SOFT FLOORINGS

CARPETS

Carpets consist of a backing or foundation and surface pile which may be cut or uncut. The
backing should be soundly constructed and firm. Other fibre e.g. jute, cotton, linen, hemp are
used but wool has been the main fibre because;

o It has resilience.
o Withstands abrasion.
o Feels warm.
o Does not soil or ignite readily.
o Retains its appearance well if properly maintained.
Characteristics of synthetic fibres which may be used to make carpets include;

o Resistance to abrasion.
o Low moisture absorbency and stains are easily wiped off.
o Melt with heat of cigarette ends.
o Are electrostatic in dry conditions.
o Moth resistant.
The carpet performance may be judged by;

Durability

- Dependant on resistance to wear.

- Resistance to abrasion
- Soil and stain resistance.
- Good construction with tufts well held.
Appearance.

- Dependant on Resistance to flattening.

- Soil and stain resistance.
- Colour fastness to sunlight, water, shampoo and rubbing.
Safety

- Dependant on flame retardance.

Comfort

- Dependant on static electricity.

- Length and softness of pile.
Quality of a carpet depends on;

- Type of fibre and fibres in it.

- Pile density and weight.
- Pile height and quality.
- Firm anchorage of the pile.
Carpet manufacture
This falls into two categories;

1) Woven
- Wilton
- Brussels
- Axminster
- Oriental
2) Non-Woven
- Tufted
- Pile bonded
- Needle punched
- Electronically flocked
WOVEN CARPETS

Wilton carpets

Characteristics

o Firm
o Smooth back with streaks of colour in it.
o The pile is cut and close therefore confining spillages to the surface.
o Made in both plain and patterned varieties.
o They are made up of 80/20 Wool/Nylon
Brussels and Cord Carpets

o They are variations of the Wilton weave in which the pile is uncut i.e. looped.
o Brussel is an uncut patterned Wilton and cord is an uncut plain Wilton.
o They are hard wearing for contract use.
o Do not have the same softness or resilience as cut pile carpets.
Axminster

They are woven such that the pile is almost on the surface and the backing has a distinctive
rib (no dead threads in the backing)

Types of Axminster carpets

Spool

It is the popular type of Axminster carpet with unlimited number of colours in the design and
the pattern can be seen on the reverse side.

Gripper

Similar in appearance to the spool but has limited number of colours due to its construction
method.

Chenille
 The pile is produced as along strip rather like a furry caterpillar (chenille is French to
caterpillar. It is soft, thick and has unlimited colours and designs

Oriental Carpets

They are hand woven usually from middle and Far East).

They are hardwearing

Their price increases with age provided they are in good condition.

They are only made as carpet squares or rugs, often with fringed ends and never as strip or body
carpets.

NON-WOVEN

Tufted

They are produced much faster and cheaper than weaving.

They are made from synthetic fibres and blended with wool.

The pile is inserted into a pre-woven backing to form a loop which may be left cut or uncut.

Pile is held firmly on a backing by a natural or synthetic adhesive; on top of this a secondary
backing of Hessian is added to give the carpet body and to prevent stretching and buckling.

They do not fray hence can be cut to any shape.

They are available in wider range of pattern.

Pile bonded

A pile of nylon or polypropylene is stuck into a PVC backing.

They are available as tiles.

They do not fray and may be stuck on the floor

Needle Punched

They are resin impregnated or heat treated materials used in sheet or tile form. They are made
from nylon, polypropylene, acrylic or polyester fibres either 100% or blends.

Electrostatically flocked.

Produced by projecting electrically charged fibres downwards into an adhesive backing material.

- They are hardwearing.

 - Easy to clean.
- Quick to dry.
- Vinyl base is completely waterproof.
- Anti-static under normal conditions.
- Suitable for loose laying.
- Used in National Health Service especially in wet areas e.g. geriatric units, waiting
rooms, canteen, entrances, cloakroom etc.
Choice of Carpets

They should have a firm backing as well as pile anchorage and resilience.

Send the carpet for testing against abrasion, dynamic loading, compression recovery and to
ascertain the analysis of pile construction

Grading of Carpets as per British Carpet Performance Rating Scheme (BCPRS)

A - Extra heavy wear, for foyers, lounges, restaurants and other public areas

B - Very heavy wear and used as above.

C - Heavy wear used as above and in bedrooms.

D - General wear used in bedrooms.

E - Medium Wear.

F - Light wear.

Carpet laying

Ensure the sub floor is smooth and dry without wide cracks and protruding nails

Only stick carpets that may last longer on the floor.

Use carpet underlay for unstuck carpets, made of felt, rubber or synthetic foam in order to;

- Eliminate slight unevenness in the floor.

- crushing and creeping.
- Provide an extra layer of heat and sound insulation.
- Make carpet feel soft and luxurious.
- Take the strain of feet and lengthen the life of the carpet.
Underlays may be spoilt by damp and abrasion. They should be of the same size as carpets or in
form of pads in the case of stains

Methods for fixing Carpets

a. Glued - Carpets are stuck on the sub floor.

 b. Tackless Gripper - Steel pins protrude from ply wood or metal strips fixed to the floor
or stains to hold the carpet in place.

c. Turn and tuck - The edge of the carpet is turned under and tacks put through the
double surface but the carpet edge is inclined to nickle and lifting is
difficult.

d. Sunken - The carpet is laid in sunken areas. The edges of which are covered with brass
or wood as for sunken front door Mats.

e. Pin and Pocket.

f. Ring and peg.
g. Press studs.
h. Touch and close fastener.
(Suitable where carpet needs lifting frequently e.g. banqueting rooms cleared for dancing).

