Types of carpets and their characteristics, pros and cons, tips for choosing

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Carpet is a necessary element of a modern interior, which connects all the details into a single composition and creates an atmosphere of warmth and comfort in the house. At the same time, it doesn’t matter what style the room is decorated in: it can gravitate towards oriental splendor or be prone to minimalism, all the same, there is a place for a good quality carpet in it.

There are a lot of types of carpets and carpets. Which to choose? What to look for when buying?

Initially, you need to decide on the material. Since ancient times, carpets have been woven from wool and silk, then, with the advent of synthetic fibers, products made from acrylic and polyamide appeared. Which one is better?

Wool

The raw material for production is most often sheep wool. Rarely found products from goat or camel. A wool carpet is an expensive, refined, status item.

Pros of material:

• Good texture, elasticity of the pile, rich color.
• The carpet will not lose its appearance even after 10 years of operation, and the service life of such a product is calculated in decades.
• Not flammable.
• Tolerates changes in humidity well.

Cons:

• Material absorbs all odors and dirt.
• Moth or fungus can eat it.
• Products do not have bright colors and rich colors, as wool is more difficult to dye than synthetic threads.
• High price.

Silk

A silk carpet is a luxury item. It is distinguished by its softness, delicate natural luster, and a wide variety of patterns and colors. Such a product serves several generations, 200-300 years each. This is a very expensive, and often exclusive thing, since most of these products are made by hand, according to ancient technology.

Pros:

• durability;
• beautiful appearance;
• high strength;
• lightness of material.

The disadvantages include the fact that silk is difficult to clean, and the product itself is expensive.

Viscose

Viscose is an artificial material, but it is based on natural wood (cellulose). A viscose carpet is a worthy alternative to a silk covering, as the prices for such products are quite affordable.

Viscose Benefits:

• The threads are well dyed, so on sale you can find a huge variety of viscose coatings in any colors and patterns.
• The fabric of this material is very similar to silk, and not everyone will be able to notice the characteristic differences. At the same time, the cost is several times less.
• Carpets are soft and tactile.
• Materialhypoallergenic, does not electrify, weighs little.

The disadvantages of this type of carpet include:

• Fear of water (or any other liquid). Such products should not be used in rooms with a high level of pollution and humidity (entrance hall, bathroom and toilet). Do not place a viscose carpet on a freshly washed floor.
• Low fire safety. Not recommended for use near fireplaces or other potentially dangerous ignition sources (stoves, stoves, candles, etc.).
• Over time, the product may turn yellow (due to moisture and fungus).
• Viscose fabric, especially a small size, slides on the floor and needs to be fixed.
• Not recommended for use in homes with small children or pets.
• Wears quickly, so carpet needs to be rotated regularly to achieve even wear.

Acrylic

The last type of carpets is acrylic. This is 100% synthetic, and this is alarming for many. But this material has many positive characteristics.

Pros of acrylic carpets:

• Low price, which allows even people with modest incomes to purchase products.
• A large selection of colors, patterns, rich bright colors do not fade even under the influence of sunlight.
• They look like wool carpets and hold heat well.
• Pills do not appear on the canvas for a long time.
• Resistant to dirt, yet washable (with brushes and chemicals).
• Not of interest to moths and bugs (no growth medium).
• Light and folds well for easy cleaning and transport.

Cons

• The canvas is electrified (modern products are impregnated with antistatic).
• Low flammability (acrylic flammable).
• Short service life (lose appearance after 5-7 years).

Carpets are also made from other materials, such as cotton (tapestry and openwork rugs), natural fibers (mats), and other synthetic threads - polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, nylon.

And without going into details, all carpets are divided into natural (expensive and high-quality) and synthetic (cheaper, but in many respects inferior to products made of wool and silk) by the type of material.

By production method

According to the method of manufacture, machine-made (manufactory) and hand-made products are distinguished. A handmade carpet is woven only from natural materials, as cheap synthetics devalue all the work. Each knot on the base is tied by hand, after which the pile is cut to the desired length. Interestingly, over time, the knots only tighten more, and the product becomes more durable. That is why the service life of such a canvas can reach 200-300 years.

In ancient times, craftsmen, in order to prove the quality of their product, threw a carpet under the feet of customers. Then shaken and demonstrated that it looks like new. Contemporary handmade carpetsare made according to ancient technology, thanks to which all products are exclusive, even if they are made according to one pattern.

