Your facility: The first step is to clearly define your facility’s requirements. Some questions to ask yourself include:
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Facility location: To maximize performance, you must also determine where the carpet is going to go within the facility.
Below are some location-specific questions to ask:
Today’s carpet options include a wide variety of choices in style, fiber composition, and color. Whether you are specifying broadloom or tile for a corporate office, school, or public space or purchasing an area rug for a boutique hotel. New technology can produce multilevel loop and cut-loop patterns with diamond, bow, pin dot, fleur-de-lis, or other designs.
Carpet adds personality to any workplace, whether formal or bold. In hospitality settings, it can provide directional clues to move people to registration areas or elevators. In healthcare settings, carpet can be soothing and emotionally healing. It can quiet a computer lab in schools. In retail, carpet can complement merchandise displays.
For more information, download the CRI Model Specification for Commercial Carpet
To match the best carpet to the proper end-use, you should consider:
Carpet construction, which may be loop, cut, or combinations of the two, determines its look and performance. In corridors, lobbies, offices, classrooms, hotel rooms, patient care facilities, and other public areas, loop styles with low dense construction retain their appearance and resiliency and provide a smooth surface for rolling wheelchairs or food carts. Cut pile or cut and loop pile carpets are optimal for administration areas, libraries, individual offices, and boardrooms.
Various types of high-performance backing systems provide additional advantages including high tuft binds, added stability, imperviousness to moisture, and resistance to edge raveling. Overall, it’s important to consider the functional needs of each area when selecting your carpet type and backing.
Commercial carpet is primarily manufactured by tufting or weaving. While each process produces quality floor coverings, tufted carpet accounts for 95 percent of all carpet construction. Both tufting and woven manufacturing advanced technology to produce a myriad of carpet patterns and styles.
Tufted Carpet: Tufting is the process of creating textiles, especially carpet, on specialized multi-needle sewing machines. Several hundred needles stitch hundreds of rows of pile yarn tufts through a backing fabric called the primary backing. The needles push yarn through a primary backing fabric, where a loop holds the yarn in place to form a tuft as the needle is removed. The yarn is caught by loopers and held in place for loop-pile carpet or cut by blades for cut-pile carpet. Next, machines apply secondary backings of various types to render a variety of performance properties.
Here are some key steps in the tufting process:
Tufted Carpet: Tufting is the process of creating textiles, especially carpet, on specialized multi-needle sewing machines. Several hundred needles stitch hundreds of rows of pile yarn tufts through a backing fabric called the primary backing. The needles push yarn through a primary backing fabric, where a loop holds the yarn in place to form a tuft as the needle is removed. The yarn is caught by loopers and held in place for loop-pile carpet or cut by blades for cut-pile carpet. Next, machines apply secondary backings of various types to render a variety of performance properties.
Here are some key steps in the tufting process:
Woven Carpet: Woven carpet is created on looms by simultaneously interlacing face yarns and backing yarns into a complete product, thereby eliminating the need for a secondary backing. A small amount of latex-back coating is usually applied for bulk. Principal variations of woven carpet include velvet, Wilton, and Axminster.
Dyeing is the process of coloring fiber, yarn, or carpet with dyestuff. Manufacturers can achieve coloration in carpet three times in the manufacturing process: during fiber development, before tufting the carpet, or before applying the secondary backing.
The end use of the product determines the type of dye method. For example, if a customer is concerned about color fading in a setting with large windows, the manufacturer may recommend a solution-dyed product with superior colorfastness. If the customer wants a wide variety of bright colors, the manufacturer might recommend yarn dyeing or space dyeing.
Pre-dyeing of yarn includes both solution dyeing and yarn dyeing.
Post-dyeing of carpet methods include: beck dyeing, printing, and continuous dyeing.
Floor coverings make a dominant fashion statement in indoor settings. Colors and patterns in a carpet can create a distinctive atmosphere, serve a practical purpose, or send a message.
Within a facility, bright colors with contrasting highlights can differentiate department or team areas. An accent color on the floor can establish a break between the floor and the wall or stairway. A printed or tufted pattern carpet can reinforce a corporate identity.
