Proudly Serving the Community Since 1979
CARPET
Selecting a carpet is an important process because it's a decorating investment you'll want to enjoy for years to come.
Dupont, producer of North America's finest carpet fibers and carpet brands, wants you to be able to make a better-informed decision.
This guide will give you basic information on carpet fibers and construction, how to judge quality and performance,
and how to determine which carpet is best suited for each room or area.
So, read through this information and learn about plushes and saxonies, level loop and cut-piles and textures, and you'll soon understand the jargon of carpets.
And most importantly, you'll gain the confidence to select the best carpet for your decor, budget and lifestyle.
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Construction Basics
The specific construction or manufacturing method of a carpet affects both its appearance and performance.
Most carpet is made by one of four methods; tufted, woven, needle-punched or hand-knotted.
Tufted carpet is made on a high-speed machine that stitches big loops of yarn through the backing fabric.
A latex coating locks the loops in place, and then a secondary backing material is applied for strength and stability.
Over 90 percent of the broadloom carpet made in North America is tufted. It's efficient and less expensive to produce than woven carpet, and offers consumers a complete range of styling.
Woven carpet construction is similar to woven fabric. The pile, weft and warp yarns interlace on the loom, allowing for wide versatility of design. Velvet plush,
Axminster, and Wilton carpets are all woven.
Needle-punched carpet is made by punching layers of fiber through a mesh fabric by thousands of barbed needles.
The result is a felt-like carpet. This type if carpet was developed first for indoor-outdoor use. It's relatively durable but limited in available styles.
Hand-knotted carpets and rugs have been made (mostly in wool) for centuries, primarily in the Middle East and China. Commonly referred
to as Oriental rugs, they follow distinct traditions of color and pattern and are usually very expensive.
Carpet Styles
***Click here for Styles/Textures***
Choosing the Right Carpet Fiber
Carpet fiber and how the carpet is constructed (see Styles) affect the appearance, performance and value of your carpet. During manufacture,
fiber is converted into yarn, which is tufted or woven to form the pile....the surface you see and walk on.
Retailers' carpet samples are labeled to identify fiber content. Most carpet styles are made entirely of one fiber type....nylon, olefin or polyester.
Some styles may contain blends of these fibers.
There are two fiber classes....natural, such as wool, and man-made, such as nylon, olefin and polyester. Each has different characteristics.
The following can help you make the right choice for your needs.
Nylon continues as the ideal carpet fiber. Its many attributes combine to provide outstanding durability, performance, resilience and appearance.
Nylon lends itself to an unlimited variety of styles and colors at reasonable prices.
Polyester fiber produces carpets that are soft to the touch but not as resilient as carpets of nylon. Polyester is best suited for low traffic areas.
Olefin (also called polypropylene) is often used in indoor/outdoor carpet and in tight, loop-pile commercial carpets. Due to its relatively low resilience,
its use should be restricted to areas of low traffic.
Wool, of course, is a natural fiber and presents a beautiful appearance in carpeting. However, wool may not be as resilient as man-made carpet fibers and
is quite a bit more expensive.
STAINMASTER carpets are made of 100% premium DuPont nylon fiber and created by the world's finest mills to make beautiful carpeting following precise DuPont specifications.
Ideas On Carpet
COLOR AND DESIGN
The interior of your home should be designed as as interrelated unit. Think of it as a whole rather than a series of unrelated spaces. Rooms open into other rooms.
The textures, colors and of your carpets can create a pleasing, harmonious effect....or one that is jumbled and visually disturbing.
Your floors are the "fifth wall" of a room, connecting all the design elements. When choosing a color scheme, consider the walls, window treatments and other furnishings,
as well as any special effects you wish to create.
For example, wall-to-wall carpet tends to expand the space of a room. An unbroken swoop of color, especially a light color with a smooth texture, fools the eye into seeing
more space than really exists. In very small rooms, paint the walls the same light color as varying the texture for visual interest.
Conversely, larger rooms can seem more intimate with a rich, deep-dolor carpet in a sculptured texture. Upholstered pieces can be covered in contrasting or bolder colors or patterns that a large area can accommodate.
Color dynamics. The right color carpet in a room can affect its character. A A room that lacks sunlight can be warmed by sunny, bright yellows, oranges and reds.
On the other hand, cool colors, such as blues and greens, can create a serene feeling in a room that's too sunny.
Vibrant, lively colors ate good for family rooms or kitchens. More formal rooms are enhanced by elegant pastels or traditional old-world colors.
Judging Carpet
CONSTRUCTION AND DURABILITY
A knowledgeable salesperson can explain the relative merits of different carpets. There are also some general guidelines to help you determine the durability of
a carpet and how well it will keep its original good looks.
Durability depends on three important factors: The type of fiber, the yarn twist and the pile density. Choosing a carpet based on any one of these factors can be misleading.
It's important to select the right balance of all three.
First, choose a strong, resilient carpet fiber such as nylon; this is the strongest, most resilient carpet fiber use today. Second, carpet with tight yarn twist will resist changes
in appearance and texture. And third, the density of the pile is important for good resiliency and appearance. DuPont STAINMASTER carpets incorporate strict standards for these factors to help assure outstanding performance and lasting beauty.
Look at twist. Yarn twist, particularly in cut-pile, is critical to carpet performance. All pile yarns in cut-pile carpets have been heat set for permanence. The tighter the twist,
the better the carpet will retain its appearance. Look to see that the cut ends of the carpet pile are neat and tight.
Check pile density. Press on the carpet with your fingers to see how easily you push through to the backing. Then, with tufts facing outward, bend the carpet into a "U"
and see how much of the backing shows. The less backing you see, the denser the carpet.
