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Abrasive wear
Wear or texture change to an area of carpet that has been damaged by friction caused by rubbing or foot traffic.

Aesthetics
Properties perceived by touch and sight, such as the hand, color, luster and texture of carpet.


Antimicrobial
A chemical treatment added to carpet to reduce the growth of common bacteria, fungi, yeast, mold and mildew.


Antistatic
A carpet's ability to dissipate an electrostatic charge before it reaches a level that a person can feel.


Average pile density
The weight of pile yarn in a unit volume of carpet. It is expressed in ounces per cubic yard in the formula: Density = pile yarn Weight (in ounces per square yard) times 36 divided by pile Thickness or pile Height (in inches). Average pile density factors for commercial carpets range from 4200 to 8000. D = W x 36 / T or H


Axminster Carpet
A machine-woven carpet where an enormous variety of colors are used to produce colorful patterns.

Backing
The fabric and yarns that make up the side of the carpet that lays next to the floor. In tufted carpets there are two types of backing.

Cable
Carpet with casual cut pile construction featuring chunky tufts and long pile height.

Carpet
The general designation for the textiles used as floor coverings.

Ceramic Tile

Made from clay or a mixture of organic materials, ceramic tile is finished by kiln firing. The common types are mosaic and quarry. Made in many shapes and sizes, it is glazed or unglazed. For floors, it is set in a cement or mortar type mixture.

Cork Flooring
One of the easiest of modern resilient floor coverings, the flooring is made from the bark of cork oak trees, a renewable material. Cork flooring is available in tiles and sheet goods in natural unfinished cork, waxed cork, resin-reinforced waxed and vinyl impregnated cork in many colors including natural shades.

Crushing
Crushing is irreparable loss of pile height caused by traffic or weight.

Cushion
The material placed under a carpet for softness and support. It helps reduce noise, increase insulation benefits, and contributes to a softer feel underfoot. Purchasing an incorrect type of cushion may invalidate your warranty. Also known as padding or underlay.

Pattern Cut Pile Made from saxony yarn, this carpet features a sophisticated look created by running cut pile and loop pile on a level pile height.

Denier
Denier is the amount of yarn per area of carpet.

Density
This describes the amount of fiber or yarn in a carpet and how close the tufts of fiber are to each other. In general, the denser the pile, the better the performance.

Dhurrie
Dhurrie rugs and carpets flat woven items traditional to India, made of cotton or silk. They are noted for soft colorations and varied patterns.

Double-Glued Seams
Double-glued seams attach carpet to bare floor to prevent delamination and edge ravel. Installers should double-glue seams to prevent fuzzing.