Fiber is carpet's basic ingredient. The four basic fibers used in carpets today all have their individual strengths. Even more importantly, they all make excellent carpets.
Your ultimate choice will be determined by the characteristics that are most important to you. Although some carpets are made of blends, most are made entirely of one of the following four
fibers:
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Nylon. Nylon is the most widely used carpet fiber, preferred primarily for its strength. Nylon is incredibly durable and resilient. Because of its resistance to matting
and wear, you will never see a visibly worn carpet path in even the busiest spots of your home. Nylon carpet fiber is soft yet strong, shows color brilliantly, and cleans well. Though
not inherently stain resistant, most nylons are treated with a stain-resist carpet treatment for protection against household spills and stains.
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Polypropylene (also called Olefin). The use of polypropylene in carpet has grown dramatically over the past ten years due to the popularity of Berber style loop
carpets. Polypropylene is extremely resistant to stains, fading, and moisture. Polypropylene, a value-oriented fiber, is also notably colorfast because it is solution dyed, which means
the color is added during production and not dyed later. The color is such an inherent part of the fiber that you can even clean polypropylene with bleach.
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Polyester. Appreciated for its versatility, polyesters popularity continues to grow. Polyester offers exceptional softness, making it ideal for thick, cut pile styles.
Polyester is also naturally and permanently stain resistant and fade resistant. It has excellent color clarity, color retention, strength, and abrasion resistance. Carpets made from
this fiber are easily cleaned and they resist water soluble stains.
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Wool. The preeminent natural fiber, wool yields a soft, warm, comfortable feel. Although wool does not possess natural resistance to moisture or abrasion, it ages well
and is easy to clean. Because it is the most expensive carpet fiber, wool is generally used only in luxury carpets and area rugs.
Today's carpet styles, colors and textures blend well with any room decor as well with a variety of other flooring products. From casual to formal, ALKA Flooring can
help you find a carpet style that will enrich any interior setting and your lifestyle. There are carpets for all areas of the home including active areas where fashion and function are
both important in your selections.
Main types of carpet
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Plush is noted for its smooth "velvet" surface. Loops are cut evenly and left untwisted. Plush is great in formal rooms but impractical anywhere else. Don't walk on it
or you'll see every footprint. Spots are visible from across the street.
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Berber is a continuous filament compressed into a series of loops. The short tight dense looped berbers hide footprints and hold up better under wear than the big
fat-loops and clean better too.
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Frieze (free-zay) is cut pile where the yarns are highly twisted, forming curly yarns that swirl in different directions. This informal look minimizes foot prints and
vacuum marks. Seams are all usually invisible.
Some of the advantages in using carpet in your home
- Carpet adds warmth and is soft under boot and easier on children's knees.
- Carpet is much quieter than hard surfaces floors.
- Carpet comes in a wide variety of color tones and hues.
- Carpet is easy to decorate with and offers many solid color tones for rooms with patterned wall coverings.
- Carpet can hide many subfloor irregularities that would not be permitted with hard surface floors.
- Carpet can go over a variety of substrates and on all grade levels, even concrete slabs in basements.
- Carpet is economical and the installation costs are much less than some of the hard surface products.
How to choose the right carpet for your home?
What you choose depends on what you need. When thinking fashion, consider the following: What are your colors? Whats your look modern, traditional, contemporary? How big is the room?
Does it get a lot of light?
Other factors are: Who will be using the room? Got kids? Pets? Big yard leading right into your new carpet? Or is it in a room away from entrances? Do you want a soft, comfortable floor
you can sit on in front of a fireplace, or when the kids are playing video games? Do you hate footprints and tracking but love big family get togethers? If its your bedroom, how do you
want it to feel the first thing in the morning when your bare feet touch that plush carpet?
One thing is for sure, especially if its for your home, get the best quality carpet you can afford thats appropriate for the application. Its an investment in your home thats worth
making.
A lot depends on the application. While a plush velvet may be the right choice for your living room, youre not likely to put it in the basement. At the same time, a solid nylon berber
in the busy family room will outperform a polypropylene or blended carpet.
The single most important factor though may be simply this that you love the way it makes your home look and feel.
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