Wool is natural fiber that comes from the coat of a sheep. New Zealand wool is regarded as the best & softness quality wool in the world.
Worsted Wool defined: Before the wool is spun into yarn, it is combed, then worsted to improve its quality by leaving only the longer pieces of fiber for final spinning. It is used for more intricate patterns.
Advantages:
Soft & Luxurious: Wool is the softest fiber used in the area rug industry.
Naturally Resilient: will maintain its original appearance and will "bounce back" to its original form like a spring after walked on.
Naturally stain resistant: the fiber is covered by a thin membrane that acts as a repellant and prevents water from penetrating the surface of the rug. This is another reason why wool rugs maintain their original appearance.
Naturally resistant to soil & dirt: the surface of wool is made up of overlapping scales that act as a roof. These scales trap soil and dirt near the surface of the rug and make it easy to vacuum.
Absorbs & reduces noise: Wool has been proven to reduce echoes and unwanted noise.
Flame Retardant: does not ignite like fuel-based fibers
Disadvantages:
More expensive than synthetics
Not fade resistant: will fade more than synthetics in direct sunlight
Will shed more than synthetics: This is also an advantage because by shedding, a wool rug is always displaying it's new layer of fibers, which is why wool rugs look newer longer than synthetics.
Olefin, also know as Polypropylene, is a synthetic fiber that comes from petroleum products; also called Exellan or Decolan. Olefin is extruded into yarn using polypropylene resin and plastic color chips. During this process, pre-dyed color chips are melted down and made into a continuous fiber.
Advantages:
Inexpensive
Nearly fade proof
Softness of wool: higher quality olefin rugs try to copy the softness of wool
Resistant to moisture & mildew
Non-porus: One of the greatest advantages of polypropylene rugs is the non-porous fiber. It makes the durable fiber essentially stain-proof, easy to clean and resistant to soil from many chemicals.
Disadvantages:
Not Resilient: does not maintain its original appearance as well as wool. Many times, the olefin fiber goes through a "heat-setting" process which helps it to have the bounce back feature that wool has but the olefin fiber still does not bounce back as well as wool.
Not as long lasting: will start to break down and show wear after time
Not as soft or warm as wool
Susceptible to oil-based stains since it is a petroleum based fiber
Not as flame retardant as wool
Nylon is by far one of the most prevalent fibers made from petroleum-based chemicals.
Advantages:
Withstands heavy foot traffic
Strong
Durable
Lustrous quality: creates a shiny appearance
Elastic: bounces back to its original appearance after walked on
Inexpensive
Disadvantages:
Not as soft or warm as wool
Not as flame retardant
Acrylic is a synthetic fiber with similar features to olefin & nylon.
Advantages:
Fade resistant
Stain & mildew resistant
Inexpensive
Disadvantages:
Not as resilient as wool
Not as soft or warm as wool
Not as flame retardant as wool
Sisal is a natural fiber made from leaves of plants grown in Brazil, Mexico & Asia.
Advantages:
Environmentally friendly
Durable
Static-free
Breathes: it reacts to relative humidity around it. This "hydroscopic" characteristic has increased its popularity in the summer time because it has a "cooling" effect as it takes in moisture
Disadvantages:
Rough texture
Will expand if becomes wet
Will fade after long exposure to sunlight
Can be damaged by mildew: not suitable for outdoors
Not very stain resistant
Seagrass is made from the grass of a tropical reed.
Advantages:
More textural than sisal or jute
Environmentally friendly
Extremely durable
"Wicker" texture adds depth and visual appeal
Not as rough as sisal
Less noticeable water stains: stains wont be as apparent on seagrass then sisal because seagrass is a reed and does not absorb moisture
Disadvantages:
Rough texture
Will expand if becomes wet
Can be damaged by mildew: not suitable outdoors
Jute is harvested from plant stalk (as opposed to leaves as in sisal).
Advantages:
Breathes: it reacts to relative humidity around it. This "hydroscopic" characteristic has increased its popularity in the summer time because it has a "cooling" effect as it takes in moisture
Durable under moderate traffic
Static-free
Disadvantages:
Fibers likely to be crushed under the weight of furniture
Rough texture
Will expand if it gets wet
Can be damaged by mildew: not suitable outdoors
The stem of the bamboo plant is harvested & curved to produce a material that can be plaited into floor covering
Advantages:
Softer than sisal/seagrass/jute
Disadvantages:
Can be damaged by mildew: not suitable outdoors
Rough texture
Will expand if it gets wet
