Carpet Buying Steps

Pick the type of fibre
To pick the right fibre, consider how you live in each room. Types of fibres are:

Nylon | Polypropylene | Wool | Blends

Nylon
Nylon is the most durable carpet fibre available. It is the carpet of choice for homes with pets and children and for those who entertain a lot. Perfect for heavy traffic in hallways and stairs. Nylon was first introduced in 1938 by DuPont. This started the era of modern synthetic fibres for apparel, industrial applications, and tufted carpet. Since then nylon has been further developed and improved.

Nylon, is a petrochemical synthetic fibre made from carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen. With issues such as soiling and cleaning, nylon performs very well and is resistant to staining if it receives a stain-resistant treatment.

Nylon is manufactured as either 'bulked continuous filament' (BCF) or 'staple'. BCF nylon is composed of long strands of continuous fibres, many miles long, which have been twisted together in a virtually unbroken yarn. BCF nylon is used in loop and cut pile constructed carpets. Staple nylon, spun into yarn, is made from 15 to 18 centimetre cut lengths of fibre and is primarily used in cut pile constructions.

Today's greatly improved 'treated nylon fibres' are sometimes referred to as 'sixth generation'. They enable enhanced removal of soil and most common household food and beverage stains through professional cleaning.

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Polypropylene (Olefin)
Polypropylene offers good stain and moisture resistance, but scores below nylon and polyester for wearability. It can be a good choice in loop pile construction although its colors and styles are limited.

Polypropylene was first introduced into the carpet industry from Italy in the late 1950s. Naturally stain- and fade-resistant, polypropylene BCF is the fastest growing carpet fibre, now representing more than 25% of all fibre used in the carpet industry. Because the fibre is naturally moisture-resistant, it must be 'solution-dyed', which limits its colour range. Polypropylene BCF is not as resilient or resistant to abrasions as nylon BCF, and the carpet construction must compensate for this. Polypropylene is most commonly used in loop pile constructions. If properly constructed, polypropylene carpets offer exceptional value.

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Wool
Favored for its natural beauty. It has natural soil resistance quality, but is not stain resistant. Wool looks good for a long time and is constructed well, and very durable.

Wool, the original fibre, has been used in carpets since ancient times. About 1% of the carpet market consists of products made with wool fibre. Quality wool comes from special breeds of sheep which produce a coarser, thicker fibre than those raised for fine apparel wools. Wool has excellent aesthetic properties, and even though modern synthetic fibres offer superior performance, they have not fully achieved the natural patina of wool.

The wool used for carpet comes from countries like New Zealand, Argentina, United Kingdom and Australia. Natural wools vary in colour from off-white to black, with many earthen tones in between. The term 'Berber', which is now considered a type of construction, originated from some of the natural wool colours used in the manufacturing of carpet.

Although wool does not have the resistance to abrasion or moisture absorption that synthetic fibres do, it does clean well and therefore 'ages gracefully'.

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Blends
Different fibres can be mixed to create carpets with various qualities in performance and style. A particularly good blend is 80% wool mixed with 20% nylon. More modern blends combine polyester with nylon, as well as various acrylic blends.

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