Carpet Flooring Jargon Can Floor You - Learn What Makes a Good Quality Carpet

When you choose your carpet flooring you are faced with a variety of terms relating to the construction of the carpet and the type of fibre used etc. and unless you are a carpet salesman you can find yourself blinded by science. A typical carpet flooring might be advertised in terms of the type of fibre, type of ply and the density of the fibre. Without knowing anything about fibre, Yomiko classics ply and density how do you know if you're being sold a good carpet?

The aim of this article is to quickly and simply explain to the lay person basic carpet flooring terminology and to divulge what makes a better quality carpet.

Fibre Type

There are a variety of fibres that go into the construction of various types of carpet flooring:

� Wool

� Nylon

� Acrylic

� Polyester

� Cotton

Each fibre has various strengths and weaknesses though it is generally recognised that Wool is the premier carpet flooring fibre with Nylon a close second. Overall (due in large to cost as wool can be expensive) synthetic fibres make up the bulk of the carpet fibre market. There is however as yet no perfect fibre as they are all subject to abuse and that abuse will show in wear and tear over the years in use.

Why is Wool considered to be the best carpet flooring fibre?

Pros

Wool gives carpet flooring a luxurious texture and appearance. It is hard wearing and retains more heat than other fibres. Other advantages of a wool carpet are:

� It is fairly stain resistant

� Easy to clean

� Not very flammable - burns slowly - considered self-extinguishing

� Comes in a variety of beautiful colours

Cons

� Wool carpets can be prone to bald patches if cleaned poorly or in a high traffic area.

� They can be prone to degradation if exposed to direct sunlight.

� Static can build up in low humidity.

� They are not very resistant to mildew and can be prone to shrinking due to being able to hold 10 times its weight in moisture,

Nylon

Nylon is a very durable fibre and its strengths include:

� Resilient to abrasions

� Strong

� Easy to clean

� Resistance to stains when stain treatment applied

� Most nylon is treated with an anti-static treatment

� Lots of lovely colours

� Low moisture absorbency

� Resistant to sunlight

What does carpet fibre density mean?

The closer together the pile fibres the denser the pile is said to be. The closer together, the denser, warmer, longer lasting, better looking the carpet is said to be. There are though, other factors to consider which contribute to the durability of the pile such as the length of the pile and the type of ply, how many twists it has and so on.

What is ply?

Plying is the process of twisting together two or more single pieces of fibre. 2ply for example is two pieces of fibre twisted together.

What is the twist level?

Twist level refers to how many twists a ply of fibre is given. The more twists a fibre has the less dense the carpet. Counting twists in carpet pile isn't something you're going to want to do so hopefully the carpet salesman can advise you. In the meantime a good rule of thumb is that:

The shorter and tighter the twist, the denser and better the carpet.

6 twists are thought to be a good starting point.

Good luck selecting the carpet flooring for your home, don't let the science blind you!

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