Types of carpet
Carpet comes in all sort of styles, colors, fibers, installation methods, and patterns. Over 70% of the carpet in the world is manufactured in Dalton, GA. Almost all carpet installed in the US is manufactured there. Most carpet is manufactured from nylon, olefin, polyester, wool, or a combination of two or more above. The fiber determines many of the characteristics of the carpet. Also, carpet typically comes in 6′, 12′, 13′6″, or 15′ widths and all sorts of length rolls depending on the style of carpet. Carpet is similar to tile in that hues can vary in different dye lots (the manufacture lot #).
Most residential carpet is made from Nylon. It’s durable, economic, and available in a wide selection of colors. It will have resist some dirt, abrasion, and mildew. However, many manufacturers use some sort of stain treatment system either engineered in, applied to the fiber before weaving, or applied topically to the carpet after the weaving process.
Olefin is also known as polypropylene. It is the most naturally stain, wear, and fade resistant. It also wears really well making the best choice fiber for most outdoor applications.
Polyester is the softest fiber that holds vivacious color best. Though it wears well, it wears worse than olefin or nylon. It also tends to shed throughout the whole life of the carpet.
Wool is probably the least used fiber of the four because of its expense. Its a natural fiber, that wears well and maintains its luxurious feel. However, it will shed throughout the life of the carpet as well.
Carpet patterns can usually be divided into two categories: Cut Carpets & Loop Carpets.
Cut carpets include Textured, Plush, and Frieze styles. Textured carpets are typically really dense and soft with tightly twisted fibers that hide traffic well. Plush carpets have lighter twists and are less dense making it feel even softer than textured. It shows footprints really well. Frieze is the best of both worlds. It combines tightly twisted fibers that go in different directions enabling traffic to be hid very well. It is very similar to what most consumers call “shag” carpet.
Loop carpets include Level Loop, Berber, Pattern (Multi-Level Loop), and Cut and Loop carpets. Level Loop carpets have loops instead of those loops being cut! It can have a short or high pile height. Berber is a level loop typically made of olefin that has very tight construction which allows it to handle wear and traffic very well. However, it can hold dirt or snag relatively easy. Keep this in mind if you have pets or children with toys! Pattern carpets usually will have different heights and tufting methods that give it some sort of relief giving it a pattern. Cut and loop carpets are the combination of some cut and some level loops tufted together.
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