Carpet

Carpet is a heavy fabric used to cover floor and made from a variety of fibers.  Return to Top

Crushing

Crushing is irreparable loss of pile height caused by traffic or weight.  Return to Top

Denier

Denier is the amount of yarn per area of carpet.  Return to Top

Density

Density refers to the amount of pile yarn per area of carpet or the closeness of the tufts. Higher density carpet improves resistance to crushing and matting.  Return to Top

Double-Glued Seams 

Double-glued seams attach carpet to bare floor to prevent delamination and edge ravel.  Installers should double-glue seams to prevent fuzzing.  Return to Top

Face Weight

Face weight is the number of ounces of fiber per square yard in the face of the carpet (not including the backing). The face weight affects performance and durability. Face weight is different from density because it varies with carpet height.  Return to Top

Fiber

Fiber is the fundamental unit of carpet.  Carpet fibers are made from nylon, polyester, cotton, acrylics, wool, and recycled material.  Return to Top

Flocked

Flocked carpet is made of tufts of wool or cotton fiber.  Return to Top

Fuzzing

Fuzzing occurs when fluffy particles appear on carpet surfaces. It is caused by fibers that loosen because of weak twist or snags. Professional carpet cleaners can shear the carpet to remove fuzzing.  Return to Top

Heatsetting

Heatsetting is the process of heating or steaming yarns to hold their twist.  Most nylon, olefin, and polyester cut pile carpets are heatset.  Return to Top

Knitted

Knitted carpet is formed by interlacing yarn in a series of connected loops.  Return to Top

Matting

Matting is the usually irreversible adhesion of carpet yarn caused by traffic or dirt.  Return to Top

Memory

Carpet memory refers to texture retention.  Return to Top

Needle Punched

Needle punched carpet is stitched into backing material.  Return to Top

Pile

A pile is a column of carpet fiber.  Return to Top

Pile Reversal

Pile reversal or shading is a feature of cut pile carpet. Traffic bends the carpet fiber in different directions creating an impression of light and dark areas.  Regular vacuuming can create uniform shades.  Return to Top

Pilling

Pilling occurs when fluffy particles appear on carpet surfaces.  It is caused by fibers that loosen because of weak twist or snags.  Usually, you can simply cut the pills with sharp scissors.  If the pills are large, however, call in a professional carpet cleaner, retailer, or installer to resolve the problem.  Return to Top

Rippling

Heat and humidity can cause ruffles or waves in wall-to-wall carpet.  A professional carpet retailer or installer can re-stretch the carpet with a power stretcher.  Return to Top

Shading

Shading is the same as pile reversal.  Return to Top

Shedding

New carpet tends to shed for a few weeks after installation.  Regular vacuuming can resolve this problem. Shedding is more common in cut pile carpet and in wool carpet.  Synthetic fiber carpet (such as nylon) does not shed as much.  Return to Top

Snags

Snags can occur when an object tangles in carpet.  Usually, you can simply cut the snag with sharp scissors.  If the snag is large, however, call in a professional carpet cleaner, retailer, or installer to resolve the problem.  Return to Top

Soiling

Soiling occurs when dirt particles build up in carpet fibers.  Regular vacuuming and cleaning will prevent this problem.  Return to Top

Sprouting

Sprouting occurs when fluffy particles appear on carpet surfaces.  Usually, you can simply cut the sprouts with sharp scissors.  If the sprouts are large, however, call in a professional carpet cleaner, retailer, or installer to resolve the problem.  Return to Top

Static Electricity

Cold and low humidity often create isolated motionless charges of electricity. Some carpets provide static resistance.  Humidifiers also limit static electricity buildup.  Return to Top

Texture Retention

Texture retention or carpet memory is the ability of tufts to retain their shape under traffic. Caring for care will help texture retention.  Return to Top

Tufted

Tufted carpets are pieces of yarn embedded in backing material.  Return to Top

Twist

Twist is the winding of the yarn around itself.  More twist improves carpet performance (especially in cut pile).  Return to Top

Twist Level

 Twist level is the number of turns per inch of yarn.  Return to Top

Waterfall Installation

Stairs are composed of a tread (the upper horizontal part of a step) and a riser (the upright member between two stair treads).  Waterfall installation attaches carpet to two points on each step (one at the back of the tread and one at the bottom of each riser).  This type of installation extends the life of carpet on stairs.  When the  carpet on the treads become worn, they can be taken up, reversed, and reinstalled with the worn areas placed over the risers.  Return to Top

Woven

Interlacing strands of fiber into a yarn forms woven carpet.  Return to Top

Yarn

Yarn is made of fibers that are twisted together to form a continuous strand.  Return to Top

Yarn Count

 Yarn count reflects the amount of yarn packed into a given area.  Return to Top