CARPETS
Select Floorcraft offers a wide range of carpet styles which are both suited to commercial and domestic projects. There is a style of carpet to suit every need, whether it is primarily for comfort and relaxation or durability and economy.
Modular Carpet Tiles / Planks
Most carpet tiles and planks are of a tufted construction which are mainly used in commercial, education, leisure and refurbishments.
The benefits of modular carpet tiles/ planks include:
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Long lasting and easy to maintain: if parts of the carpet are worn or dirty, they can easily be replaced by simply removing the tile as oppose to the whole floor.
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Modular carpet tiles/ planks are a perfect option for occupied spaces such as office areas with excessive furniture including high rise buildings. This is becoming a popular demand with refurbishments, especially in office spaces with old broadloom carpet needing to be replaced.
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Design opportunities: which includes logos and branding.
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Better for indoor air quality and allergies: the low pile creates a more hypoallergenic environment.
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Easy access: to cabling, ducting and under floors.
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Better for the environment: most broadloom carpets are manufactured in 3.66m or 4m wide and on larger projects could mean a 12% of waste material as oppose to less than 4% waste on carpet tiles.
Broadloom
There are various types of manufacturing carpet methods, which include; tufted, needled and woven.
Tufted
The tufting method is hundreds of yarn-threaded needles pushed through the backing fabric to form loops or tufts. This may be left as is, or cut to form a cut pile finish. The majority of carpets which are produced today are tufted.
Needle punched carpets
These are made by the process and technique called ‘needling.’ Laid fibres are first intermingled and entangled by means of needles, then additional needling is used to make the final structure of the product. These are tough and tend to be used in commercial and educational environments, rooms, corridors and offices.
Woven
A process where the pile and backing yarns are woven together, providing strength and stability. The colours and patterns of these carpets are woven in rather than printed on top of the carpet. Woven carpets are ideal for the leisure industry, such as hotels, bars and function rooms.
TYPE OF PILE
There are two types of carpets within modular and broadloom; twist pile and loop pile.
A twist pile carpet is made from yarn that has been tightly twisted and then set to form a pile with a slightly textured surface. This type is mainly used for tufted carpets.
A loop pile carpet is made from uncut loops of yarn. This type of carpet is great for high traffic areas as the weave bounces back easily. Not ideal for pets.
Polypropylene
A synthetic fibre which makes it extremely durable. It is easy to clean, even with diluted bleach so it is an ideal choice for homes with children and pets. Polypropylene twist carpets can flatten over time, more so than wool or nylon, so for heavy use areas, short pile carpets are recommended. Polypropylene carpets that are dyed with a matt finish can look identical to wool in appearance and cost a fraction of the price.
Polyamide
This is also a synthetic and durable fibre but slightly less tougher than polypropylene. The fibres don’t flatten easily, so the carpet maintains its look. It is sensitive to heat but it is stain resistant.
Wool
As it is a natural fibre, it is environmentally friendly. It is easy to maintain, dirt resistant and since it repels surface spills, it responds well to cleaning but bleach solution cannot be used. It is safe, slip and fire-resistant. Wool maintains its shape as it is capable of bending thousands of times without its fibres being damaged. Some other benefits include its moisture balancing properties, excellent sound absorption and rapidly removes common air pollutants caused by cars. One of the downsides is that it may be more prone to moths and insects than synthetic fibres.
Natural carpets
These are made out of natural fibres from renewable sources making this type of material biodegradable and very environmentally friendly. Natural carpets don’t hold onto dust like synthetic material carpets, making this material a better choice for those who are prone to allergies and asthma sufferers. It is also extremely strong, durable and a natural sound insulator. Some of the most used natural fabric types are sisal, coir and jute.
Carpet Backing
The most common type of carpet backings are felt, hessian and gel. Hessian backed carpets are more hard wearing than felt and gel carpets.