Protection of Carpets

o Use suitable underlays.

o Firm fixing to avoid rucks.
o Use jute and coconut fibre Mats at front doors or dust control Mats (impregnated) or
synthetic fibres which attract and hold dust and dirt from shoes.
o Lay coverings at the edge or nosing of a stain to take dirt and wear e.g. druggets, strips of
canvas, rubber or brass.
o Jogging of stair carpet i.e. move it up and down slightly.
o Turn carpet around to avoid traffic lanes.
o Use castors on flexible furniture.
o Spray against moths.
o The repairing of frayed edges and worn parts.
o Cutting and never pulling the pile when it sprouts.
o Keep dry cleaning fluid away from a rubber backing.

CLEANING OF CARPETS

Cleaning is necessary in order to;

- Remove dust, grit and other soiling.

- Remove stains as soon as possible.
- Prevent damage by moth and carpet beetle.
- Retain the original appearance of the carpet as long as possible.
DAILY CLEANING

- Remove dust and crumbs daily with a carpet sweeper.

- Remove grit and other soiling by suction.
- Remove stains as soon as possible.
- Blot up liquid with a clean dry absorbent cloth or paper.
 - Scrape up solids and greasy materials and wipe over the area with a damp cloth.
- Use a solution of synthetic detergent, a dry cleaning solvent or appropriate stain removal
agent for residual stains. (Try it out on unseen parts of the carpet first).
SPECIAL (WEEKLY) CLEANING

- Pay attention to edges of the carpet by a damp duster, a brush or a vacuum cleaner.
- Thoroughly vacuum clean the whole carpet (The higher the pile the thorough the vacuum
cleaning.
PERIODIC CLEANING

It involves deep cleaning of the carpet after thorough vacuum cleaning.

One of the following methods may be used;

- Shampooing.
- Hot water extraction.
- Dry foam extraction.
Shampooing
- Release the detergent solution from a tank on the rotary scrubbing machine.
- Lightly scrub the surface of the carpet.
- Dry the carpet.
- Pick up suction, loosened soiling and detergent residue.
Observe the following points when shampooing

a. Use a detergent that dries to a powder so that a sticky residue is not left on
the surface.
b. Avoid excess water so that the backing of the carpet does not become too
wet.
c. Overlap each stroke of brushes to the previous one.
d. No metal e.g. castors or furniture legs should come in contact with the
damp carpet.
e. Avoid walking and replacing furniture on damp carpets
Hot Water Extraction Machines
Hot water and detergent is shot into the carpet with high pressure spray nozzles.

Dirt is then flushed out to the surface and soiled water is picked up by suction action of
the machine (the machine has a tank for hot detergent solution and another for soiled
water).

(Drying time is cut to a minimum compared to the shampooing machine)

Dry foam extraction

A cylindrical brush type machine lays down moist foam, brushes it in and immediately
extracts the soil-laden foam with a built in vacuum head located behind the power brush.
ADVANTAGES OF CARPETS

a. They add to the decorative appearance of the room.

b. Gives a luxurious appearance and feel.
c. They are warm and may keep out draughts.
d. They are quiet and can afford some sound insulation properties.
e. They are non-slip.
f. Some can be used to break up a floor surface and at the same time be turned around e.g.
carpet squares and rugs.
g. Some carpets make a room appear larger and provide only one surface to be cleaned e.g.
fitted carpets.
h. The use of patterned carpets may not show stains as compared to plain carpets.
DISADVANTAGES OF CARPETS

a. The surface of the carpet holds dirt therefore careful cleaning is essential.
b. They are prune to cuts by grit and sharp castors and Some carpets are burnt or melted by
cigarette ends.
c. They may be attacked by moths especially if made of wool.
d. Shading can occur.
e. Fitted carpets show definite areas of wear.
f. Plain carpets show stains readily and stains can be difficult to remove insitu.
g. Large pattern for fitted carpets is extravagant because of the need to match the pattern.
h. The initial cost of a good carpet is substantially high.
CARPET FINISHES.

a. Fire retardant - for carpets containing cotton or viscose.

b. Moth proof – For wool.
c. Water/ satin resistant
This is a surface treatment of water resistant silicone or fluoro-carbon products that have
little effect on the texture or appearance of the carpet BUT provide a barrier between the
fibre and the spillage.

d. Antistatic finishes
Contains substances which attract moisture from the atmosphere so that the relative
humidity immediately above the carpet is high and the electricity leaks away.

e. Disinfectant finishes
May be applied during manufacture or shampooing of the carpet. The spread of micro-
organisms may be prevented by daily spray vacuum cleaning when the disinfectant fluid
is sprayed into the pile of the carpet by means of a suitable device.

MAT AND MATTING

Mat’s are made from a variety of materials such as coconut fibre, sisal, wool, jute and rush which
could be woven or plaited to form matting. The appearance and wearing quality depends on the
materials from which it is manufactured.
Matting holds dirt brought into the building by especially feet and therefore it is used in
entrances, foyers, corridors etc

There use helps to prolong the resistance to wear and to retain the appearance of the flooring.

They also help to save on cleaning and maintenance costs.

Materials for Mats

a. Aluminium/ Rubber
They are prestigious and effective but somewhat expensive.

b. Coir
It’s a traditional entrance Mat with excellent shoe drying properties. It should have a firm
edge as this is the part which is prone to wear.

c. Rubber link and ribbed Rubber

They are extremely hard wearing and possess effective scraper action.

d. Ribbed Polypropylene
This is a new development with high durability and ease of cleaning. Fast colour varieties
are also available

CARE AND CLEANING

Attend to warn or frayed edges.

For coir Mats; lift, turn upside down and tread on it to force dirt out, Then remove dust
and dirt from the Mat well before replacing Mat. Vacuum clean.
For plastic and other Mats or Matting Vacuum clean the top, lift and also vacuum clean
underneath, Wash and scrub if necessary.