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Sorting out all the carpet styles and fibers

Thursday, November 18, 2021 6:50 AM

Selecting the right carpeting is fun and pretty overwhelming at the same time because you’ll hear a lot of terms in the carpet store, such as pile, texture, and style fiber. We’ll simplify it for you, though, because while there's still a significant choice, it all comes down to three primary styles and five most frequently chosen fibers.

Carpet anatomy 101

All carpets are first made by threading the looped yarns through the backing. Then, they either remain that way, called a looped pile or cut; this can be the essential cut pile, with even short yarns and exposed ends, or become high, low, or medium lengths. The third basic style is the cut and loop, which is as it sounds, where all the different piles embed various looks, such as pin dots, geometrics, hexagons, or marbleized patterns.

Loop constructions include the Level Loop or the Berber, where the yarns are thicker, and there's distinct coloring that contains flecks of brown and gray. Saxony, while a cut pile, has yarns that are slightly longer than the basic ones. Shags are longer still and considered a high pile rug; so are Frieze carpets, but the yarns are somewhat shorter and twisted so tightly they curl. Low pile rugs have short, tightly woven threads, making them easier to clean and more durable.

The five most common fibers

Fiber is the material from which the yarns are made, making it the foundation of this floor covering. Whether you choose natural or synthetic fibers depends on how much you value specific characteristics, as they are both excellent choices.

While there are acrylics and blends, the most frequently chosen are wool, a natural, and synthetics such as nylon, polyester, olefin (polypropylene), and triexta. It's vital to know the pros and cons of each, as fiber affects the aesthetics, function, and longevity of the rug.

We’ll help you make sense of it all! To learn more about carpets, come into the Carpeting by Mike showroom in Somerset, WI, especially if you live or work in New Richmond, Osceola, Hudson, Stillwater, Baldwin, Hammond, and Woodbury. Ask us about our free carpet flooring quotes.