What You Need To Know About Carpet
This is a brief introduction to the four basic fibers that are used to manufacture carpets today. Each type has unique qualities and strengths. We are happy to assist you in selecting the ideal carpet for your home.
Although some carpets are made of blended materials, most are made of one of the following four fibers:
| Fiber | Nylon | Polyester | PTT | Polypropylene |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Style Options | Excellent | Good | Fair | Fair |
| Color Options | Excellent | Good | Good | Fair |
| Soil Resistance | Excellent | Fair | Fair | Poor |
| Stain Resistance | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Texture Retention | Excellent | Good | Good | Fair |
Nylon Carpet Fibers
In overall performance characteristics, nylon is the most versatile of all fibers, providing excellent durability and flexibility in creating a variety of carpet styles. Nylon is the most commonly used carpet fiber and can be found in a wide range of both cut pile and loop pile styles.
Nylon also has great color flexibility and uniformity, and many nylon yarn systems are exceptionally soft. Though not inherently stain resistant, most carpets made with nylon feature a stain-resist carpet treatment for protection against household spills and stains.
Polyester (PET) Carpet Fibers
Polyester offers exceptional softness and color clarity, and is also naturally stain and fade resistant. Although polyester is not as versatile as nylon, our carpets made of polyester fiber perform very well.
Polypropylene Carpet Fibers
Unlike other fiber types, polypropylene will not absorb water, so it is solution dyed. Solution dyeing is a process in which color is actually built into the fiber when it is formed making the color an inherent part that cannot be removed from the fiber. This means the color will not fade, even when exposed to intense sunlight, bleaches, atmospheric contaminants, or other harsh chemicals or elements.
Polypropylene is normally used in loop pile construction in which there is less need for resiliency because it is not as strong as other fibers.
PTT (Triexta Polyester) Carpet Fibers
PTT (Polytrimethylene Terephthalate) features good resiliency and excellent inherent stain resistance. Recently, some manufacturers have begun applying a topical treatment to PTT carpets. While adequate for staining, PTT still attracts dry and oily soil substances, leading to premature wear in high traffic areas. For this reason, many oil-based stains are extremely difficult to remove.