Carpet

The biggest selling fibre in NZ, is resilient and is naturally resistant to soiling and staining and has a soft warm comfortable feel. Wool ages well and has good appearance retention properties and is natural and renewable. Most of the wool carpets sold in NZ are locally manufactured from NZ wool. Because it is the biggest selling segment in the market it also has the most colour and style choices available. In world wide terms wool is actually a small part of the market as it is generally more expensive than other fibres and not readily available in many countries around the world. NZ wool is recognized as being amongst the best quality in the world.

There are 2 types of wool blend commonly available.

Meltbond
This is where a small amount of synthetic fibre is used to bond a wool yarn together. They are commonly at least 80% wool, have been in the market for over 10 years and generally perform very well.
Mostly seen in cut pile carpets they are cost effective and basically share the same attributes as wool carpets.

50/50 Polyprop wool.
Is a combination of low cost, tough polypropylene with soft resilient wool . The colours are sometimes less vibrant than other yarn types because of the blending process however they are reasonably durable and offer the look and feel of wool at a lower cost.

Standard nylon fibres have the same wear characteristics as Solution Dyed Nylons except that they are made into yarn in white form and then dyed. The colour is not right through the yarn but on the surface (Apple rather than carrot). They are treated to help prevent staining so generally carry specific stain warranties but do not have the Fade or Colourfast warranties sometimes offered on Solution Dyed Nylons. They are hard wearing and generally do not shed their fibre. Around the world Nylon is the single biggest fibre type used in the manufacture of carpet.

Polyester is the least common of the synthetic fibres sold in NZ, it is less resilient than nylon so is generally made in higher weights or lower profiles as it will flatten quicker than nylon or wool. It is naturally stain resistant and soft to touch and is best suited to cut pile carpets. It is a fast growing fibre overseas as it is less expensive to produce than nylon.

Solution dyed nylon is fibre which is dyed while in liquid form, so the colour is right through the yarn ( Like a carrot rather than an Apple).These products have superior fade resistance and colour fastness and are also stain resistant. Nylon is a tough fibre and very hard wearing although it is not as resilient or soft as wool. In general these yarns don’t shed their fibre so carry long wear warranties and many carry specific stain and fade warranties. As a fast growing part of the market there are more and more colour and style options becoming available. A good choice for sunny environments.

There are many different warranties in the market, some of them fairly broad and non specific, others that are pages long. Make sure you understand what the warranties on offer actually mean to you.

Wear Many products today carry wear warranties, these relate to abrasive wear or loss of surface pile. This means they are guaranteed not to lose more than a specified amount of their pile weight over a given period. With synthetic products that do not shed their fibre these are often long warranty periods, sometimes 15 years. It is important to understand that these warranties do not relate to appearance retention, they generally do not cover flattening, fuzzing, matting or other traffic related issues that can affect the look of your carpet.

Stain No wool products carry stain warranties, while they are naturally stain and soil resistant and have good appearance retention properties they cannot be treated against staining as many synthetic products are, so do not carry any specific warranty.
Most, but not all synthetic products carry some form of stain warranty as they are generally manufactured to resist staining. The latest generation of Solution Dyed Nylon products carry the most comprehensive warranties however even these products can be stained or damaged so you should treat your carpet with care to get the best performance from it. No matter what the fibre, quick attention to any spill will get the best result.

Fade All carpets have to meet criteria relating to colourfastness and fading, there is a minimum standard they have to meet. That standard allows a measured amount of fade after exposure to light for a predetermined period of time. Carpet laid in bright sunny areas can fade quite quickly while still being to standard. You may have experienced this when you have moved your furniture or a rug. This is actually normal and not generally due to any fault in the carpet. NZ has very high UV levels, your carpet needs protection from the sun just like your skin so it is wise to treat your windows, particularly in sunny northerly aspects.
The only products in the market that carry specific fade warranties are Solution Dyed Nylon and some polypropylene ranges. This is because the colour is right through the yarn, not just on the surface so manufacturers are able to offer specific warranties. There is no question these products have superior fade resistance however they are not fade proof and where specific warranties are offered they do allow for a certain amount of fade to occur.

Polypropylene is the least expensive fibre, it is tough and naturally resistant to stains fading and moisture and does not shed its fibre. It is less resilient than either wool or nylon so is mostly used in loop pile construction. It has a harsher feel than wool but provides good durability at low cost. It is most often used in commercial applications or for lower cost residential products.