A quality carpet for example will have a dense pile, the material that a carpet is made up of, and will reveal less backing because the carpet has more fibers woven into its construction.

Featured from Shaw Carpet Carpet Construction

Cut Pile Carpet
When the loops are cut, you create a cut pile carpet.

Loop Pile Carpet
When the loops remain uncut, you create a loop pile carpet.

Patterned Loop Carpet
When the loops remain uncut and the loops have multiple heights,
the result is a patterned loop carpet.

Cut & Loop Carpet
When cuts and loops are combined, you can create a wide range of patterns.

Berber: A looped style carpet is often referred to as a Berber. Berbers are big bulky yarns with characteristic color flecks that are either produced in a level loop or multi-level loop carpet construction. Although many Berbers are made out of olefin fiber, some are made with nylon, or a blend of various carpet fibers.

Cable: A style of carpet constructed of thicker, typically longer yarn that is better suited for rooms without a lot of activity. It can matte and crush with heavy foot traffic so it is not recommended for stairs, hallways and other busy areas in your home.

Carpet Cushion: Commonly called padding, this is the layer of material that lies between the carpet and floor. It’s carpet cushion, not the carpet itself, that determines how a carpet feels beneath your feet and helps preserve the look while providing it with tougher protection against wear and tear.

Carpet Dying: Also called Continuous Dyeing, color is applied directly to the carpet face by spraying or printing. This process is also used to create multicolor or patterned effects in the carpet.

Cut Pile: Small loops of yarn are cut, creating what we call a cut pile carpet. The length of these cut pieces of yarn is referred to as the pile height, and is basically the distance between the looper and the primary backing. Selectively cutting, called cut and loop construction, creates a recognizable pattern on the surface of the carpet.

Density: A measure of how tightly the yarn is stitched into the primary backing. Higher density carpet will typically wear better than lower density carpet.

Face Weight: Is determined by the actual amount of fiber per square yard, and is measured in ounces. A typical carpet may have a face weight of 35 to 45 ounces for example.

Fiber:Fiber is the basic material that a carpet is made of. Over ninety percent of all of the carpet made today is made up of synthetic fiber. The rest is natural fiber, most commonly wool.

Frieze:This is a cut pile style that has a very high twist level, meaning each strand of yarn is twisted so tightly that they actually curl over at the end. This creates a textured surface with a knobby appearance, and a carpet of high durability and very good wear-ability.

Loop Pile:A small hook called a looper grabs the yarn and holds it in place. This process results in what is called loop pile construction. Loop pile products hold their appearance very well. Since there are no exposed yarn tips, only the sides of the yarn are exposed to wear and stress. Generally speaking, low profile loop carpet stands up to heavy traffic best.

Matte/Crush: The application of weight (like a high traffic area) on an installed carpet produces this visual effect. See Cable.

Nap: (See Pile Height)

Nylon: A synthetic fiber. Almost 75% of carpet today is made of nylon. Nylon is the leader in: appearance retention, fade and heat resistance, soil and stain resistance, and color and styling.

Olefin; See Polypropylene.

Pile Cut: or uncut loops of yarn that create the surface of carpeting.

Pile Height: Also called the nap, pile height is the length of the tuft measured from the primary backing to the yarn tips. It’s usually shown as a fraction, or sometimes its decimal equivalent. Usually shorter pile heights are more durable than longer pile heights.

Plush: See Saxony.

Polyester: A common synthetic material well accepted for its bulkiness, color clarity, and good stain and fade resistance. While not as resilient as nylon, Polyester fiber carpet constructed with today’s new technologies can be a good performer.

Polypropylene: Another common synthetic material used in carpet manufacturing, sometimes referred to as olefin. Today it represents more than thirty-five percent of the total fibers used in the carpet industry. While polypropylene is not as resilient or resistant to abrasion as nylon, it is naturally stain and fade resistant. Polypropylene is most often used in loop pile carpet constructions.

Saxony: Saxony has a smooth, soft, velvet plush look and a luxurious feel with a uniform twist and finish. This style is not a good choice for high traffic areas or rooms with active kids. Also be aware that this style does show footprints and vacuum marks.

Screen Printing: Another common method of carpet coloring, screen printing is where color is applied through anywhere from one to as many as eight silk-screens.

Shearing: One of the last stages in the manufacturing of carpet, shearing is the process of removing all of the little loose ends and projecting fibers that might have been created during the tufting process. It also helps achieve the yarn’s tip definition of the finished carpet.

Shedding: Shedding is a natural part of a new carpet. Frequent vacuuming for the first few days should remove any loose fibers from the carpet’s surface.

Sprouting: Refers to small tufts or loops of carpet that become visible after the carpet installation. Use a small pair of scissors to carefully trim the loose fibers flush with the surface of the carpet.

Stitch Rate: The measure of how close the yarns are together. Stitch rate is measured in penetrations, or tufts, in a given length of carpet, usually an inch. The stitch rate is controlled by how fast the carpet is moved through the tufting machine. Seven to eight tufts per inch is a good number, while three or four is pretty poor.

Synthetic: Man-made, using chemical compounds versus natural materials. Over ninety percent of all of the carpet is made up of synthetic fiber – usually one of three materials: nylon, polypropylene or polyester. All three are created by similar chemical processes using oil and natural gas.

