Carpet Glossary W

walk-off mats

Mats used to collect dirt and other materials in the path before walking on carpet or entering a room/house.

warp

In woven carpet, yarns running lengthwise.

warp yarns

Yarns which run lengthwise.

weaving

Surface and backing yarns are interlaced, or woven together, in one operation. Several types of looms are employed: Axminster: Named for a town in England where it was first used, this is a fairly complicated weave, used chiefly for multicolored patterns in cut-pile. A distinguished feature of the Axminster is a heavily ribbed back which can be rolled length, but not widthwise. Wilton: also named for a town in England. Employs a Jacquard pattern making mechanism operating on the same principle as player piano rolls, with punched pattern cards determining pile height and color selection; most often used for patterns and multi-level textures. Velvet: A simple loom first used to produce carpet with a single-level plush or velvet texture. May be used for cut or looped pile, or modified for other texture variations.

weft

In woven carpet, yarn running crosswise between warp yarns.

weft yarns

Yarns which run left to right, across the width of a carpet.

width

The carpet width depends on the width of the loom on which it is made. Any carpet material over 54 inches wide is referred to as a broadloom.

wires

Metal strips inserted in the weaving shed in Wilton and velvet weaves so that the surface yarns are bound down over them forming a loop of the proper height. In round wire constructions, loops are left uncut; in cut pile, flat wires with knife edges are used, cutting loops as wire is withdrawn.

wool

Natural, animal fiber. Versatile, easy to dye, lightweight, soft, warm or cool hand, wrinkle resistant, absorbent, and luxurious.

worsted yarn

Made of long staple carpet fiber and combed to parallel the fiber and remove the extremely short fibers.

woven backing

Backing produced by a weaving process using natural fiber, such as jute, cotton, ducking or synthetic yarns.

woven carpet

A rug or carpet that is made by a weaving process. In woven carpet, the face and back are formed at the same time, by interweaving warp, weft, and other yarns. Carpet produced on a loom through a weaving process by which the lengthwise (warp) yarns and widthwise (weft or filling) yarns are interlaced to form the fabric. Carpet weaves, such as Wilton, Axminster and velvet, are complex often involving several sets of warp and filling yarns for the pile and backing.