carpet yarns and weaves

The way a carpet is made greatly affects both its look and its durability. Some of our carpets are made on looms, in under-and-over patterns reminiscent of baskets. Vertical strands, called warp, are interlaced with horizontal strands, called weft. This is the traditional way to make carpet.

Most carpet today, however, is not woven. Instead, it is created by stitching yarn into place, a process known as tufting. Needles punch the yarn into a pre-woven backing material at regular intervals, forming “tufts,” or raised loops.

Tufted Carpets

Many of our carpets are tufted, a process developed in the United States in the 1940s. After needles punch the yarn into backing material, forming raised loops, an adhesive is applied to the back to secure the loops. Sometimes a second backing is then applied to give additional strength. The tufts can be left uncut, creating a “looped-pile” carpet, or cut, resulting in a “cut-pile” style.

Before tufting begins, the carpet yarns are twisted a precise number of times and heat-set to lock the twist into the yarn. Cut-pile styles must be twisted in order to maintain their shape. Generally, tighter twisting will produce a less bulky carpet that is very durable and doesn’t show footprints, while looser twisting produces a more luxurious look and feel but does not hold its shape as well.

Cut-pile styles

Manufacturers snip the loops created in the tufting process, creating soft pile carpets.

  • Plush velvet. Yarn is lightly twisted, creating a smooth, soft surface in which the individual tufts blend together. Tends to make for a formal, luxurious look, with shading. Will show footprints and vacuum cleaners marks more than other cut styles. Because it isn’t tightly twisted, it is not extremely durable and shouldn’t be used in high-traffic areas.
  • Saxony. Like a velvet, Saxony carpet has a level surface. But tufts remain twisted, so they are more clearly defined. The appearance is varied and textured, with tightly packed tufts that create a “pin-point” look. This style shows marks less than a velvet but more than a frieze.
  • Frieze. Also called “hard twist.” Tufts are tightly twisted, causing them to curl in all directions. Makes for a very textured look. Doesn’t tend to show footprints or vacuum marks. The heavy twisting also makes this style very durable, so it is recommended for high-traffic areas.
  • Shag. Thick, long tufts are up to 2 inches long.

Looped-pile styles

Loops remain uncut. These styles tend to create a less formal look than cut piles. They are also very durable and track-resistant.

  • Level loop. Loops are of equal height. This makes for very durable carpet with a pebbly look. Many carpets described as “berber-style” are level loop.
  • Multi-level loop. Loops vary in height.
  • Berber. A popular style, true berbers have chunky, varied loops that are often flecked with color.

Cut-and-loop pile

These carpets combine cut and looped tufts. Manufacturers create this style by tufting some loops higher than others, and then cutting only the higher loops. These styles have interesting patterns and sculptured looks.

Woven Carpets

Some of our carpets are truly woven, not sewn with needles. We offer a wide range of weaves, from simple basketweaves to more complicated herringbone styles. It's tough to generalize when so many weaves exist, but there are a handful of basic categories that cover most of our carpets. This should help get you started in choosing a weave

Wilton

These are wool carpets woven on a type of loom perfected in Wilton, England. The looms use a series of perforated pattern cards to accurately carry out complicated designs using continuous strands of a limited number of colors (often five). At each color change in the design, the cards route a different yarn to the top surface and bury the others in the carpet's background.

The surface yarns produce a series of tight, uniform loops. The loops can be left as is (for looped-pile carpets) or snipped to make cut-pile carpets. For added texture, Wilton carpets can also be made so that some loops are long and others are short. Sometimes just the long loops are cut, producing striking sculptural effects.

Regardless of the weaving style, Wilton carpets have unusually crisp designs. The carpets are extremely durable.

Basketweave

As the name suggests, basketweave rugs resemble the weave of a simple basket. Single or multiple strands are threaded over and under, creating a flat, checkered pattern.

  • Boucle. Unlike the flat basketweave, bouclé has more texture and depth. The warp and weft are different thickness, and the warp rides higher on the design, producing the effect of rows of parallel lines elevated over a background. This is a very common weave for sisal, coir and jute. (Wool rugs with a similar look are often called bouclé or “sisal style,” although they are made by the tufting process.)

    Bouclé weaves range in size. They can be very tight and small, making a subtle pattern, or they can use thicker fibers to create a more pronounced pattern. You might want to avoid a bouclé for areas where heavy furniture will be moved around; a flatter weave is best for these areas, as it is less likely to be indented.
  • Herringbone. Herringbone is a pattern in which adjacent rows of parallel lines slope in opposite directions. In other words, it's a zigzag pattern. In plant-fiber carpets, herringbone weaves have more depth and texture than flatter weaves like basketweaves.