Many homeowners
choose carpet because it is warm and soft under foot. When you select a
carpet you generally buy it with the expectations that your new carpet
will look just like the sample in the store for many years. Having some
general knowledge about the different characteristics of carpet will
help you choose the best carpet to meet your expectations.
Below are a few things to help you understand why certain carpets perform better than others.
YARN TWIST
- When it comes to carpet "tighter is better"
. In general terms, the tighter the twist the longer the carpet will
perform before it begins to crush and matt. By taking lots of fine
fiber strands (called filaments) and spinning them into a tightly
twisted yarn and then locking them all together with heat you get a
much more resilient yarn for making carpet.
SHORTER NAP - The
height of the carpet's nap is also important to the overall performance
of the carpet. The higher the yarn stands above the backing of the
carpet the more difficult it is for the manufacturer to make the carpet
crush and matt resistant. So the shorter the pile height the more crush
resistant and the longer the like-new appearance of your carpet will
last.
STITCHES PER INCH
- Like most fabric materials, carpet that has more yarn (or stitches)
per inch will also be more crush and matt resistant. Some carpets are
so dense that it is nearly impossible to push your fingers in between
the yarns. Obviously, the carpets where the yarns are so crowded and
packed together will have a easier time resisting crushing.
CARPET CUSHION -
A good quality carpet cushion will extend the life of any carpet,
regardless of the quality of the carpet. Carpet cushion serves a vital
purpose which is often over looked. Good quality carpet cushion acts as
both a shock absorber and a spring which helps improve a carpet's
overall performance. Review the carpet manufacturer's cushion
recommendations prior to purchasing a carpet.
Families with pets or worried about spills
should look for carpet cushions that are made specially to block spills
from penetrating the cushion and are odor-resistant. As examples,
Mohawk offers carpet cushions with Odor Eaters™ and Invista's
STAINMASTER™ carpet cushion features the DuPont™ Hytrel®
breathable moisture barrier to keep spills from soaking into the cushion.
CONTINUOUS FILAMENT NYLON (CFN)
- If you see on the back of a carpet sample a label that says "CFN"
, or "BCF"
, that means this carpet is made from continuous filament nylon.
Continuous filament nylon starts out as one long continuous strand
before made into yarn. The other type is called staple nylon
, which means each fine filament starts out as a short strand about 7
inches long before it is spun into yarn and then tufted into carpet. As
the short, unsecured pieces of staple nylon come loose from the yarn
pile you get pilling on the surface of the carpet. This does not happen
with a continuous nylon carpet.
LOOPED CARPETS -
From level loops to berbers there is an important factor to look for
when buying a crush resistant looped carpet. This is the density of the
loop and how much free space is underneath the loop. Like all carpets
the more filaments that are packed into the yarn and the tighter the
loops the better the performance will be.
YARN TWIST
- When it comes to carpet "tighter is better"
. In general terms, the tighter the twist the longer the carpet will
perform before it begins to crush and matt. By taking lots of fine
fiber strands (called filaments) and spinning them into a tightly
twisted yarn and then locking them all together with heat you get a
much more resilient yarn for making carpet.
SHORTER NAP - The
height of the carpet's nap is also important to the overall performance
of the carpet. The higher the yarn stands above the backing of the
carpet the more difficult it is for the manufacturer to make the carpet
crush and matt resistant. So the shorter the pile height the more crush
resistant and the longer the like-new appearance of your carpet will
last.
STITCHES PER INCH
- Like most fabric materials, carpet that has more yarn (or stitches)
per inch will also be more crush and matt resistant. Some carpets are
so dense that it is nearly impossible to push your fingers in between
the yarns. Obviously, the carpets where the yarns are so crowded and
packed together will have a easier time resisting crushing.
CARPET CUSHION -
A good quality carpet cushion will extend the life of any carpet,
regardless of the quality of the carpet. Carpet cushion serves a vital
purpose which is often over looked. Good quality carpet cushion acts as
both a shock absorber and a spring which helps improve a carpet's
overall performance. Review the carpet manufacturer's cushion
recommendations prior to purchasing a carpet.
CONTINUOUS FILAMENT NYLON (CFN)
- If you see on the back of a carpet sample a label that says "CFN"
, or "BCF"
, that means this carpet is made from continuous filament nylon.
Continuous filament nylon starts out as one long continuous strand
before made into yarn. The other type is called staple nylon
, which means each fine filament starts out as a short strand about 7
inches long before it is spun into yarn and then tufted into carpet. As
the short, unsecured pieces of staple nylon come loose from the yarn
pile you get pilling on the surface of the carpet. This does not happen
with a continuous nylon carpet.
LOOPED CARPETS -
From level loops to berbers there is an important factor to look for
when buying a crush resistant looped carpet. This is the density of the
loop and how much free space is underneath the loop. Like all carpets
the more filaments that are packed into the yarn and the tighter the
loops the better the performance will be.