How Carpet is Made

We all know that most of the carpets on the market are made from synthetic polymers. The good news is that carpet feels like fabric. More than half of the carpet is made of nylon (plastic). The plastic materials used are acrylics, polyester and polypropylene (also called olefin). Less than 3% of very expensive carpeting is made of woven wool which have the advantage of aging beautifully and cleaning well. The downside is they can’t stand up to traffic and moisture like synthetic can.

The textile materials which consist of carpets, are formed into pile yarns that are dyed and sewn to a primary backing, glued to a secondary backing. This gives strength and durability to the carpet and separate layer of padding. Woven or non-woven polypropylene is usually used to make both layers of backing, although a small percentage of carpet backing is made with jute, a natural fiber woven into coarse fabric. Synthetic rubber latex is the glue that binds the layers together.

Most carpet padding is made of rebond, a recycled scrap urethane that is chopped and pressed into layers. A thin layer of plastic is bonded to the top to hold the pieces together and give the padding a smooth, uniform surface.

How Carpet is Made

The manufacturing process has several steps. The yarns are tufted, which is the process of weaving the fibers into the primary backing. A tufting machine has 12-foot long rollers and up to 12,000 needles that pull the yarn through the weave of the backing much in the same way a sewing machine would. A small hook grabs each stitch of yarn to create a loop. In carpet lingo, this is called loop pile construction. Photoelectric sensors are programmed to produce a specific pile height control the size of the loop. In the ‘70s, shag pile was all the rage, but most of the carpet on the market today is low profile pile with uncut loops, which stands up to traffic much better because no cut ends are exposed.

The loops may be cut in the next step. Depending on the carpet style under construction, cutting the loops makes for a fluffier carpet that your toes sink into. Cut and loop construction is used to make variations in the cutting process, forming dimensional patterns.

Carpet Dyeing

The yarn can be dyed before or after tufting. Dyeing the yard after tufting allows for more consistency and greater control. We present you a list of basic methods of dying the tufted carpet:

• Boiling – is the most effective process used to dye solid color carpeting. The tufted carpet is sewn into a continuous roll and placed in a vat filled with water. Dye and chemicals are mixed in and the water is heated to a boil and the carpet is boiled for four hours in that mixture.
• Silkscreening – is used for print designs or patterns on carpet. Silkscreened in a process similar to the way designs are printed on tee shirts. The carpet is put under a screen with holes cut out, like a stencil and a color is pushed through the holes using something like a big squeegee. Then the carpet is pulled forward one yard and the next screen is lowered in place for the next part of the design. At the same time, the first design is applied to the next yard of carpet. This method continues until up to eight different colors are applied and the design is complete.
• Another method of design printing involves rolling carpet under embossed rollers. A similar concept is used to texture wall paints for a faux finish style.

The Final Process

Now, the ends of the carpet are sewn together to make a bolt length, like the rolls you see in flooring stores. The carpet is loaded into a machine that coats the underside of the carpet and the secondary backing material with latex adhesive. After both pieces are coated, they are pulled into a marriage roller. The pressure of the tightly wound material on the adhesive layers permanently bonds the backing to the carpet. Now the carpet is heated in an oven.

The carpet is steamed, brushed, vacuumed, and then run though a machine that shaves any uneven tufts. The finished carpet is finally ready for delivery.