Carpeting your library

By Evelyn Minick, J. Thomas Becker, and Stacia Brokaw

carpeting because it is virtually indestructible Advice from those with experience and does not absorb moisture. It is available in softer constructions for commercial applications in but, because of its process, olefins have limited color and design choices. Olefin crushes arpets have long been the floor covering easily, but if it is limited to very dense, low- C of choice for libraries, and for good rea­ carpeting, it remains a viable option, par­ son. In addition to their obvious aesthetic quali­ ticularly if your library has moisture prob­ ties, provide sound absorption, ther­ lems. mal insulation, and create a safe walking surface Our first choice for library installations is for library users. Unfortunately, librarians of­ the new generation . They are especially ten face selection and specifying deci­ stain, static, and soil resistant, easy to main­ sions with little warning. Like most people, our tain, won’t mildew, and hold up well to abra­ knowledge is limited to our last household sion and crushing. They will cost more than purchase, or visions of the crazed toddler on regular carpets, but are well worth the the TV ad who flings food from his high chair investment. and is ultimately saved by “DuPont Stainmaster.” In our moment of need, relying on our Cut pile or loop pile? architect’s expertise (or, heaven forbid, the sales­ Most carpets are produced by a process in which person) can leave you with a glorious-looking hundreds of “tufts” are threaded through product, but one that retains that look only rows of needles and pushed through a back­ weeks beyond the library’s dedication. ing material in a process called “tufting.” The Before you enter into discussions with your yarn tufts are then locked in place with a latex architect or designer, there are a few things backcoating. The two most common construc­ you should know about carpet , construc­ tions for commercial use are “cut pile” where tion, density, padding, installation, and main­ each loop of yarn is cut so that the strands of tenance. As all carpeting decisions should be yarn stand upright on the carpet’s surface (il­ based on the intended use of the product, we lustration #1) and “loop pile” where the yams are focusing here on those high-traffic, public on the face of the carpet form a loop with both areas of libraries that are most problematic for ends anchored in the carpet backing (illustra­ library managers. tion #2). Cut pile carpets such as , saxony, frieze Choosing the right and are far more popular in residential The fiber content of your carpet will determine use and can achieve different looks and feels how well it will wear and resist dirt and stains. with the amount of twist and heat applied to There are two fibers that should be considered the . If you have a preference for the for library applications: nylon and olefin. Nearly smooth, soft appearance of cut pile, make sure 80% of commercial carpeting produced today it is very short and dense to cut down on crush­ is made of nylon because of its excellent per­ ing and soil collection. formance, appearance, and competitive cost. For high-traffic library applications, we rec­ Olefin is commonly used for indoor/outdoor ommend loop pile construction. High-density

Evelyn Minick is library director at the Philadelphia College o f Textiles and Science (PCTS), e-mail: [email protected]; J. Thomas Becker is assistant vice-president for operations at PCTS; and Stacia Brokaw is associate professor o f textiles at PCTS

410/C&RL News wiggle your fingers down to the back­ ing? Press down on the carpet and see how easily it flattens. Bend the carpet yarn side out and see how much of Illustration 1. Cut pile construction. the carpet backing is exposed. Because yam tufts support each other in dense loop pile offers fewer opportunities for dirt to carpeting they are more likely to remain stand­ collect and absorb, is more durable, and shows ing up than matting down. very little visible crushing under constant foot traffic. You will lose some of the soft luxurious look, but loop pile will be much easier to maintain and it will retain a new look long past your tenure at the library. Illustration 2. Loop pile construction. Carpet tiles or broadloom? If you look at the back of your carpet Carpet tiles offer an enticing feature—the abil­ samples, you will see density expressed as ity to replace only the worn areas of your tufted yarn weight, gauge, tufted pile height, library’s carpet, while leaving the unworn ar­ and stitches per inch. Trust your senses and eas in tact. However, it is important to note look at a large number of samples. The quality that you cannot expect the color of the replaced of each carpet will be obvious to you. carpet tiles to match after any length of time. If you are interested in that flexibility, use color Extend a carpet’s life with padding to define the areas where you anticipate the Most architects and designers will argue that greatest wear and the change won’t be so no­ padding is not required in a commercial instal­ ticeable. Carpet tiles come in an amazing array lation. There are several reasons to challenge of colors and patterns. To ensure that they lay this assumption. For starters, padding will ex­ flat and resist buckling, they are often manu­ tend the life of your carpet by up to 40%. For factured with a thick, stiff backing which makes libraries struggling with finances (and who for a harder walking surface. Although easier isn’t?), that is a significant figure. Another rea­ to install, good quality caipet tiles are more son for padding is comfort. Many librarians expensive than broadloom. The decision to go stand at service desks for hours and padding with broadloom in our library was motivated can reduce leg strain. When you throw en­ by our desire for padding and loop pile con­ hanced sound absorption and thennal insula­ struction, features that were not available in tion into the mix, padding becomes quite cost carpet tiles. effective. The quality of padding, just like carpeting, Denser wears better is measured by its density, not its thickness. As we mentioned before, carpets are made by Pads of equal thickness can be of widely vary­ hundreds of needles pushing yarn through a ing densities. backing and forming loops as the needles push The type and method of carpet pad appli­ in and out. The spacing between those needles, cation is critical to the success of your overall the spacing between the rows of tufts of yarn, installation. The most common methods are: and the thickness of each of those yarn tufts all tackless, double stick, and direct bonding. With contribute to the total face yam or the density direct bonding, padding is actually fused to the of your carpet. As a basic rule, the denser the backing of the carpet during the manufactur­ caipet the better. The denser the carpet the ing process. In a tackless installation, the pad­ less chance of dirt or soil working its way into ding is fastened to the floor and then the car­ the carpet and wearing it from the inside out. pet is stretched over the pad with no direct The denser the carpet the tougher it is to crush bond between the carpet and pad. In a and bend the yams underfoot, thus wearing doublestick installation, the padding is glued away the sides of the yams. Carpet will wear to the floor and then the carpet is glued to the much better if you restrict the abrasion to the pad. top surface of the yarn. We recommend the direct bonding ap­ The best way to judge the density of a car­ proach. Direct bonding can actually increase pet is to simply feel the sample. Is it easy to your carpet’s strength as the padding becomes

