#10: CONSTRUCTION AND FIBER CONTENT

Blog #10 - Construction and fiber content (C&D)

The first topic I chose was wall to wall tufted carpet from Masland or EF Contract. I chose to look at EF Contract because I have heard about their products and know a little bit about their company. EF Contract offers wall-to-wall tufted, durable carpets designed for commercial application. They are good for large installation and available in a variety of colors. This helps with commercial spaces, such as hospitality locations like hospitals, offices, etc.. Most commonly, residential projects use wall-to-wall tufted carpet because of its interior appearance, installation, and easy maintenance. EF Contracts refers to their wall-to-wall carpets as broadloom. The terms are interchangeable and refer to carpet produced in wide rolls designed for wall-to-wall installation for a seamless look across large area and continuous coverage. Even though the specification of the carpet varies in style of the carpet, their construction and fiber systems are fairly consistent in their products. The tufted construction of their carpet means that the yarn is extruded into filament fibers and then twisted, heat-set, and tufted or stitched into a backing. This creates a very durable, cost-efficient, and highly customizable products, perfect for designing different patterns and textures. The surface of tufted construction can differ depending on loop pile, cut pile, or cut/loop patterned construction. The loop construction is often dominate in tufted carpet because of its effective wear resistance and appearance. Typically, EF Contract backing assembly on their broadloom carpet consist of a primary backing, secondary backing system and any optional enhanced backing. EF Contract usually included in the specification of their products specification ranges of gauge, face weight, pile density, and width, which are important features to note. The fiber content in EF Contract Broadloom Tufted carpet is either nylon, because of its higher performance (Type 6 or 6,6 Nylon), PET Polyester, for its lower cost, or Recycled nylon (known as their Encore® 100), which meets sustainability specifications. 

Second, I wanted to research carpet tile from EF Contract, Mannington, or Patcraft. Because I researched EF contracts for the previous topic and I am using Mannington Carpet for my Textiles Project 2 Performance Hall, I wanted to look at Mannington. Mannington refers to their carpet tile as Modular Carpet. Most carpet tile for Mannington is tufted, especially their Modular carpet. This is good for commercial application, because, similar to the wall-to-wall, it is tufted into a primary backing and produces a very durable product for installation. It is then locked into placed after tufted into backing with an adhesive (often latex) and finished with a second backing. Some tile styles from Mannington, such as Continental, Current, or Backlit, are surface constructed with the pattern loop pile or textured loop pile. This produces a low profile, dense structure and appearance, perfect for office, healthcare or educational buildings. Mannington's tile sizes are offered in 12"x36", 18"x36", and 12"x48", most commonly. The tiles are then glued down of installed with pressure for ease. The tile can have different types of backings, as offered by Mannington. The different types of backings vary on features (some have moisture barriers or are made of recycled content) but are all structurally very durable. Similar to EF Contract, the fiber content used for carpet tile from Mannington is Type 6 or Type 6,6 Nylon (their premium standard, especially for collections of their products), referred to as Universal Fibers® or Econyl® regenerated nylon. Very minimally does Mannington use PET polyester in their products compared to other competitors. 

One Step Further:

I wanted to do a little more research about EF Contracts and Mannington to see the comparisons and seminaries of their construction and products. I feel like for most projects we have worked on this year, I have heard of these two carpet brands the most. Both EF Contract and Mannington designed and are involved largely in commercial flooring services. They do residential as well, but the biggest pull is commercial projects. They also both offer a large range of carpet products including, carpet tile, broadloom, and pattern and textured designs. Both companies also market their sustainability efforts, certifications, and recycled materials in products. They also both pride themselves on both design and performance. Other companies to note that have similar goals and product selections are Patcraft, Masland, Stanton, Mohawk industries, Milliken, and more.

References & additional sources:

Carpet Products - Samples - Design Your Own Room - Flooring Solutions

Modular | Carpet | Mannington Commercial