Chapter 9 Flashcards
Carpet
Carpets are manufactured in many different types of fibers, styles and patterns for indoor or outdoor use
Carpets are tough enough to wear for years or soft enough for intimate interiors
Majority of carpet in North America is made with nylon fibers with remainder being made from polypropylene, synthetics and natural fibers
Four ways to install carpet
Direct glue-down installation
With carpet pad or cushion and tackless strip at edges (stretch-in installation)
Double glue-down installation
Attached cushion installation
Carpet Fibers
Wool
Nylon
Acrylic
Polyester
Olefin
Wool
Natural material; one of the best materials for carpet
Durable, resilient, long-wearing, flame-resistant
First cost very high
Nylon
Economical, strong, wear-resistant
High stain resistance, excellent crush resistance, easily dyed, cleaned
Most widely used fiber
Acrylic
Moderate abrasion resistance
More wool-like appearance than nylon
Easily dyed, good crush resistance, easy maintenance, fade resistant
Polyester
Made from synthetic polymers
Highly abrasion resistant, cleans well, low cost
Fair crush resistance
Olefin
Also known as polypropylene
Used primarily for indoor-outdoor carpet
Strong, durable, stain-resistant, cleans easily
Least attractive, low resilience, low melting point
Carpet Manufacturing Processes
Weaving
Tufting
Needle Punching
Fusion Bonding
Weaving
Traditional method of making carpet
Warp yarn runs lengthwise, weft runs crosswise
Produces attractive, durable, expensive carpet
Wilton is heaviest, most expensive weave
Velvets usually solid colors, variety of textures
Tufting
Pile yarn is punched through backing with row of needles similar to sewing machine
25 times faster than weaving, lower cost – majority of carpet manufactured today
Needle Punching
Similar to tufting, except fiber is pushed & pulled through backing with barbed needles, then secondary backing applied
Produces flat carpet with limited variation
Accounts for small percentage of market
Fusion Bonding
Embeds pile yarn in liquid vinyl backing; vinyl hardens, locking fibers in place
Texture/patterns limited
Used primarily for carpet tiles
Carpet Properties
Appearance & Durability
Carpet Flammability
Carpet Backing & Cushioning
Appearance & Durability
Shorter and more tightly packed fibers result in more durable, expensive carpet
Carpet Flammability
All carpet sold in USA required to resist ignition and spreading fire
Building codes regulate flame-spread ratings of interior materials
Carpet Backing & Cushioning
Backing provides support & locks pile yarn in place
Cushion/padding is not appropriate for glue-down carpet
Recommended; increases carpet life, resiliency, comfort, improves sound absorption, reduces impact noise
Carpet Installation
Three installation methods
Direct glue-down
Stretched-in
Double glue-down
Direct glue-down
carpet attached to floor with adhesive – resists shifting, supports wheeled traffic, faster/cheaper. Shorter lifespan, harder underfoot. Requires low-pile carpet
Stretched-in
uses tackless strips around perimeter, carpet stretched against strips
Double glue-down
cushion glued to subfloor, then carpet glued to cushion. Combines some advantages of stretched, direct glue-down carpets
Carpet Tiles
Individual pieces of carpet, typically 18”sq. applied to floor with pressure-sensitive adhesive
Damaged or worn squares easily removed/replaced without removing entire floorcovering
Often used on raised access flooring & where undercarpet electrical/telecom cabling used
Underfloor Services – Undercarpet Wiring
Undercarpet wiring systems that use flat conductors are appropriate in many buildings for both electrical power and communications wiring
They may be useful in new and retrofit situations
Flat conductors (1) lie underneath the carpet and are accessed through projecting boxes (2)
Conductors are connected by splicing as necessary
Resilient Flooring
The oldest resilient flooring is linoleum – a sheet material made of ground cork
Today’s market resilient sheet flooring and tile market is made of vinyl or rubber
They are available in wide range of colors and have good durability with low initial cost
Vinyl composition tile (VCT) has the lowest installed cost. Other tile products include solid vinyl tile (SVT) and rubber floor tile
Resilient sheet flooring materials are vinyl and rubber
Most resilient flooring is glued to the substrate sometimes using underlayment
Vinyl Flooring
Durable, easy cleaning, low cost
High levels of PVC; look for low-PVC content
Rubber Flooring
Made from recycled tires; durable, slip-resistant
Can give off pollutants
Linoleum
Made from natural, renewable products
Does not generate static electricity
Use low-VOC adhesives to maintain good IAQ
Cork Flooring
Highly renewable
Imported from S. Europe
Excellent sound absorber
Wood Finishes
Specify FSC-Certified wood
Veneered/laminated products available
Use prefinished material when possible to avoid IAQ issues
Bamboo and Palm Wood Flooring
Renewable materials; bamboo matures in 3-5 years
Palm wood is byproduct of coconut farming
Ceramic Tile
High embodied energy due to production/transportation
Natural materials, very durable, no emissions, low maintenance
Avoid epoxy-modified grout, plastic adhesives, use low-VOC sealers
Flooring Thicknesses
Thicknesses of floor finishes can vary widely
When material of different thicknesses are used on the same floor there can be problems
resolving thicknesses
These can be resolved by
Tapered edgings
Thresholds
Variations in thickness of underlayment
Use of gypsum or cementitious self leveling toppings
Sometimes special structural details may need to be considered during design stage
