Carpet

The floor accessory

A floor covering that is made from various textiles. The backing layer has another upper layer attached to it, also called 'pile'. The pile consists of twisted tufts and different regions have their own style of how they make these tufts, a Berber carpet is different from the Frieze style. These tufts are often heated to maintain their structure over time. A lot of the upper layers are made from wool and silk, but in modern times the synthetic polyesters or nylons have become common because they are cheaper. Machine-made carpets are cheaper than hand-knotted iterations. Antique carpets are extremely valuable and can also be found in museums. The patterns woven are often inspired by the area a carpet was made in, a lot of the old world carpets have ethnic designs on them from ancient tribes. Making them historically and culturally even more important. A rug is also called a carpet, the difference being that the rug is smaller and not attached to the floor.

Why have a carpet

Carpets work well for cold areas to insulate the room. Also making it convenient to walk barefoot or sit on the floor, as a stone floor would be freezing in the winters. In apartment buildings, they are used to reduce the sound from walking about. Carpets are also used exclusively for decorating purposes.

New age fibres

Modern materials have various pros and cons, with nylon being one of the most commonly used as it is sturdy and works well for high traffic areas. It may pill up (make small fibre balls), be prone to static and fade in sunlight. Olefin, also known as polypropylene, was originally more often used for the outdoors. Now used indoors as well due to its resistance to stains, moisture and mildew. Acrylic is the closest to wool, usually used in commercial buildings as it offers soil resistance and static resistance. Also, it does not fade as easily as nylon and polyester. Polyester is similar to nylon, a little less durable but with more variety. Triexta a synthetic polymer, derived in large part from corn sugar (instead of petroleum), making this an environmentally friendly. It is the most recent material to be used for carpeting, with high resistance to stains and is durable making it ideal for a house with kids and pets.

Carpets in Pakistan

South Asia developed weaving when few other civilizations had. Harappa and Mohejo-Daro excavations show that people at that time used spindles to spin various weaving materials. In the late 1990s, hand-woven carpets were a major export of Pakistan, it is the second-largest cottage industry. After independence carpet manufacturing was centralised in Sangla Hill, a town in the Sheikhupura District. Even today it is an important site for many carpet industries, despite having setups in Karachi, Lahore and Faislabad. 

Carpet prices vary as much as the designs and colours available. The differences come when material and how it is produced is taken into account. Some doctors do not recommend children with asthma have carpets in their room as they gather dust and allergens which can aggravate the asthmatic condition or other allergies.