Carpet Terms, Buying And Laying

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31776, 5 September 1968, Page 11

Carpet Terms, Buying And Laying

Don’t be confused by such expressions as broadloom and body carpet. Their meaning is simple. Broadloom is not a quality of carpet but merely a measurement of carpet. In New Zealand it has come to mean 12ft or 6ft wide rolls of carpet, that is to say, those produced on a broad loom.

Body carpet describes a carpet produced on a narrow loom, generally in rolls 27 inches or 36 inches wide. For the same quality carpet, prices of 27 inch and 12ft rolls should be comparable on a square yard basis.

Many rooms are 12ft or thereabouts in one direction. If this is the case Broadloom will provide a seamless carpet. However, if the pattern you like is in body carpet, don't let the seams influence your choice. Seams settle j down very quickly and in a, patterned carpet are barely! visible after a short while. | Properly sewn seams, des-1 pite some popular miscon-i ceptions, don’t wear. If your rooms are not 12ft in one direction, or are awkwardly shaped, the most economical way of laying carpet may be to sew several widths of 27 inch carpet together.

Carpet laying should never be a do-it-yourself job.' Only

the carpet layer, who is an expert tradesman, has the correct equipment to handle this task. He knows how to stretch the carpet to the right tension, and to secure it so that it won’t develop wrinkles later. A well-laid carpet will stay in place for years with less wear. When buying carpet, insist that it is laid by an expert from a reputable company. A wall-to-wall carpet is one that has been cut and sewn to fit your home, so it deserves a perfect fitting. The newest idea in this field is Smoothedge, the modern tackless carpet

i installation that makes a (beautiful earpet look perfect I Instead of unsightly, dust catching indentations where the tack has been put in, the carpet lies smooth and tight without a tack mark showing. Smoothedge is anchored to the floor around the room with the underlay carefully butted up to it The carpet is then hooked on the pins and is stretched and hooked at the opposite wall. An extra

bonus is that if the carpet should get wet, it is very easy : to lift without damage. Try i lifting a tacked carpet and . it could easily be torn. Underlay is essential in good carpet laying. It prolongs carpet life, as well as adding comfort. An old fellow who had been in the carpet laying business all his life once said, “Your carpet is only as good as your underfelt” How right he was. A good quality underlay adds years of wear to your carpet Even the best quality carpets need good underlays to last as long as possible. The traditional jute based underfelt gives excellent service. There are four different grades available—light standard, heavy and super. Choose heavy grade for most rooms in the house, but choose super for stairways. Completing quotes usually include the cost of underlay. As the difference between the poorest and the best quality underfelts is less than two dollars in a 12ft by 18ft room, this is one instance where thrift is not a good policy. Stipulate best quality jute underfelt. The newest underlays are made from foam rubber, or rubber, jute and foam mixture. These trt. springy, if slightly more extensive than jute.