Carpets are made by machine both from natural materials (wool, cotton) and synthetic fibers (polyamide, acrylic, polyester). They are not treated with the same trepidation as handicrafts. Rather, they are good, functional and useful things for the home that will help to keep warm, reduce noise and emphasize the design of the room.

According to the length of the pile

When choosing, the buyer, first of all, looks at the pattern and the length of the pile. According to the type of pile, carpets are divided into several types.

1. Pile. In handmade products, threads are attached to a woven base in a nodular way, which over time tighten and become stronger. Machine fabrics are not as durable and lose threads over time. The pile can be short (up to 5 mm), medium (up to 15 mm) and long (more than 15 mm). A long hair product is called shaggy.

The types of carpets are also divided according to the appearance of the pile into smooth and looped ones. The latter are more durable and wear-resistant, and if cut to the desired length, you get a product with a split pile.

2. Lint-free. Smooth woven carpets that are used both for wall decoration and flooring.

Lint-free types of carpets: names

1. Matts - woven mats made of natural vegetable fiber, or synthetics that mimic natural material.
2. Rolls. They use onecross thread and one warp thread, due to which the fabric is solid or striped.
3. Kilim. It is woven according to the same pattern as the carpet, but with multi-colored threads, due to which a pattern appears on the material. Kilim is a two-sided carpet, its front and back sides are practically the same.
4. Sumakhi. This type of carpet (pictured) differs in that uncut threads are left on the wrong side, which serve as a warm substrate, and on the front side - a smooth fabric with a pattern.

It is also worth highlighting tufted carpets separately. They are made by machine, when a needle with a fixed thread loops through the latex base. The threads are fixed with glue, and the backing is attached on the wrong side. The loops are cut and the pile of the desired length is obtained. Strictly speaking, such a product is not considered a carpet, since it does not have a woven backing. For the same reasons, hand felted wool carpets are excluded from the classification.

So, we figured out the different types of floor carpets. But there are also wall-mounted ones.

Should I hang a carpet on the wall

In our country, there are still some places where there are carpets on the walls of the Soviet model, which causes bewilderment in most people. Meanwhile, this coating has become relevant again, and it can be increasingly found in modern interiors.

The carpet on the wall today does not serve to keep warm, and not to hide the defects of the wall (although this can also be attributed to pluses). Rather, it is unusual and stylishdesign element, a kind of "zest", emphasizing the good taste of the owner.

And, of course, do not completely cover the walls with carpets - in order for the interior not to look too colorful and old-fashioned, one, maximum two small canvases is enough.

Types of wall carpets

What is the difference between a wall carpet and a floor carpet? They are almost identical - they are made from the same materials, using the same technology. Their difference is that it is not customary to hang carpets with a long pile on the wall, which are too voluminous and fluffy. And it's rare to see thin fabric tapestries on the floor.

In addition, different types of carpets on the floor have high requirements for strength and wear-resistant characteristics. Whereas the canvas on the wall may not have these qualities.

What to look for when buying

1. Before you choose the type of carpet, think about your he alth. If someone close to you suffers from allergies, refrain from buying a wool product and buy synthetic or silk.
2. Consider the location. For a nursery and a living room, it is better to buy a carpet with a medium pile, for a bedroom - with a long one. But in the hallway it is better to lay inexpensive synthetic rugs on a rubber backing.
3. Any kind of carpet should not smell of anything. Natural should not exude the aroma of wool - this indicates a low quality of the product, and synthetic ones should not have a sharp "chemical" smell. If the canvas has a musty or musty smell, it may indicate the presence of mold.
4. Quality carpet alwaystreated with special impregnations - anti-allergen, antistatic, anti-moth, dirt-repellent, etc.
5. The quality of a product can be judged by its density. When bent from the front side, the fabric base should not be visible. On the inside you can see the density of knots - the more there are, the stronger the carpet.
6. Look at the general view. Rough corners, protruding threads, poor stitching - all this indicates poor quality.
7. Check warranty. Almost all manufacturers give some kind of warranty on their products. The higher it is, the better.
8. Check with the consultant the wear resistance class of the product. The service life directly depends on this characteristic.
9. Inspect the wrong side - it should be smooth, clean, without suspicious stains.