July/August 1994/411 a unified part of the carpet during construc­ Cost vs. budget tion. These products come in various densities You may agree that following our recommen­ and can also be purchased with a for dations will ensure a high-quality installation, ease of future removal or repair. The trick here but will cost you upwards of $40 per square is to find an installer who is certified to handle yard, way out of reach of most library budgets. this product. If not, you may end up with sloppy Carpet selection, like all phases of design and seams and bubbles where the carpet comes construction, is a series of compromises. To unstuck. If you go with a tackless installation, add to the problem, carpet decisions generally you may have the problem of needing to take place near the end of the building process restretch the carpet periodically, not an easy when cost overruns have already put an un­ task with a library’s heavy loads. The comfortable edge on your deliberations. doublestick method can give you a quality in­ In our case, we were attempting to balance stallation if done correctly. However, look out a very assertive creative team with an equally for carpet buckling and carpets separating from challenging budget. Our total budget for car­ the padding. peting the 5,200 square yards of our new li­ brary was $22.00 per square yard installed. You can’t overvacuum Our designers presented a palette of colors All of this information is meaningless if you and blends to our major donors and adminis­ don’t take care of your carpet once it is in­ tration that, while spectacular, was difficult to stalled in your library. The most critical issues replicate in standard commercially produced in carpet maintenance, however, are decided goods. By disregarding our request for loop before the carpet is selected. pile construction, the design­ The simplest rule is to keep … our knowledge is ers put us in the awkward dirt as far away from your position of choosing to de­ carpet as possible. If you limited to visions of lay the project while they re­ have the luxury of designing the crazed toddler on designed and re-presented your facility from scratch, the interiors, or to have cus­ keep the carpeted areas as the TV ad who flings tom carpets produced. We far from the outside entrance food from his high chose the latter, but our ad­ as possible. Use grates or vice would be to try to avoid walk-off mats to eliminate as chair and is ultimate­ this expense. There are liter­ much of the dirt, mud, snow, ly saved by “DuPont ally thousands of great “stan­ and salt coming in before it dard” carpets. Even though hits your carpet surface. Stainmaster.” we were struggling with bud­ The color and pattern you gets, we still very choose can also simplify your maintenance. strongly that carpet padding was a long-term Avoid solid colors, or if you must have a solid, value that could not be sacrificed. We decided keep to a mid-range color value. A carpet that to lower our yarn weight from our preferred is not too dark and not too light will hide soil. 32 oz. to 28 oz. This allowed us to afford the There are literally hundreds of carpets on the top-of-the-line Dow Enhancer III padding for market in wonderful multicolored , all three floors of our library. Our affiliation speckles, textures, and patterns that conceal with the industry also allowed us to dirt effectively. Limit your rich, dark, solid car­ buy the bulk of our carpets directly from the pets to areas you can easily replace. mills. This saved us about $2.00 per square Once your carpet is installed, the very best yard. After much hard work, haggling, and thing you can do is commit your cleaning per­ persistence, our cost for installed carpet sonnel to consistent, systematic vacuuming— came in at $22.11 per square yard. If we had you cannot overvacuum a carpet. The more used all standard carpets, we just might have dirt you pick up, the less gets ground in. In a made budget. busy library, your carpet must be vacuumed at So when it’s time to make your carpet deci­ least once a day. Also, all stains or spills should sions, don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions, be dealt with immediately. Whether you treat and make sure you are prepared with clear stains with a wet or dry process will depend priorities. You just might end up with a beauti­ on the instructions from your carpet’s manu­ ful installation that will remain that way for facturer. years to come. ■

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