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Carpet Choices for Wall to Wall Carpet

By Terry Weinheimer 2 Comments

Carpet Choice is almost Limitless

carpet selection

Carpet choices are almost limitless for wall to wall carpet. There are carpet choices in color, carpet choices in style, carpet choices in texture and  carpet choices in fiber. Carpet is also manufactured in many different qualities from those designed for no more than a quick cover up, to qualities designed for excellent performance and those where a particular appearance  is the most important feature.  As you can see, there are many carpet choices and these are all considerations that you will want to make when considering the carpet options available to you. 

Two popular carpet choices are tufted loop pile and tufted cut pile.  With a loop pile the yarn is tufted or pulled through the backing of the carpet creating a loop. With cut pile carpet the loop is tufted or pulled through the back and the loop is cut which leaves the cut ends standing erect.

Many people consider cut pile to be the best carpet choice as they find it to be more stylish and a looped carpet to be more casual.  Cut piles come in many styles, such as shag, textured, saxony, and velvet.  Loop pile choices include Berber, cable, or sisal.  For high traffic areas, loop pile is an excellent choice.

One of the factors with choosing your carpet is the cost.  For years wool carpet has been considered the hallmark for style. Unfortunately a good quality wool carpet is more expensive than most of us can afford. And the cleaning takes time too. Manufactures have made it a practice to emulate wool in many of their synthetic products creating a good-looking and good performing product and affordable costs.

Carpet choices for synthetic carpet yarns are available in continuous filament and spun yarns. While a spun yarn will look more like wool it will also shed more. Many people find their vacuum bags and canisters filling up with carpet fuzz. This is normally because the carpet is manufactured from a spun yarn and is a normal characteristic and not a defect.

wool carpet sheep

If you are able to afford good quality wool carpeting,this can be an excellent carpet choice. You’ll find that even though it costs of wool carpet is more to purchase and install, it will prove to be far more superior to any other type of carpeting.  While there is some wonderful man-made carpet fibers that come close to the durability, rich look, or even the feel of wool they still have a ways to go before they are perfected to the quality of a wool carpet which can both last and look good for 30 years or more.

nylon carpet fiber

Nylon carpeting is also a popular carpet choices, recommended for high traffic areas. Nylon is an easy to work with fiber enabling manufacturers to created unlimited styles, patterns and colors. Nylon is one of the most expensive types of synthetic fibers, although it is still cheaper than wool.

olefin carpet stain resistance

Olefin is a low-cost carpet material, often used for indoor or outdoor carpeting.  Olefin is colorfast and strong, very easy to clean.  One of the draw backs to olefin is that it can easily be crushed.

Another consideration you’ll have is the color and patterns of the carpet.  Light carpeting colors help to create a spacious effect, making the room appear to be larger.  Since light color carpet reflects light it will show soil and foot prints easier than your darker colors.

When looking for soil hiding qualities for homes with pets and children your darker colors are usually a better choice. Fortunately there are many carpet choices in dark colors, which is great for those interested in style.  Dark colors are ideal for stains or pets, as they don’t show soiled areas near as much as light-colored carpets.

Don’t let the fact that a carpet has been treated for stain resistance make you comfortable in selecting a light-colored carpet. If you have children and pets and must have a lighter colored carpet be prepared for the extra care when it comes to stains and spots.

Filed Under: Carpet Selection Tagged With: Berber, Carpet, Carpet Fiber, Carpet Manufacturing, Carpet Protection, Carpets Benefits, Cleaning, Color, Cut Pile, Floor Covering, Loop, Nylon, Olefin, Saxony, Selecting Carpet, Soil, Style, Tufted, w, Wool

Carpet Shading, Footprints, Pooling

By Terry Weinheimer 56 Comments

shading and pooling

Why is My New Carpet Turning Different Shades?

