets are low heat conductors so are natural thermal insulators creating heat barriers. As much as 10% of heat in a room would be lost with smooth floor covering, is absorbed in the room by carpet.Safety-
Cover two aspects- slippage reduction when wet and decrease in stress on joints. The soft supple fibre of carpet provide a cushion effect and best orthopaedic property.
Cleaning And Maintenance
Carpets will last long and look good If routine of daily vacuuming, periodic cleaning and immediate removal of spills and spots is followed.
The following are basic guidelines for keeping your carpet at its best.
Regular cleaning-
Extends the life shell of your carpet, maintaining its appearance.Vacuum clean-
Regularly and thoroughly removing small dirt that damage the fibres. Spills as soon as possible, preferably the moment they occur.
Basic Carpet Care Tips By LimeRoad
- Vacuum often removes the dry dust particles that causes fibers to become dull and matting.
- Direct sunlight on carpet for long period should be avoided. For rooms with many hours of sunlight select light colour carpet to minimise fading.
- Avoid heavy furniture on carpet or rearrange your furniture to give your carpet some rest.
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