When someone discusses carpet most of us turn our thoughts toward wall to wall materials which come in various forms and styles and are generally made from nylon, polyester or a combination of other synthetic materials. We tend to forget that carpet originated as a textile to adorn walls, chairs and tables and it was not until the late 17th Century that carpets started to be used as a floor covering in the form of hand-made area rugs.

When looms were developed in the late 19th Century carpets became more readily available to the general masses and by the mid 20th Century wall to wall carpets were widespread. Carpets have always been fabricated using a variety of colors and the development of synthetic dyes along with the power loom gave great inspiration to the carpet industry with a limitless ability for designs and patterns.

Carpets have traditionally been designed using “point paper.” Point paper is a technique where the design [drawing] for the carpet is divided into one inch squares with each square then divided again to represent one tuft. In spite of computerization many companies still retain the services of a designer who understands the technique of “point paper.”

Coordinated area rug

From the mid 20th Century there was a great increase in the use of synthetic fibers. The traditional fiber was always wool because of its natural ability to absorb dye and its resilience. Wool is still used today however it is more expensive than synthetic fibers. To improve carpet durability wool is often blended with nylon, acrylic or even polypropylene in order to produce a durable yet affordable carpet.

Plush wall-to-wall carpet

In recent times carpet manufacturers have been seeking out environmentally friendly production processes as well as developing products which offer durability and stain protection. Many of these newer products are manufactured using actual corn and polymer [recycled plastic] and some are manufactured with a nylon fiber [known as Type 6 Nylon] which can be recycled over and over again without the loss of any performance or aesthetic properties.

Patterned wall-to-wall carpet

Wall to wall carpet comes in a few different standard widths; the most common being 12’ft wide goods and several mills produce 13’ft 2” wide goods as well as 15’ft wide goods. Wider goods help to reduce the number of seams needed for a wall to wall installation. Carpet is typically sold by the “square yard” which can be figured out by taking the square foot figure of a room and dividing it by 9 [there are 9 square feet in 1 square yard].

Shag wall-to-wall carpet

Just as with the manufacturing techniques which are vast and varied so are the options for product style, look, pattern, touch, and color. The most common types of carpet are: Shag, Loop, Cut Pile, Berber, Carved, Needlepoint, Plush Pattern, Sisal, Texture Pattern and Texture Solid.

Whether you are in the market for wall to wall goods for a room in your home or an area rug to accent your existing wood or tile floors or even an outdoor area rug to dress up your deck you can rest assured that there are plenty of choices out there. At times there might appear to be too many so you might want to work with a professional flooring supplier or a designer who has a lot of experience in these types of goods to help educate you further with regard to your selection and what will work best for your application.