There are many types of carpet shading complaints. Carpet shading is a localized alteration in the orientation of the pile.  Shading occurs as the result of randomness in pile lay direction. Shading will be seen on both wall to wall carpets and rugs. The physical cause of shading is due to the difference between light reflection from the greater surface area of the side of the bent fibers, which appear lighter in color, compared to the greater light absorption and darker appearance of the more vertically oriented fibers.

As a result of this change in light reflection a carpet will often take on an appearance as if a portion of the carpet has changed in hue. When inspection lighting is applied over the shaded area, no actual change will be seen. Carpet shading can occur as temporary carpet shading, tracking, or pile reversal defined as follows:

Carpet Shading

Carpet shading is a normal characteristic of cut pile carpets, especially those with a smooth pile such as velvets and saxony plush. Carpet shading is considered an aesthetic quality of fine carpet and is not considered a defect. Shading is caused by light reflecting differently off of tufts that bend differently from footprints, vacuuming, etc.

A person that finds carpet shading objectionable should select a carpet with a denser construction, lower pile height, textured yarn. Examples would be textured saxony, frieze, and berber.

carpet shading and tracking

Carpet Shading is identified by areas that appear lighter or darker depending upon the direction they are viewed from. Brushing the pile with the hand will result in a change of shade.

Temporary Carpet Shading

A reversible, localized change in orientation of a carpets pile. Temporary shading is often described as a normal characteristic of certain cut pile textile floor covering.

Carpet Tracking

A gradual change in appearance of a carpet from the edge to middle of a narrow band caused by repeated walking over the same area which may result in a localized change in pile orientation and may be irreversible

Carpet Footprints

footprints on carpet

These are shading marks left by humans and animals walking across the carpet. They may be noticeable for a few minutes or a few days depending upon the texture and resiliency of the fiber. Most deep-pile and smooth pile carpets will show footprints.

Vacuum Cleaner Marks

These are shading marks left by the brush and/or wheels of the vacuum cleaner. They may be noticeable for a few minutes or a few days depending upon the texture and resiliency of the fiber. Most deep-pile and smooth pile carpets will show vacuum cleaner marks

 Pile Reversal

carpet pooling - watermarking

Pile Reversal (Watermarking, Pooling)

An irreversible, localized change in orientation of a carpets pile. The phenomenon has different names in different countries
Over time, areas of carpet may look as though someone has spilled water on various sections of the carpet, hence, “water marking.” Other names to describe the phenomenon include “pooling” and “highlighting.

Common Identifying Characteristics: Areas of carpet may look as though someone has spilled water on various sections of the carpet, hence the term water marking. Areas reverse in shade when viewed from opposite directions. Shade will appear to change when brushing with the hand. At the interfaces (edge of perceived change), the pile on either side will be strongly oriented in opposite directions. Conspicuous, irregularly shaped serpentine lines or “interfaces” will generally be located in or immediately adjacent to traffic paths. The traffic pattern may not precisely follow the flow of traffic, but will appear to waver randomly throughout the trafficked pile.

Type of Claim: While water marking may give a highly objectionable appearance it is considered a characteristic and not a defect. Replacing the carpet with a similar carpet of any fiber will likely develop in the same condition within a few months. The causes of this form of pile reversal have not been conclusively determined. Because it occurs almost exclusively in and immediately adjacent to trafficked areas, traffic appears to be a significant contributing factor; however, several environmental factors, e.g. static electricity, electromagnetic fields have also been advanced as possible contributing factors.
The Carpet and Rug Institute in its manual titled Pile Reversal (“Shading”, “Water Marking”), states……the only conclusion which can be drawn is that pile reversal may develop on the surface of some carpet after it is installed, and that pile reversal is not due to the materials which are used to produce the carpet, the manufacturing process, or any combination of these factors.

Filed Under: Carpet Concerns Tagged With: Care, Carpet, Carpet Fiber, Carpet Manufacturing, Carpeting, Cut Pile, Footprints, Light Reflection, Pooling, Rug, Shading, Spot, Tracking, Vacuum Marks, Wall to Wall, Watermarking

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