Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the difference between wool and acrylic carpets?
A. Wool carpets are generally more hard wearing over a longer period of time, however as wool is a very porous fibre it does like to take on stains and colours which in a family environment can be potentially hazardous as wool carpets can be hard to clean. However while acrylic carpets wouldn't outlast a wool carpet, it does provide a solid fibre which repel stains and are very easy to clean.
Q. What is an 80 / 20?
A. 80 / 20 is the proven mix of 80% wool and 20% acrylic which make up the composition of the carpet fibres.
Q. What is 2 Ply?
A. 2 Ply yarn is when the manufacturers effectively wrap to strands of yarn together to make 1 strand. You can get single, 2 , 3 and 6 Ply yarns. 6 Ply yarns are made by simply combining three lots of 2 Ply yarn. Axminster Carpets use this method when manufacturing their natural ranges.
Q. I've seen an 80 / 20 wool carpet for £20 m2 and one at £40 m2 why is there such a difference in price for the same carpet?
A. Good question! Ok, this comes down to three major factors, firstly the quality of the yarn. When purchasing wool carpets you need to make sure you are buying quality, always check either the sampling or the wall stands for two symbols, the British wool mark is a shepherds crook and the other sign of a top quality yarn is the New Zealand fern leaf. These two identifying marks show that the quality of the wool is superior to all else that is available on the market, some manufacturers use wool imported from all around the world which does not come close to the spec of either New Zealand or British Wool. Secondly the weight of the yarn per sqaure yard, this can be misleading but most wool carpets will have a specified weight. For instance 42oz, 50oz and 60oz are the most common in our showroom. This figure reflects the amount of surface pile per square yard. Put simply the heavier the weight of the carpet the more expensive it is due to fact that its more carpet for your money. Thirdly you need to see whether it is a single or 2 ply yarn. This makes a huge difference in price, as in the above question 2 ply is 2 single strands of yarn wrapped together to create a 2 ply yarn and so on up to 6 ply! So to summarise then the price can be greatly affected by any of the above factors, 1) Quality of the yarn 2) The weight of yarn 3) The strength of the yarn ie, single or 2 ply.
Q. What underlay would you recommend?
A. Underlays are a tricky one simply because it comes down to personal choice. At Star Carpets we only use top quality underlay. Cloud 9 is the current brand leader of PU foam underlays. We use the Cummulus range as our top grade. This is an eco friendly 11mm thick foam underlay that is guranteed for the life of your carpet. It is made from reconstituted mattresses and sofa seats and is super luxurious underfoot. These types of underlays have been tested against the traditional rubber underlays that have served our industry for many years. We find that the rubber underlays do not retain their shape as much as PU and most importantly like for like quality PU foam is alot kinder in price as rubber underlays rely heavily on the cost of oil. We also have an 8mm thick PU foam underlay that is excellent value for money and is adequate for all areas of the home if your budget doesn't allow for the super luxurious option of the 11mm Cummulus.
Q. What is a Berber carpet?
A. Berber simply means flecked. Traditionally Berber carpets were made by the Berber tribesman from North Africa. These were hand made using a looped construction using various wool blends all mixed together and hand knotted thus giving the carpet an unusual flecked natural appearance.
Q. What is the difference between a tufted carpet and a woven carpet?
A. Both the above are manufacturing methods. A tufted carpet is when a machine punches the individual tufts of fibre into a primary backing. Then the carpet goes off to another department in the factory to be screeded with latex and then the secondary backing is adhered. A Woven carpet is a much more stronger method of manufacturing, the individual tufts are woven into the jute backing along with cotton. This means that the tufts are not adhered to the carpet, they are interwoven with it! Axminster Carpets carpets are the most well known manufacturer to use this method.
