glossary
Carpet and flooring is a whole lot easier to understand once you know the lingo. Peruse our glossary for all the definitions you’ll find useful right now.
Antistatic
A carpet's ability to dissipate an electrostatic charge before it reaches a level that a person can feel.
BBacking
The fabric and yarns that make up the side of the carpet that lays next to the floor. In tufted carpets there are two types of backing.
Primary backing
a woven or nonwoven fabric through which the yarn is inserted by the tufting needles.
Secondary backing
Fabric that is laminated to the back of the carpet to reinforce it.
Berber
A loop-pile carpet that offers great durability, a full comfortable texture and a casual, informal look. Often, these carpets incorporate flecks of colour that contrast with the primary hue. The term Berber has expanded to include many level and multi-level loop carpet styles.
Binding
A special stitch, band, or strip sewn over a carpet edge to protect and/or decorate it.
Bound Carpet
Carpet that is cut and bound (by stitching or serging around all sides) but not attached to the floor.
Bulked Continuous Filament (BCF)
Strands of synthetic fibre (such as nylon or olefin) that have been formed into bundles of yarn. The fibres have undergone a texturizing procedure that makes the formerly straight filaments either kinked or curled.
CCushion
The cushion or padding that lays underneath carpet. Also known as underlay.
Cut Pile
A carpet in which the yarn loops are cut to create a textured look and feel.
Pattern Cut Pile
The appearance of a surface pattern is created via the placement of cut-pile and loop-pile areas, resulting in a contrast of textures that can create a very sophisticated look.
Fluffing
Loose fibre fragments remaining from the manufacturing process that appear on a carpet surface. Typically occurs with carpets made from wool fibre. This condition is remedied by vacuuming and carpet use. Also known as "fuzzing" or "shedding". STAINMASTER® carpet is made from BCF (bulk continious filament) fibre so fluffing does not occur.
Density
This describes the amount of fibre or yarn in a carpet and how close the tufts of fibre are to each other. In general, the denser the pile, the better the performance.
E FFilament
A single, continuous strand of natural (such as wool) or synthetic (such as nylon) fibre.
Fluffing
Loose fibre fragments remaining from the manufacturing process that appear on a carpet surface. This condition is remedied by vacuuming and carpet use. Also known as "fuzzing" or "shedding".
Fuzzing
Occurs when fibres from the carpet slip out of the yarn with use or sometimes after wet cleaning.
GGauge
The distance between two needle points in knitted or tufted carpet. It is usually expressed in fractions of an inch.
HHand
How a carpet feels.
Heat Setting
A process that sets the twist in a carpet pile with heat or steam. This process allows fibres to hold their twist over time, allowing them to bounce back with great resilience whenever they are stepped on.
I J K LLevel Loop
The fibre in the carpet is stitched in uncut loops of the same size. It creates a smooth, level surface.
Loop Pile
The fibre in the carpet is looped and uncut. Can be either level loop or multi-level loop.
M N O PPile
The visible surface of a carpet, consisting of yarn or fibre tufts in loops that can be either cut or uncut. Also known as the "face" or "nap" of a carpet.
Pilling
A condition, often caused by heavy use, in which fibres from different tufts of carpet become entangled in one another forming hard fibre masses or "pills." These pills can be cut off with scissors.
Plush
The carpet fibre loops are cut and twisted to create a relatively dense, consistent look. plush carpet presents a smooth, luxurious surface and is generally for formal settings.
Power Stretcher
A tool used to install residential carpet that prevents wrinkles and ripples.
Q RResilience
The ability of carpet pile or underlay to recover its original appearance and thickness after continued use.
SSeams
The line formed by joining two pieces of carpet. The pieces can be sewn together, or fastened with various seaming tapes or other adhesives.
Shading
A change in the appearance of a carpet due to distortions in the orientation of fibres, tufts or loops that make up the carpet pile. This is not an actual change in the colour of the carpet, but a difference in light reflection.
Sisal
A type of woven floor covering originally made of vegetable fibres such as grass and jute. Now synthetic alternatives are available that offer a more comfortable feel as well as interesting textures, patterns and prints.
Soil retardant
A chemical finish applied to carpet fibres or surfaces that inhibits the attachment of soil.
Sprouting
The raising up of an individual tuft or fibre above the level of the pile. These may be cut with scissors.
Stitches
The number of yarn tufts per running inch of a single row in a tufted carpet.
Stretch-in
The procedure for installing residential carpet over a separate underlay using a tackless strip with a power-stretcher.
TTackless trip
Wood or metal strips fastened to the floor near the walls. The strips have two or three rows of pins angled up toward the walls on which carpet backing is fastened during a stretch-in installation.
Tuft bind
The force required to pull a tuft from a carpet.
Tufted
A method of manufacturing carpet. Tufts of fibre are inserted through a carpet backing to create a pile of cut and/or loop ends.
Twist
Tightly curled or twisted yarn that gives carpet a textured appearance good for hiding footprints.
UUnderlay
The material placed under a carpet for softness and support. It helps reduce noise, increase insulation benefits, and contributes to a softer feel underfoot. Purchasing an incorrect type of cushion may invalidate your warranty. Also known as padding or cushion.
V WWoven
Carpet that is manufactured on a weaving loom in which the lengthwise yarns and widthwise yarns are interlocked to form a fabric.
X YYarn Ply
The number of single fibres twisted together to form a plied yarn.
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