Carpet Quick Facts

Choosing The Right Carpet

H. HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS In dining areas, family rooms, or all-purpose areas, carpet with built-in stain resist helps the cleanup of spills. For these and other high traffic areas (stairways, hallways, etc.) , choose a durable, dense cut pile (plush or saxony), a tight level loop or a cut and loop carpet.

L. LOWER TRAFFIC AREAS In bedrooms, formal living rooms, and other "private" areas, you can relax and use deep pile; lush, plush, velvet carpet or any of the textures that provide a wonderful sense of luxury.

Carpet Quality

The type of fiber and the method of construction determine how well a carpet will perform and how well it will keep its original appearance, given normal care. Quality depends on:

DENSITY The amount of yarn used. Bend the carpet and note how close the individual tufts are to each other and how much of the backing is exposed. Press down with one finger and see how easy it is to penetrate to the backing.

TWIST The winding of the yarn around itself. The cut ends should be neat and well defined and not blossom at the ends. The twist is set by heat or steam So the yarns can maintain their original look.

Construction and Texture

Tufted carpet is made by a process in which hundreds of tufts are embedded into a backing material. Varieties include:

LOOP PILE The yarn forms a loop with both ends anchored into the carpet back...Loops are of equal height and uncut, creating a smooth level surface; or uneven, creating a textured surface.
Berber is one example of loop pile.

CUT PILE VELVETS AND PLUSHES The top of the yarn is cut, leaving two individual tufts. This creates a luxurious level surface.

SAXONIES Use yarns of two or more ply twisted together and heat -set to lock in "twist" so each tuft is visible in the surface.

CUT AND LOOP PILE A combination of cut and looped yarns that creates a variety of textures, including sculptured effects.

CRI
The Carpet and Rug Institute
The National trade Association Representing
Manufacturers & Suppliers in the Carpet & Rug lndustry

Want to know more? call 800-882-8846