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CARPET
CONSTRUCTION
Most
carpets are constructed in the following manner: (a) the fiber
face, (b) the primary backing holding the fiber, (c) the back-coating
which acts as an adhesive holding the fiber to the primary
backing, (d) the secondary backing which is a covering for the
fibers and adhesive back-coating.
• Nylon Fiber- Nylon carpets account for more than 75% of all
carpet installations. It is the strongest fiber used in
carpets today. Its
excellent resistance to abrasion gives it long wear and makes it very responsive to carpet cleaning.
The fiber-dyed colors stand up well to light,
atmospheric conditions, cleaning compounds, and other
"enemies" of color.
Nylon resists burns better than other synthetic
materials used in carpeting (i.e., acrylic, polyester,
polypropylene) because of its higher melting point.
Nylon carpet will absorb only 8% of its weight in
water, which greatly reduces the fear of oversetting damage by
wet cleaning methods.
•
Acrylic
Fiber - Acrylic
fiber carpets look very similar to wool but their colors are
usually not as soft or muted.
Acrylic carpets can be recognized by a greater
accumulation of fuzz than either wool or nylon.
Acrylic carpet fibers are softer and more luxurious
to the touch than nylon.
Acrylics are inert chemically to most solvents,
alkaline, or water-based chemicals and absorb little
moisture. They
can endure more chemical action, but less mechanical action
than nylon. They
tolerate less direct heat than nylon; permanent changes may
result with use of a steam iron, for example, close to its
surface. When
spotting an acrylic carpet, it is best to use a slightly
alkaline product. Acrylics
also tolerate mild bleaches.
Oil spills must be removed promptly because it will be
drawn into this fiber and create a stain.
• Polypropylene
Fiber- This
carpet yarn is lighter than water and will float. It has a low melting point and will soften and become
damaged by very hot water or steam.
Polypropylene absorbs oil easily.
If not promptly removed, oil will migrate to the carpet
backing and then reappear on the surface again and again
through an action called wicking.
This type of carpet does not wear as well as nylon,
however it stands up well to moisture and abrasion.
Its ability to retain dye offers good resistance to
chemical spot cleaners.
• Polyester
Fiber- This
fiber withstands higher temperatures than acrylic or
polypropylene. Polyesters are more tolerant of acids than
nylons, but less tolerant to strong alkalis. This material
reacts to oil Stains in much the same way as nylon and
polypropylenes. The
dyes used in polyester fibers will tend to migrate into other
surfaces if first exposed to solvents.
•
Wool
Fiber - Wool
carpets, or carpets with a percentage of wool fiber, are seen
less often today. Only
10% of commercial carpets in manufactured in the U.S. are
constructed with wool fibers.
Newer wool carpets are chemically treated, making them
much easier to clean. Wool absorbs much more water than
man-made fibers, but it holds the water at the tips of its
fibers, making removal easy.
It will not easily absorb oil, making removal of oil
spills relatively simple. The-rough texture of wool makes soil penetrate slowly and
likewise slows the removal of soil.
Wool is less chemically resistant than man-made fibers.
Wool fibers are particularly intolerant of alkaline
chemicals. Wool
is recognized by its fuzz and shedding characteristics.
•
Carpet
Backing, Primary -
90%
of carpets in the U.S. have a tufted backing.
This means that in the construction of a carpet,
thousands of needles draw the yarn fibers through the backing
material and back out.
A loop or tuft is formed and held in the backing.
A latex back-coating anchors the tufts to the backing.
Then a secondary backing is applied to add body and stability to the carpet.
Originally most carpet backings were made of jute.
However, this vegetable-origin product tended to weaken
when wet and water in the backing created a
"browning" effect at the tip of the carpet surface.
Today most carpet primary backings are composed of
polypropylene. Its
resistance to moisture makes it a very stable backing.
•
Carpet
Backing Adhesive -
A
good adhesive performs the following function for a carpet:
-
Holds
the fiber tufts securely
-
Reduces
flammability of carpet
-
Provides
stiffness and body
-
Provides
static control
-
Reduces
the amount of moisture traveling from the surface to
secondary backing.
Latex - Is the most common adhesive. Its
advantages are low price, ease of application, versatility, and
tolerance to chemical solvents.
Polyvinyl
chloride
– Was developed in the 1960's, is another adhesive, which is
strongly water resistant.
Hot-Melt
Polymers
- May be used increasingly because of their waterproof,
chemically inert qualities.
- Carpet
Backing, Secondary -
The
most common secondary backing used today is polypropylene.
This final backing provides stiffness, strength,
stability, and the feel of quality to the entire carpet.
Sometimes a sponge or synthetic rubber layer is
added to the secondary backing as a slip resistant
cushion. Prior
to polypropylene, jute was used for secondary backing.
Jute was strong, durable, and resilient.
But jute was also subject to shrinkage, mildew and rotting.
To
properly care for carpeted surfaces, one must understand the
three phases of carpet care.
By
exploring the links listed above, you can begin to develop a
better understanding of how to care for carpets in all
conditions.
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