Some practical guidelines. Light-colored carpets will show soil more than dark colors, and dark colors will show lint more than light colors.
The appropriate color carpet can help disguise soil tracked in from the outside since the colors of dirt, sand and clay vary widely.
Tweeds, pebbled textures and patterns are good choices for rooms where spills and soiling are likely to be a problem.
Final color selection. In selecting you final color, it's wise to look at large carpet samples in your home....both by daylight and by lamplight in the evening.
The color you choose in the store may appear completely different in the room with your furnishings and under different light sources.
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Carpet Undercushion
Don't skimp on the undercusion. Quality carpeting needs quality undercushion (or "padding") for maximum durability,
comfort and beauty retention. That's because the undercushion helps absorb foot traffic pressure. Its primary purpose is to provide a firm support the carpet;
thus, a dense, resilient pad is usually recommended, because it performs better than a thick, soft pad.
Carpet undercushion is available in prime urethane, rebond, recycled rubber, rippled rubber of
felted combinations of hair and jute. It is also manufactured in a variety of densities, thicknesses and weights, to meet light,
medium or heavy traffic conditions.
To ensure optimum performance of DuPont STAINMASTER Carpet, it must be installed over new undercushion
which meet the minimum parameters for thickness and density. In addition, it must meet the minimum Compression
Deflection range for Type 2* or Type 1* undercushion.
| Type
of Undercushion |
Thickness
mm (in.) |
Density
kg/m3 (lb/ft3) |
Compression
Deflection minimum range kPa |
| Prime Urethane |
9 (0.35) |
35.2 (2.2) |
17.1 - 35 |
| Rebond |
9 (0.35) |
80.1 (5.0) |
17.1 - 35 |
| Recycled Rubber |
6 (0.24) |
288.3 (18.0) |
17.1 - 35 |
| Rippled Rubber |
7 (0.28) |
224.3 (14.0) |
17.1 - 35 |
Note: Maximum thickness for all carpet undercushion except rubber is 12mm (0.5").
*CGSB Standard 20-GP-23M-1978 entitled "Standard for: Cushion, Carpet, Flexible Polymeric Material"
Your retailer can help you select the right undercushion.
Carpet Installation
Proper installation is critical to beautiful appearance and carpet performance.
A quality installer will follow these guidelines.
- Measure the yardage needed for each room or area.
- Inspect the actual carpet prior to installation for any defects.
- For patterned carpet, consider proper matching of the design. In cut-pile carpets, make sure the pile direction is the same between the two seamed pieces.
- Determine the position of seams and how the edges will be finished in doorways.
- Make certain seams ate strong enough to withstand stretching and traffic and yet be as inconspicuous as possible.
- Stretch carpet properly during installation to avoid wrinkles or buckles caused by traffic, humidity and temperature. Power stretching is strongly recommended.
Why Choose DuPont Stainmaster
FOR YOUR NEW CARPET?
More consumers know and trust DuPont STAINMASTER than any other brand.
That trust has made DuPont STAINMASTER today's best-selling carpet. Why? It's the unique combination of DuPont carpet technology systems that makes the difference.
The DuPont Advanced Teflon Repel System.
Now DuPont STAINMASTER carpets stay 40% cleaner than other carpets thanks to our latest breakthrough technology....the DuPont Advanced Teflon Repel System.
The fibers in DuPont STAINMASTER carpet actually repel, or "push away" soil, reducing their ability to stick to the carpet fibers. This dirt-repelling action also increases
vacuuming efficiency by 26%, so you get better results each time you vacuum your carpets.
The repelling action of the DuPont Advanced Teflon Repel System also works on spills, causing them to bead up on the carpet fibers.
The bead-up action reduces the ability of the spill to be absorbed into the fibers, thus keeping spills from becoming stains.
DuPont has always been an industry leader in stain and soil resistance technology. The Advanced Teflon Repel System, now a standard on all DuPont STAINMASTER carpets,
makes that technology even better and backs it with a comprehensive warranty package.
The DuPont Fiber Technology System.
All DuPont STAINMASTER carpets provide you with lifetime protection against static shock. Each carpet contains unique carbon-filled fibers that control static electricity.
Because this protection is built in, it can't wear off from use or diminish from repeated cleanings.
And what does this combination of DuPont technologies mean to you? Since DuPont invented these systems they were able to make them completely compatible....
the stain and soil technology works with the fiber technology, which works perfectly with the anti-static technology. It's this perfectly matched combination of innovation and technology that makes DuPont
STAINMASTER carpet your best choice for high performance, fashion and function.
Warranties
FOR THE DUPONT FAMILY OF STAINMASTER CARPETS
DuPont tests and warrants only the finest, first-quality carpet....no seconds or irregular quality. That is why DuPont confidently stands behind every DuPont STAINMASTER
carpet with one of the most comprehensive warranty packages in the industry.
For specific DuPont STAINMASTER warranty information, ask your dealer for a DuPont STAINMASTER Family of Brands brochure and a DuPont STAINMASTER Consumer
Warranty brochure or call 1-800-4-DUPONT (1-800-438-7668).
Summary
As you go through the process of selecting you carpet, look at it as an investment in your home's value and appearance ad you family's comfort and well-being.
You want to make the best choice for your family, so remember these important factors to assure that your new carpet gives you the performance and years of beauty that you expect:
- Nylon provides superior resilience versus other fibers for appearance retention.
- Yarn twist and pile density are the other key factors in appearance retention.
- Carpet Undercushion plays a very important role in the performance of the carpet....quality carpeting needs quality undercushion padding.
- Selecting a DuPont STAINMASTER carpet will give you the best performance for your money and a carpet with beauty that lasts. Of course you're going to love it.....it's a DuPont STAINMASTER carpet.
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