Carpet Glossary L

latex

A water emulsion of synthetic of synthetic rubber, natural rubber, or other polymer. In carpet, latex is used for laminating secondary backings to tufted carpet, backcoating carpet and rugs, and for manufacturing foamed cushion.

linen

Natural made from flax, a vegetable fiber. Comfortable. Hand washable or dry cleanable. Crisp hand, tailors well, absorbent, dyes and prints well. Lightweight to heavyweight.

loop pile

Carpet style having a pile surface consisting of uncut loops. May be woven or tufted. Also called “round wire” in woven carpet terminology.

looped pile

Pile surface in which looped yarns are left uncut. In woven carpets, sometimes referred to as “round wire”.

looper

A tufting machine part used in tufted carpet production. It is a thin flat metal hook that removes pile yarn from tufting needle at the bottom of the downstroke.

luster

Brightness or reflectivity of fibers, yarns, carpets, or fabrics. Synthetic fibers are produced in various luster classifications including bright, semi-bright, semi-dull, and dull. Bright fibers usually are clear (have no which pigment) whereas the duller designations have small amounts of white pigments such as titanium dioxide. Luster of finished carpet also depends upon yarn heatsetting methods, dyeing, and finishing. In high traffic commercial areas duller carpets are often preferred for soil hiding ability.

luster fabric

Any cut pile fabric woven with surface yarns spun from special types of staple and chemically washed, like hand-woven Oriental fabrics, to give a bright sheen or luster.

lyocell

Man-made, cellulosic based ( made from dissolved wood pulp on the solvent spinning system). Excellent strength, washable, shrink resistant, soft hand, excellent drape, absorbent, affinity to dye, and prints well.