Textured: A very popular cut pile carpet that has alternating twists of yarn creating a two-tone appearance. This carpet creates a more casual atmosphere in the room and is available in a broad range of prices.

Transition: When two different flooring products meet – say, carpeting and a hardwood floor – it’s called a transition. Professional installers try to match the surface heights of various flooring products to minimize transitions.

Tuft/Tufting: The first step in the manufacturing of carpet. Tufting begins with the process of weaving the synthetic or staple fiber into a primary backing material.

Twist: When selecting carpet, you want a tight twist in each yarn, not loose and frayed at the end.

Wool: The coat of sheep and the original staple fiber used in the making of carpet. Since wool is a natural fiber, it ranges in color from off-white to black, with many earthen tones between. Although wool doesn’t stand up to abrasion and moisture as well as synthetics, it cleans well and is known to age gracefully. Wool is the most expensive carpet fiber, and represents less than one percent of the U.S. carpet market.

Yarn Dying: One of two dyeing methods used in the manufacturing of carpet. Yarn dyeing, also called pre-dyeing, is where the color is applied to the yarn prior to tufting. The advantages of all yarn dyeing methods include good side-by-side color consistency, large lot sizes, and uniformity.

Yarn Dying-Beck: A second dyeing method used in the manufacturing of carpet involves applying color to the yarn after the carpet has been tufted.

Getting ready

1. Your first step is to get rid of the old carpet. Start by removing the moldings around the floor and take the door off the entrance, so you can get the old carpet out and the new carpet in easier. Give the old carpet a good vacuuming so you won’t be breathing in dust, and then use a utility knife to cut the carpet into strips about 3 to 4 ft wide (most cities require that for pick up)
2. Start at one end and pull the carpet off the tackless strips and roll it up in sections. Some people feel that you can reuse the existing underlay, but in most cases it will be worn out just like the carpet, so you’re better off getting rid of it as well.
3. DO NOT REMOVE THE TACKSTRIPS and make sure the floor is clean and dry. This is a good time to check your subfloor and securely fasten any floorboards that may be loose so they won’t squeak under the new carpet (use 1 1/2″ screws into the underlying floor joists).
4. Install new tackless strips if it is new construction or you are going over hardwood floor or vinyl around the perimeter of the room, but not in front of doorways. Leave a space of about 1/2″ between the strips and the wall, and be sure the pins or tacks face towards the wall. (They’re called tackless strips even though they have two or three rows or very sharp tacks, because using these “tackless strips” means you don’t need to “tack” carpet down.) At corners, make sure the tackless strips are butted tightly against each other.

Attaching the carpet

1. Use a knee kicker to attach the carpet along one edge. A knee kicker is a solid metal tool about 18″ long with “teeth” that will grip the carpet on one end, and a heavily padded “butt” on the other. Place the toothed end of the kicker about 3″ from the wall and drive your knee forcefully into the padded end of the tool. This will stretch the carpet over the tackless strip where the tacks will grab it and hold it firmly in place.
2. A carpet stretcher will finish attaching the carpet. A carpet stretcher is similar to knee kicker, but much longer. Put one end of the carpet stretcher against the wall where the carpet is already attached and place the other end about 6 inches from the far wall. The carpet stretcher also has teeth to grip the carpet, and when you push on the activation lever, it will stretch the carpet over the tackless strip near the far wall.
3. Work your way around the room stretching the carpet over the tackless strips, and trim the carper near the wall with a utility knife or a wall trimmer.

Finishing up

1. Using a stair tool, tuck the carpet down into the gap between the tackless strips and the wall. At the doorway, trim the carpet so the edge is centered under the closed door and install a door edge strip. Finally, cut any vent openings and install the molding on the baseboards.
2. That’s it. Stretch your back, check to see if your knees still work, and then take some time to admire what all your hard work has accomplished.

What you’ll need:

• Tackless strips
• Stapler
• Hammer
• Utility knife
• Chalk line
• Measuring tape
• Rolling pin (or rental seam roller)
• Work gloves
• Safety glasses
• Knee pads

Rental tools:

• Knee kicker
• Power stretcher
• Seam cutter
• Seaming iron
• Seam tape
• Wall trimmer
• Strip cutter
• Seam roller

A ground-level floor can be an earthen floor made of soil, or be solid ground floors made of concrete slab. Floors above may be built on beams or joists or use structures like hollow core slabs.

Ground floor construction
Ground-level slab floors are prepared for pouring by grading the base material so that it is flat, and then spreading a layer of sand and gravel. A grid of rebar is usually added to reinforce the concrete, especially if it will be used structurally, i.e. to support part of the building.

Upper floor construction
Floors in woodframe homes are usually constructed with joists that are centered no more than 16 inches or 40 centimeters apart, according to most building codes.[citation needed] Heavy floors, such as those made of stone, are more closely-spaced. If the span between load-bearing walls is too long for joists to safely support, then a heavy crossbeam (thick or laminated wood, or a metal I-beam or H-beam) may have to be used. A ’subfloor’ of plywood or waferboard is then laid over the joists.