A carpet's basic qualities depend on its construction: whether the pile is cut, looped or both cut and looped.
Cut pile carpets have a luxurious look and feel, clearly one of the reasons they represent 60% of carpets sold. Within the cut-pile family are the highly popular "saxonies." A saxony has a level surface of cut pile; yarns have varying twists. According to George Davies, Public Relations Manager of Shaw Industries, "there are two main looks in the saxony: traditional, called a 'straight set saxony' because the yarn isn't crimped, and the 'textured saxony,' which has crimped yarns and, as a result, a little more texture."
"Freize" ("fre-zay") carpet is a somewhat rare, rugged, nubby style with tightly twisted yarns. Davies points out that, in recent years, the term has been adopted by textured saxonies.
Another type of cut-pile carpet is the "velvet," with short, very tight pile. A velvet carpet is smooth, level and uniform with a formal look. When you walk on it, footprints tend to show (the more textured a surface, the less it shows footprints).
A cut-pile carpet's "hand"--the look, texture and feel--is a result of the fibers chosen for the yarn and the yarn's gauge ("denier") and twist. These elements critical to performance. The more tightly twisted the yarn, the better the performance, as a rule, because the yarn retains its shape over time. Most cut-pile yarns are heat-set to hold their shape (the same way a hair permanent heat-sets a hairstyle).
Loop pile carpets tend to be more durable than cut-loops because yarn tips are not exposed. With these, yarn wears on the sides, not the ends, and the twist is automatically maintained.
A berber has complete loops, resulting in a nubby texture. Most loop piles are now called berbers, a term that originated with the rugs made by the nomadic Berber tribes of Africa. For a particularly smooth surface, often preferred in commercial installations, you can get a "low-level loop." For striking patterns or a sculptured look, you can buy a "multi-level loop."
Cut-and-loop pile, with a combination of complete and cut loops, offers a variety of looks and patterns. Conventional types, sometimes called "sculptured" carpets, offer bold patterns and colors. More subtle versions, called "traceries" or "carved saxonies" merely suggest a pattern.
