Types of fiber..
Nylon
This is the most commonly used fiber in carpet
today because it is strong, easy to dye, and readily
available. There is still no stronger carpet fiber on
the market today. If you have any traffic paths at all,
I strongly recommend you buy a nylon carpet and forget
about those other fibers. There are many makers of fiber,
but the leaders are Invista (formerly DuPont), Solutia,
BASF, and Honeywell (formerly Allied Chemical). They
all profess their nylon to be best. Invista and Solutia(formerly
Monsanto) have the most well known brands of nylon with
the Stainmaster and Wear Dated types respectively.
Stainmaster nylon and Wear Dated nylon are simply triloble
(cross grain magnified picture looks like a clover leaf)
fibers with a fluorocarbon added to resist staining.Invista
and Solutia have done a super job of marketing to convince
you that theirs' is best. Also, their yarn is a type
6.6 nylon and is marketed as being "better"
than type 6 nylon. However, recent studies by leading
chemical engineers suggest that the differences between
the two types have little to do with a carpet's overall
performance, and further suggest that carpet construction
is more important than fiber. The reason the consumer
has to pay about $1.00/sq.yd. more for Stainmaster or
Wear Dated than unbranded nylon fiber is that Invista
and Solutia spend millions of advertising dollars to
convince you their fiber is better. This cost is passed
on to the mill, and then to the dealer, and then to
you. Invista did help the consumer by breaking their
fiber quality into groups. The lowest quality Stainmaster
is now StainmasterPlus; then Xtra-Life Stainmaster ,
with Grand Luxuria Stainmaster as their top of the line.
If you really want the ultimate in SOIL hiding from
a nylon look for Invista's Antron nylon. This fiber
is only available in some residential styles. Your light-weight
sparse carpet will not carry the Grand Luxuria label,
heck it may not even carry the Stainmaster Label at
all. Don't be confused. You can purchase a super tightly
twisted, medium dense carpet that is multicolored to
help hide traffic and soil, and you will love the way
it looks new for years; it just will last even longer
if the fiber is nylon.
Olefin or Polypropylene
This is one of the most color fast fibers on
the market. It also is one of the most naturally stain
resistant. Thus, this fiber is best suited for indoor-outdoor
carpet in both loop and grass styles. Olefin is a cheap
fiber. It performs well in wear tests if the profile
of the pile height is super low. If one adds air to
the fiber to give it some bulk (so it feels good), it
will not produce a carpet that looks good for longer
than six months. This puffed up Olefin will crush! I
guarantee it. Also, Olefin has such a low melting point
it must have oil added to the fiber in order to survive
the tufting process. When the carpet is finished, most
American manufacturers do not spend the money to rid
the fiber of all the oil. As a result the carpet crushes
even quicker.The one exception to this process is a
new type of olefin fiber called "Comfortouch"
by Shaw Industries. This new fiber is softer to the
feel because this olefin fiber is scoured three times
during the making. Then the fiber is treated with R2X.
The result is a fiber that feels like cotton, resists
soil and stains better than any other carpet, and wears
extremely well. My advice is to leave olefin to the
outdoor market or light traffic indoors unless you are
able to find a dealer who carries olefin carpets from
Europe, or the new Comfortouch from Shaw. Those of you
who have fallen in love with the Berber style of carpet
make sure it is not made of polypropylene or olefin
with the larger loops.
Wool
If you are looking for your basic commodity
carpet, do not expect to find it in wool. Wool makes
excellent berber carpet, plush carpet, and frieze carpet.
The best quality wool is from New Zealand. Wool naturally
resists general soiling, crushing, and most stains.
Wool is also naturally resistant to fire. Look for wool
carpets made with jute backing (yes like the good old
days) as it has a superior tuft bind. The soft look
and the rich feel of wool is still unmatched by any
man made fiber, and can be more affordable than you
think. Wool carpet is indeed a long lasting luxury carpet.
Cut and Loop
Cut Pile
 Multilevel
 Level
 Textured
 Tip
Shear
.
|
