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What to consider when choosing your next carpet fiber. (A Brief History of Carpet Fiber)
We live in a world that is constantly offering us more and more choices. There are also more choices in fiber types for carpet and area rugs as well. Some of my clients are overwhelmed by the proliferation of products and colors that are available on the market today so here are a few things to consider when you make your next purchase.
When the concept of wall-to-wall carpet first came into existence, all carpet fibers were natural. Wool, cotton, even types of animal hair was used in the manufacture of carpets and rugs. Wool fiber is the mother of all fibers as far as I’m concerned but a little out of budget range for most of us. Thus we press to the future of a global economy and the next revolution in carpet fiber came when man figured out that they could make fibers suitable for clothing, upholstery, carpet, etc… Out of ‘Plastic’. Man made fibers was introduced to consumers as an economical new choice for flooring. The trade off was that these fibers were all made from a petroleum (crude oil) base. These are the fibers that we have become accustomed to buying. Fibers like Nylon, Olefin, Polypropylene, xylon and Polyester to name a few.
Nylon turned out to be a terrific substitute fiber for the carpet industry and there are still many carpets that are made from it or its plastic relatives. Nylon fiber had good strength, could be dyed any color, resisted stains, bacteria and allergens. Later it was discovered that we could even add extra stain protection to these fibers. That is when nylon became the industry standard for carpet and later most manufactured area rugs. There was a brief and unsuccessful attempt at making polyester carpet but the early polyesters tended to flatten down and had a big problem with retention. As a carpet fiber, polyester was mostly abandoned and I was happy to see its demise.
Today we are once again faced with new choices in carpet fiber. You may or may not recognize some of the newer ones but the industry standards at this time are not only the man made fibers listed above. We now have fibers with names like P.E.T. (polyethylene terephthlate) and P.T.T (polytetramethylene terephthlate). P.E.T has been around for some time but the P.T.T. is pretty new. The one thing that both of these fiber choices have in common is their lower impact on our environment. They are considered to be a more “Green” or environmentally friendly product. While nylon still remains a top dollar fiber and many people believe it is not time for it to relinquish its position as the industries top fiber choice, I am of the opinion that these fibers are a better value and a better choice. First let me explain the difference between them.
P.E.T. Polyester or “PET” or “Pop Bottle Carpet” as it has affectionately become known is a recycled product. Pet fiber (or yarn) is made from P.E.T. food and beverage containers (i.e. Recycled liter soda bottles, water containers, etc...). There is virtually no breakdown in the recycling process and if you could imagine trying to stain or destroy a liter soda bottle you get some idea just how hardy this fiber can be. It is naturally stain resistant and most of the better carpets that are made from it have additional stain protection. It has a greater tensile strength than nylon. It also holds dye and stain protectors better than nylon. This is a proven product that holds up well and is at most times more economical than its nylon counterpart. When it was first introduces into the market I was thrown by the word “polyester” attached to it. Because of my past experience with polyester fibers approximately twenty five years ago, I was afraid to recommend it to my clients. However it has proven itself to me to be a very good fiber choice. The only problem I can find with this product is that in cut-pile form it does tend to shed more than nylon but this is only temporary. Nothing that a decent vacuum cleaner cannot overcome, along with some foot traffic.
Now we come to the newest fiber on the market today. P.T.T. or “polymer” fiber is also a man made product and may contain some recycled polyester content depending on manufacturer. What makes it special and “Green” for the environment is that it is manufactured from a base of Corn Sugar (or syrup) instead of Crude Oil. This makes it friendlier to our environment. Some of the positive aspects of this fiber are its elasticity. It has a greater tensile strength than nylon. It also holds dye and stain protectors better than nylon. However, what really sets it apart is that it naturally feels extremely soft to the touch. Durability packaged with the feeling of fragility and yet this is a very capable and functional fiber and would warrant your consideration when it’s time to buy a new carpet. By the way, this is essentially the same as micro-fiber that all furniture outlets are raving about because of its inherent ability to repel stains. Cost factors would also indicate this fiber to be more economical than nylon. I would and do recommend it to my clients. Even though it has a shorter track record than P.E.T. It appears to have all the qualities of a good “green” carpet fiber.
To sum it up. Some companies do still make carpet and rugs from natural fiber (wool, cotton, or hair fibers). If you can find it at a reasonable price, I say, always buy wool but in today’s global economy wool is not cheap, especially when it comes to wall-to-wall carpet. Consider the benefits of the newer, “greener” fibers that are available. Durability, clean ability, and flexibility are yours for the choosing.
Article by: Charles Beason
Charles is a Flooring Design Consultant and Estimator in the Desert of Southern California. You can find his base of operations at http://www.RugRunnerBiz.com
Or email him: chazb@rugrunnerbiz.com Are You Making a Flooring Purchase Soon? --- You Must Read This Floor Buyers Guide --- (It will save you hundreds to thousands of dollars (as well as Stress) on your next Flooring purchase))
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