 | Patrick Goebel has been involved in the home improvement industry for over 10 years and is currently director of retail flooring of the Flooring & Decorating Division of Star Lumber & Supply Co., Inc. You may contact Patrick by email at pgoebel@starlumber.com or by phone at (316) 942-2221. |
Carpet, Tile & Floor Covering
2004-06-01 12:23:00
The Carpet Forum
: What is the difference between Nylon, Polyester, Polypropylene and Olefin insofar as carpeting is concerned?
ANSWER: Great question... Nylon is the most durable fiber and is a little more expensive then some other choices. It makes great cut pile and berber carpets and is the fiber most generally used for commercial products because of its resiliency. The plus side includes durability, and versatility, especially Nylon 6.6 which is an advanced version of Nylon. Recent developments in nylon have included new “soft” nylon fibers with a great feel that have had a huge impact on the flooring industry and perform as well as any other nylon carpet. (I took out the downside because I don’t see any).Polyester, after a rocky start 15-20 years ago, is now a good carpet fiber. It is most used for residential cut pile products. It is harder to dye than nylon, but that means it is easier to clean. It is also less expensive. On the down side, if it is loosely constructed, it has a tendency to pack and mat, but in the right (dense) construction, it is a great carpet fiber. Polypropylene (also known as Olefin) is used almost exclusively for berbers and loop pile commercial products. Polypropylene has almost no resilience, so it is almost never used for cut pile products. The exception is area rugs. It is fine for tight, dense loop piles like Berbers and cleans very easily. Of course, there is also wool, which is a natural fiber that presents a beautiful appearance in carpeting but usually is considerably more expensive.