Color selection of carpet is as diverse as the imagination. Choose quiet colors such as neutral earth colors or the blues of sky and water for a soothing effect or a corporate look. Select warmer colors like reds, maize, and shades of orange to create a mood of energy and vitality. Mid-range colors and multicolor blends are best for hiding soil near entrances. Many carpet manufacturers will produce custom colors and constructions to meet your individual design specifications.
When it comes to carpet, you decide what you want it to accomplish and how you want it to look and feel in your environment.
Most commercial installations select broadloom carpet to produce fewer seams, ease installation, and obtain certain moisture benefits. Broadloom carpet can be 12 feet, 13.5 feet, or 15 feet in width. Broadloom carpet can offer large pattern repeats and the ability to pattern match. For many years, commercial installations used broadloom carpet almost exclusively.
Six-foot-wide carpet remains a popular choice and is available in many designs with a variety of backing systems. This narrow carpet roll is often a benefit in high-rise buildings, where transporting a 12-foot roll is difficult or expensive. The narrow width may also provide cost savings where corridors or other narrow spaces exist. However, careful planning is needed to avoid additional seams.
Manufacturers offer low-profile carpet tile systems which use as little as 2½ inches of the vertical space – a value when the ceiling height is only eight feet. Businesses often choose modular carpet with a cushion backing for noise reduction and increased underfoot comfort. Manufacturers offer differing size configurations and depths of raised flooring to accommodate extensive wiring and for heat and air systems.
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It’s important to understand how all the individual elements that contribute to carpet performance work together to create an effective flooring system. For example, the construction method should be appropriate for the location and traffic requirements; the yarn size needs to correlate with the gauge; the backing systems should be appropriate for the desired performance, and the dye technique should align with the carpet’s intended use.
The most common trap is relying on only one single construction factor to determine if a product will meet your specifications. In other words, while pile yarn density is important, so is the gauge, the yarn size, and many other construction parameters. That’s why it’s so important for specifiers and end-users to explain how they want the product to perform and allow the manufacturers to make construction recommendations that meet those needs.
Carpet performance is associated, in part, with pile yarn density – the amount of pile yarn in a given volume of carpet face. For a given carpet weight, lower pile height and higher pile yarn density will yield the most performance for the money.
Density is also influenced by the number of tufts per inch when counting across a width of carpet. For example, a 1/8 gauge carpet has eight tuft rows per inch of width and a 1/10 gauge carpet has 10 rows per inch of width. Extra heavy traffic conditions require a density of 5,000 or more.
Appearance is an aesthetic choice, while texture retention is a performance issue. However, the two areas are closely related. Heavy foot traffic and soil can discolor carpet and should influence design decisions. Mid-tone colors and colors that blend with the general shade of local soil are the best to use in high-traffic areas, especially near entrances. Manufacturers often recommend “walk-off” carpet systems for entryways. Walk-off carpet is designed to clean shoes of dirt and moisture and protect entrances from excess soiling. In addition, walk-off carpet systems increase foot safety and reduce slip-and-fall accidents. Eight feet of walk-off carpet is considered optimal to protect interior carpet installations and enhance user safety and comfort.
An industry-sponsored study of the thermal characteristics of carpet (R-value or thermal value) – with and without cushion – conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology, concluded that a carpet’s ability to maintain temperature is more dependent on the total thickness of the carpet than on the type of fiber in the carpet.
When the carpet R-value is not available, the study suggested multiplying the total carpet thickness measured in inches by a factor of 2.6 to approximate the carpet’s R-value. The study also found that R-values are additive for any combination of materials. For example, a combination of carpet with an R-value of 1.3 and a prime polyurethane cushion with an R-value of 1.6 will yield an overall R-value of 2.9.
Download Understanding Thermal Values (R-Values) of Carpet and Cushion, with more detailed R-value information that was taken from the study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Textile Engineering.
Selecting the right backing system is critical for the performance and life of your carpet. Cushion provides resilience, acoustical/thermal insulation properties, and comfort underfoot. It is especially important that you select your carpet product and backing according to the expected traffic patterns and the manufacturer’s requirements for thickness and density. Carpet tile is generally designed to function without the need for additional cushion.
There are three main types of carpet cushion used in commercial broadloom applications: fiber, rubber, and polyurethane foam.
