Carpet Characteristics
Carpet Characteristics - things you need to know:
No building material delivers a perfect finish and this is made even more difficult when the material being used has additional work required to process joins. In saying this however all manufacturers strive to produce the best product that they can from the material that they have to work with. In the case of carpet made from natural products such as wool; and the nature of the fibre and manufacture means your product will show some variance within the surface of the pile and this will vary dependant on the style of carpet you choose. These are not considered to be manufacturing faults but genuinely reflect the fibre and carpet style in which you have chosen. Therefore before making your carpet selection you should read through these common carpet characteristics:
Colour Variation:
It is normal for installed carpet to show minor colour variation from selling samples to minor variations between production runs and dyelots. Our quality assurance program, ISO9001 Quality Management System, seeks to minimize potential for variance and ensure any variation is within recognized textile industry standards.
Colour appearance can vary depending on the type of light under which a sample is viewed and the light sources where the carpet is installed. Viewing of the sample at your residence and under as many different light conditions as possible prior to making your final decision is recommended.
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Pile Reversal (Shading):
Light can play strange tricks with carpet. From certain angles particular areas appear lighter or darker than others. This caused by disturbed pile reflecting the light differently in the affected areas. This is a feature characteristic of cut pile carpets, especially solid colours.
However, in fine cut pile carpets, permanent pile reversal (shading, watermarking or puddling) can also occur and at times may become quite severe. Years of research and inquiry have failed to find a reason to explain the underlying cause such that it is considered a phenomenon related to the location of the carpet which cannot be predicted or prevented. It is not a manufacturing defect and apart from affecting appearance, has no detrimental effect on the performance of the carpet. As this characteristic can affect the appearance of a carpet, you are advised to discuss this with your retailer when considering your purchase.
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Shift Lines:
Shifts lines are parallel lines appearing on the surface of patterned loop and loop pile carpets at regular intervals, due to the nature of carpet construction. Lines may be more apparent with “large” designs or patterns. Colour, directional pile lay and light sources are also contributing factors. Certain light sources shining across the carpet may accentuate these lines in the form of shadowing. This is not a manufacturing defect and will not affect the carpets wear or durability.
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Design Characteristics:
An effect known as phasing can occur where carpet design includes the random use of contrasting colours when at times these colours can coincide in production. Similarly in loop pile carpets, shading effects of colour patterning can appear as paneling down the length of the carpet. Both phasing and paneling are an accepted part of the design and in no way affect the carpets performance.
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Appearance Retention:
All carpets will change in appearance over time, primarily due to foot traffic.
Matting generally occurs as a result of pile flattening together with the entanglement of fibres tuft to tuft. It occurs in all tufted carpets to some degree, but is more likely to occur in high traffic areas (e.g. in front of seating areas, doorways etc). This may result in the loss of sharpness or the carpet pattern. Though induced by wear, it is often caused by underlay failure, or inappropriate or ineffective treatment of spots and spills.
Fuzzing or blooming is caused due to the tips of the fibres in a cut pile carpet losing a degree of yarn twist over time. Most apparent in traffic areas or in front of chairs, this is normal and should be expected. Generally fuzzing can be corrected by shearing away the cobweb of fibres on the installed carpet, with the use of a special machine.
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Shedding:
Shedding a normal characteristic of cut-pile carpets, particularly staple or spun yarn products. It is caused by some of the outside fibres or yarn bundles becoming detached during early carpet wear stages. Regular cleaning with a vacuum fitted with a beater bar will remove most of the loose fibres during the first year.
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Pattern matching / Bowing & Skewing:
Norman Ellison use the best techniques available to minimize pattern distortion during manufacture. However some distortion due to shrinkage or stretch during and after manufacture is unavoidable. Repeating patterns may not precisely match along the length or width of carpet or from one production run to another. Installation methods and site and storage conditions can also contribute to instability in the pattern, such that perfect pattern match cannot be warranted.
Installation of patterned carpet requires more time and effort which should be considered in the original labour quotation. A competent carpet layer should be able to obtain a close pattern match in most circumstances. However some irregularities may still be visible. If concerned, please discuss further with your retailer and / or carpet layer.
All carpets are subject to some degree of bowing and/or skewing. Bowing of up to 40mm over any single width of carpet is generally acceptable.
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Wrinkling or Rucking:
Wrinkling may occur after installation due to excessive humidity, inadequate underlay, or not using the recommended installation procedures, especially relative to power stretching. A competent installer can usually correct this problem.
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Fading:
All carpets meet standards for lightfastness. However, carpets, like all other dyed textiles, will slowly lose colour over time when exposed to direct sunlight or may appear to have faded due to pile flattening through use. Carpet should be protected from prolonged periods of direct sunlight with curtains, blinds, shades, or awnings and furniture and furniture moved periodically to expose all areas evenly. The absence of window treatments may void your warranty.
Colour change can also occur as the result of ozone, emissions from heating fuels and air conditioners, pesticides, cleaning agents, benzol peroxide and other household items. The occurrence, known as ozone damage, is largely unexplained, but appears to be more prevalent in coastal areas with a high ultra-violet content. If you believe there may be a risk of ozone damage, please discuss with your retailer.
It is not considered to be a manufacturing defect and does not affect the performance of the carpet.
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Missing or Damaged Tufts:
Tufts may be damaged or identified as missing following stretching of the carpet during installation, damage caused by pets scratching, or moving or furniture. In the case of loop pile carpets, tufts can be pulled from the backing resulting in long, lengthwise pulls out of the carpet.
Sprouts, or snagged tufts, can be easily trimmed without damaging the carpet and missing or damaged tufts can be easily replaced by hand or by retufting. These can be readily fixed on site by a skilled installer or carpet professional. It is recommended a small piece of spare carpet be retained to provide a source of additional tufting yarn.
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