Carpet Construction: Woven Carpet

Carpet that is woven on a mechanical loom represents a small category of carpet installations. This construction uses a weave of yarns called “foundation yarns.” The foundation yarns are identified by their direction: the vertical yarns are “warp yarns” running the length of the carpet, and the horizontal yarns are “weft yarns” running across the width. The pile yarns are mechanically knotted onto this foundation and held by interlacing with the foundation yarns.

Woven wool wall-to-wall carpet can be the most expensive and luxurious of all carpeted floor coverings. Foundation yarns in woven carpets are commonly made from natural cellulosic fibers (cotton or jute). Care must be taken not to apply too much moisture to carpets that have a cellulosic component in the backing construction. Over-wetting and/or slow drying can lead to shrinkage, dimensional instability, cellulosic browning, and soil wicking.

Adapted from The Complete Guide to Cleaning and Restoration (Burlington, WA: Legend Brands, 2017).