The three classes of commercial carpet cushion applications are Class I, Class II, and Class III.
The world of commercial carpet is changing at a rapid rate. New commercial carpet products and carpet solutions make for a massive selection of options for every type of facility. If you’re considering carpet for your facility, it’s important to choose the right product for your application. According to the Carpet Buyers Handbook, “synthetic fibers make up more than 99% of the fiber used by the U.S. carpet industry.” Most carpets used in commercial applications are usually Nylon, Olefin or Polypropylene and are constructed in loop, cut pile (both broadloom) or carpet tile. Each of these fibers has its own set of strengths and weaknesses that can be used to help determine which type of carpet fits your needs. There are countless design possibilities for each type of carpet fiber so it’s important to make a checklist of what your area needs.
Things to consider when choosing commercial carpet:
What’s your budget?
When it comes to commercial carpet, pricing can run the gamut. Remember that unlike hard surface flooring, carpet will take a beating and will eventually show wear. It’s helpful to decide how long you want to keep the carpet too, and that may influence your cost decision. If you spend less, you may have to replace it sooner, and if you spend more to get a higher quality product, it will last longer. So, it’s important to weigh the cost of replacement against spending a higher amount up front. Olefin/Polypropylene carpet is usually the carpet of choice if you are on strict budget.
Broadloom or Carpet Tile?
Broadloom carpet is produced on a wide loom and generally comes in 12 foot wide rolls. It is usually glued directly to the subfloor and is cut to size for wall-to-wall installation. Broadloom comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns and may offer a lower upfront material cost than Carpet Tiles. However, broadloom carpet may produce more waste during installation and usually requires a complete replacement if damaged or showing extensive wear. Where modular furniture exists, furniture moving is much more disruptive and expensive with broadloom carpet installations.
Carpet tile (also called modular carpet or carpet squares) is produced in pre-sized squares, rectangles and planks tufted to a high a performance backing. Installation is generally more efficient and produces less cutting and waste versus broadloom. If spaces are damaged or worn, replacement of singular tiles is practical and easy. Designers have almost limitless options mixing styles, colors and patterns of tiles.
What kind of fiber is best for my installation?
To make the right commercial carpet choice and to maximize performance, you’ll need to analyze how much foot traffic you will have to help determine the level of durability you will need. You may also want to think through what kind of dirt may be tracked in, i.e., heavy soil, mud, grass, or dust.
The great majority of commercial carpet is made of Nylon but Olefin or Polypropylene products also exist in the marketplace. Olefin/Polypropylene carpet is usually stands up well to “moderate” amounts of traffic. Olefin/Polypropylene carpets are “solution dyed” (meaning the color goes completely through the fiber like a carrot rather than being just on the surface like a radish), are naturally less porous making them more stain resistant. These budget carpets also work well in low traffic areas or an office or space that you aren’t in for the long haul. Olefin is typically a less resilient fiber however and therefore may crush or ugly out faster than its nylon counterparts.
Nylon, on the other hand, is the highest quality fiber carpet for a commercial installation. It’s more expensive, but it’s also more durable so it will inherently look better longer. Like the Olefin/Polypropylene fiber carpet, some Nylon products are solution dyed as well and offer the same level stain resistance. You will get more bang for your buck with Nylon if you have heavy foot trafficked areas, so spending a bit more may be to your benefit over the life of the carpet.
Many facilities have open areas and noise reduction is a concern. Carpet naturally absorbs sound, and additional padding may be added to enhance this feature.
What kind of maintenance will I need?
Like any floor covering, carpet will need to be taken care of to last. Carpet does need to be cleaned and maintained so is important to be familiar with the manufacturer warranties and suggested maintenance instructions in advance.
Is safety a concern in my flooring area?
Commercial carpet not only cushions footsteps and reduces slips and falls, but it also minimizes injury when falls do occur. While safety is important for any facility, it is particularly important where elderly people may be, or where young children may be.
What colors and patterns do I need?
Design, color, and patterns in your floor covering can make an important statement about your building or facility. Flooring can go beyond a practical purpose to make a distinctive statement or send a message. For example, muted and neutral colors can create a soothing effect, while multicolor patterns can hide dirt near entrances. Different commercial carpet styles and types can influence the overall look and feel of an environment.
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