carpet couture |
Unlike shopping for cars or clothes , a lot of different carpet styles look very similar , yet prices vary and there ’ s a reason for that . The fiber that is used to make the yarn that is then made into carpet is where the difference starts . How that fiber is made into yarn is the second determining factor and how it is then tufted ( sewn ) into carpet is the next key difference .
More than 90 percent of today ’ s carpet is made of synthetic fiber — nylon , polyester , triexta , or polypropylene . While each fiber has somewhat different characteristics , they are all made basically the same way . ( This also includes carpets made from “ Natural ” fibers , such as wool and sisal .)
Once the fiber has been extruded it is bundled together and twisted into a yarn and then heat set to lock in the carpet fiber ’ s shape . Hundreds of needles arrayed across a machine sew the yarn into a backing . Later , a second backing will be attached to give it additional strength and stability .
How well the carpet will perform depends on how well the yarn is made and how densely the carpet is tufted . The general rule is that the more filaments twisted into a yarn , the stronger it will be and the denser the carpet is ( more tufts per square inch ), the better it will perform . Keep in mind though that the longer the pile height , the more likely a carpet is to crush ( think of traffic paths or marks where furniture has been placed on top of the carpeting ). >>
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