Word of the Week

Plush — Luxuriously smooth-textured carpet surface in which individual tufts are only minimally visible and the overall visual effect is that of a single level of yarn ends. This finish is normally achieved only on cut-pile carpet produced from spun yarns by brushing and shearing. Sometimes called “velvet-plush.”

Word of the Week

The Word of the Week for the ending of August 2009 is:

Backing — Fabrics and yarns that make up the back of the carpet as opposed to the carpet pile or face. In tufted carpet:

• Primary backing — A woven or nonwoven fabric in which the yarn is inserted by the tufting needles.
• Secondary backing — Fabric laminated to the back of the carpet to increase dimensional stability.

In woven carpet, the backing consists of “construction yarns” which are interwoven with the face yarn.