Carpet Terms You Should Know

Over the years we have learned that many people make assumptions about carpet, and carpet cleaning, based on lack of knowledge - basically not knowing certain carpet terms they should probably know when they decide to purchase carpet or have their carpets cleaned.

In this article we are going to go over some basic carpet terms that might be helpful to you.

One of the main areas this knowledge might be helpful to you is when you decide to go to your local carpet retailer to buy carpet.

In most cases the sellers of carpet will lead you in the right direction, but there are still plenty of times where the seller of carpet is doing what is best for them - not for you - and knowing some of these terms can help you make a smart purchase of carpet for your home or place of business.

Let's Go Over Some Basic Carpet Terms You Should Know

Synthetic Carpet - If you hear the words "synthetic carpet" you are basically being told  the carpet is plastic - or a form of plastic.

Typically most synthetic carpets made and purchased in America are made of nylon, olefin, or  a polyester. A synthetic carpet is any carpet where the fibers are not of a plant or animal
variety.

Natural Fiber Carpet - A natural fiber carpet is either made from a plant or from an animal  source. The most natural of all natural fibers is wool.

There are very few, probably none, wall-to-wall cotton carpets. But there are carpets made of natural fibers other than cotton and in our opinion these carpets should be avoided.

Now For Some Carpet Styles

Cut Pile Carpet - A cut pile carpet is just a carpet where the tufts of the carpet have been cut.

There are no loops. Cut pile carpet is the most prominant type of carpet in American homes.

Loop Carpet - A loop carpet is exactly as it sounds - the fibers are in a loop. The loop can be loose or very tight, but it is still a loop. The loops have not been cut. Berber carpet is a very good example of a loop carpet.

Many people can any loop carpet a berber, but that is not true.

Frieze Carpet - We love this type of carpet. A frieze carpet is a cut pile carpet with a longer than normal fiber and a fiber that is tightly twisted. A frieze is NOT a shag carpet.

The fibers of a frieze carpet do not stand straight up, they fall slightly to the side and can fall in any direction. Frieze carpets are excellent for hiding shoe or foot prints or vacuum cleaner marks.

Saxony Carpet - A saxony carpet is a carpet that has cut pile fibers and the fibers stand straight up.

Saxony carpets are very popular and there are a variety of styles with saxonies.

Berber Carpet - As we mentioned earlier there are some misconceptions about berber carpet. The real definition of a berber carpet is a carpet made of wool and that has loops. Most berber that you see in the United States is not made of wool - but made of polypropylene.

Berber carpet made with polypropylene is excellent for family rooms that get a lot of traffic. Polypropylene does not absorb much water, so it dries fast, and is also solution dyed so it is actually fairly hard to stain.

Other Carpet Terms

Carpet Face Weight - This is a term that you should probably know when you go shopping for a carpet as it can be a factor in the quality of the carpet.

Face weight is simple - it is the weight of the carpet fibers, in ounces per square yard of carpet.

In many cases face weight is a sign of better quality, but not always.

If you have two carpets that are exactly the same, but one has a higher face weight that carpet is PROBABLY of higher quality. But don't just judge the quality of a carpet based on the face weight.

Backing - The backing is basically what it sounds like - the back of the carpet. The backing of a carpet is where the tufts of the carpet are inserted.

There are two parts to the backing of a carpet.

The PRIMARY backing is where the tufts are attached and the secondary backing is the backing that attaches
to the primary backing.

The secondary backing is needed for a couple of reasons:

1. To provide dimensional stability to the primary backing.

2. To provide a barrier between the primary backing and the carpet pad.

Many secondary backings also have some moisture control barrier than helps
stop urine and other liquids from going through the primary backing and into
the carpet pad.

Carpet Padding - Carpet padding is what goes on the sub-floor between the carpet and the floor. Do not overlook the importance of carpet padding, it can be extremely important in the longevity and comfort level of your carpet.

The primary purpose of carpet padding is to stop the carpet from rubbing on the floor and causing the carpet to wear out faster than it would without padding. The other reason for carpet padding is to protect the surface that is below the carpet.

Carpet padding also offers a comfort level under foot. And there are also safety implications with carpet padding.

Falling on the floor and banging your head on the carpet WITH padding is going to be much better than just falling on the floor and smacking your head.

Carpet padding also offers noise insulation, which can be a big benefit.

Carpet Protector - Carpet protector is designed to do one thing: protect the carpet fibers.

A good carpet protector does this in two ways:

1. Resist water and oiled based stains
2. Protects the fiber from dry soil, which is what usually "wears" the carpet out.

Almost all carpets come with carpet protector in them when they are purchased. Over time
this carpet protector wears out and should be replaced after about every cleaning.

There are two main components of a carpet protector.

A. The Fluorochemical - The fluorochemical part of carpet protect is what lowers the surface tension of the fiber. If a fiber has a lower surface tension of whatever is spilled on it, the fiber will resist (initially) whatever is spilled on it.

One thing to understand is that the fluorochemical part of a carpet protector is not a physical barrier such as a floor finish or something of that nature.

All the fluorochemical does is lower the surface tension so anything with a higher surface tension will not  penetrate the fiber.

B. Acid Dye Resistors - Acid Dye Resistors are the second component of carpet protectors and these are super important for resisting stains caused by dyes such as any food coloring or any type of dye that can penetrate a dye site.

Those Are Your Basic Carpet Terms

There are many more carpet terms that we could go over, but the terms we have listed here are the most common and the terms you should probably know a bit about.

It is very important to have some basic knowledge of these terms when you decide to go  shopping for a carpet. Knowledge is power and with the knowledge of some of these terms you can more easily choose the carpet that is right for you.