Shoppers Guide To Buying Carpet
| The following is a guide to selecting the best carpet for your money. Surprisingly, Rule Number One is to forget color. Concentrate on the construction and learn how to judge quality. Here are some suggestions: |  |
Density
This is measured in tufts of yarn per square inch, ranging from 4 to
10 and depending on the thickness of the yarn. As with thread counts
for sheets, the higher the better. (Don't confuse density with thickness
or height of the pile.)
Twist Level
How tightly is the yarn twisted? The number of turns per inch if yarn
is called the twist level. The tighter the twist, the better. Look
for neat tight ends that do not "blossom" and ask if the twist is
heat-set, a finishing treatment that holds the shape.
Height
The height of the pile has nothing to do with the quality of the carpet.
Densely woven, tightly twisted carpet may have lower pile and be of
better quality than carpet with a deep pile and loose weave (remember
1974's hot seller, shag that practically buried your feet?).
Fibre
The kind if fiber alone - from wool to nylon to polyester to olefin
- doesn't make a good quality carpet. Choosing a fiber is subjective
and depends on the look you want and, since fibers wear differently,
where the carpet will be laid. Carpet construction - from the twist
of the yarn to the tufting - is most important.
GLOSSARY
Carpet: Floor covering either woven, tufted,
knitted, flocked or needle punched, made from a variety of fibers.
Crushing: Irreparable loss of pile height
caused by heavy foot traffic.
Fiber: The starting block, the fundamental
unit of textile raw material, including cotton, wool, nylon, and polyester.
Matting: When heavy traffic or soil causes
the tufts of yarn to stick together; usually irreversible.
Tufted Carpet: Pieces of yarn embedded in
backing material.
Yarn: An assemblage of fibers or filaments
twisted together to form a continuous strand.