Carpet Information

What are the different types of fiber for carpeting? Carpet is made with four different types of face yarn. Wool, Nylon, Olefin, and polyester. Most of the carpets we carry have nylon pile, however we do carry all of the different types of face yarns, along with blends of more then one type of yarn. Here is some basic information on the different types of yarn commonly used in carpet. 

What are the different types of fiber for carpeting?  Carpet is made with four different types of face yarn.  Wool, Nylon, Olefin, and polyester.  Most of the carpets we carry have nylon pile, however we do carry all of the different types of face yarns, along with blends of more then one type of yarn.  Here is some basic information on the different types of yarn commonly used in carpet.

Nylon:  Nylon is used in a high percentage of all carpets manufactured in the United States.  Nylon is higher priced than polyester and olefin, it has advantages that make it the more desirable yarn type.  Nylon has outstanding wear-resistance and can be cleaned readily.

Olefin:  Olefin is a strong fiber that will resist wear and staining.  Is is colorfast and is very easy to clean.  Olefin is a filament fiber and is commonly used in commercial and berber carpeting.

Polyester;  Polyester has a very soft hand.  Polyester has excellent color clarity and retains its color, and is easy to clean.  Polyester is often made from recycled plastic bottles.

Staple and Filament:  Both nylon and polyester can be made in a staple or filament. 

• Staple fiber are short lengths of fiber, that have been chopped from continuous filament and then twisted  together to form a spun yarn.  While staple products bloom more, giving a "bigger hand" or "fuller hand" they also will shed some of the loose yarn.
• Filament fiber or BCF (bulked continuous filament) are continuous strands of fiber that have been texturized to increase the resiliency and bulk of the fiber.  The continuous strands allow the yarn tips to be smooth and have a fine or clean finish, and minimize shedding. 

What are the different types of construction for carpeting?  All tufted carpet start out as a loop pile construction.  After the carpet has been looped the style of the carpet is defined by what happens to the loops, are the loops cut, left looped, or some cut and some looped.

Cut pile carpet comes in different finishes, Velvet carpet, plush carpet, saxony carpet shag carpet, and Frieze carpeting While all of these are cut pile, carpets differ in yarn twist levels.  This twist allows the manufacturers to change the look and feel of the carpet.

Level loop carpet consists of loops that are the same height and are not cut.This creates a smooth level surface.  This type of construction is used for commercial carpet as well as berber styles.  This is a great choice for high traffic areas.

Cut and loop carpet are carpets that have both cut and looped tufts of yarn.  This provides a variety of textures, including sculptured effects like squares, or swirls etc.  These are also called LCL (level cut loop).

Multi-Level loop carpets are made with two three different loop heights to create a pattern or sculpeured look.      This type of carpet tends to hide traffic patterns and soiling.  While this type of carpet provides good durability and a more casual looking apperance.