Carpet

A carpet or rug is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibres such as polypropylene, nylon, and polyester have often been used, as these fibres are less expensive than wool. The pile usually consists of twisted tufts that are typically heat-treated to maintain their structure. The terms carpet and rug are sometimes interchangeable, though carpet generally refers to wall-to-wall carpet, which is fastened to the floor and cut to fit a specific room, while rugs or mats are usually loose-laid and free-floating floor coverings smaller than an entire room.

Carpet flooring provides cushioning for sitting and kneeling, and it is significantly less cold to the touch than tile or other stone. Walking on carpet does not produce much sound, and carpet dampens ambient noise. Carpet is versatile and is often decorated with patterns and motifs, which can add color and texture to a room. Carpeting has been produced throughout history; today, a wide range of carpets and rugs are available at various prices and quality levels, from inexpensive, mass-produced synthetic carpets to costly hand-knotted wool rugs.

Carpets can be produced through various methods, including weaving, needle felting, hand-knotting (as seen in oriental rugs), tufting (where pile is injected into a backing material), flat weaving, hooking (by pulling wool or cotton through the meshes of a sturdy fabric), or embroidering. Carpet is commonly made in widths of 12 or 15 feet (3.7 or 4.6 m) in the US and 4 or 5 m (13 or 16 ft) in Europe. To create wall-to-wall carpet, since the 19th and 20th century, different widths of carpet are seamed (using seam tape) or sewn together and fastened to the floor over a cushioned underlay (pad) using nails, tack strips (known in the UK as gripper rods), adhesives, or occasionally decorative metal stair rods.

The term carpet comes from Latin carpita and Old French carpite. One derivation of the term states that the French term came from the Old Italian carpita, from the verb carpire meaning 'to pluck'. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the term carpet was first used in English in the late 13th century, with the meaning 'coarse cloth', and by the mid-14th century, "tablecloth, [or] bedspread". The word comes from Old French carpite 'heavy decorated cloth, carpet', from Medieval Latin or Old Italian carpita 'thick woolen cloth', which may derive from Latin carpere 'to card, pluck'. The Latin word "carpet" was introduced in the 13th century by the Florentines from the Middle Armenian word կարպետ (carpet). The meaning of the term carpet shifted in the 15th century to refer to floor coverings.

The terms carpet and rug are often used interchangeably. A carpet is sometimes defined as stretching from wall to wall. Another definition treats rugs as of lower quality or of smaller size, with carpets quite often having finished ends. A third common definition is that a carpet is permanently fixed in place while a rug is simply laid out on the floor. Historically, the term carpet was also applied to table and wall coverings, as carpets were not commonly used on the floor in European interiors until the 15th century.^{[citation needed]}

The term rug was first used in English in the 1550s, with the meaning 'coarse fabric'. The term is of Scandinavian origin, comparable to Norwegian rugga 'coarse coverlet', from Old Norse rogg 'shaggy tuft', from Proto-Germanic *rawwa-. The meaning of rug "evolved to 'coverlet, wrap' (1590s), then 'mat for the floor' (1808)".

A woven carpet is produced on a loom quite similar to woven fabric. The pile can be plush or Berber. Plush carpet is a cut pile and Berber carpet is a loop pile. There are new styles of carpet combining the two styles called cut and loop carpeting. Normally many coloured yarns are used and this process is capable of producing intricate patterns from predetermined designs (although some limitations apply to certain weaving methods with regard to accuracy of pattern within the carpet). These carpets are usually the most expensive due to the relatively slow speed of the manufacturing process. Countries such as Turkey, Iran, India, and Pakistan as well as the Middle East in general are well known for their woven carpets.

A flatweave carpet is created by interlocking warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) threads. Types of oriental flat woven carpet include kilim, soumak, plain weave, and tapestry weave. Types of European flat woven carpets include Venetian, Dutch, Damask carpet , list, haircloth, and ingrain (aka double cloth, two-ply, triple cloth, or three-ply).^{[citation needed]}