Rug and carpet label and warranty

Rug/carpet label and its warranty can give important information and indications in regard to its quality level. Getting familiar with their contents is time well spent. Here's what you should look for.

Rug/carpet label should list surface fiber type, and percentage of each fiber if there is more than one (if the fiber content is 5% or more). Also, it may contain manufacturer's ranking as to what kind of traffic it is suitable for - light, moderate or heavy. Applied treatments for soil, stain, static resistance, color retention an others may be listed as well.

Label can also include if the rug/carpet meets certain standards, established by government agencies. For instance, Carpet and Rag Institute (CRI) has low-emission standard for volatile organic chemicals (VOC). Rugs and carpets that meets this standard can have a CRI "Green Label" or, for rugs meeting more stringent criteria in this respect, a "Green Label Plus". Also, if a rug doesn't meet government's standards for flammability, it is labeled "flammable".

Note that the CRI "Green Label" doesn't guarantee that the rug/carpet emission level is bellow your individual sensitivity level. In fact, many consider it insufficient at best, due to its high level standards and, also, only a few of a number of toxic gases included.

Rug or carpet warranty - if any - is pretty good indicator of its quality. The least you should expect is 1 year "against manufacturing defects", in general. Good warranty will be for 5 years in general. Even better, it can be specific in regard to a particular rag/carpet properties. For instance, up to 5 years for stain and soil resistance, up to 10 years for surface texture retention, and 10 years for abrasion (wear) resistance.

The warranty  applies for a normal rug/carpet use, and doesn't cover damaging incidents and abuse. Often time, warranty can be voided if a rug/carpet hasn't been used with an appropriate pad.

When buying online, make sure you are given the complete specs on label and warranty contents. That may give you important insight about the rug you are buying, and may spare you some unwanted surprises.

And make sure that all important specifics of the rug, or carpet you bought, identifying its type, fiber, weight and treatments, are included in your invoice. It makes it much easier to resolve any possible problem with the unit actually delivered to you.

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Carpet and rugs terminology - This sounds like a school class - but this is the one you don't want to miss. An educated buying decision translates into a buying success, and that is your goal. Certainly, understanding carpet and rug terminology is something you need for enjoyable, successful shopping.  And it is not as simple as it may seem at first...

Construction - Simply put, rug or carpet construction is a particular way of putting it together. Whether produced by hand, or by machine, they are made in a certain way. This includes all that is done to come up with a finished product: from tufting or weaving the yarn to dyeing and applying chemical or other treatments...

Materials - Nearly all of materials used for rug and carpet construction are in their face-fiber and backing. It is usually the face-fiber material that gets most of attention and consideration. This is because the rug/carpet fiber forming its face is most exposed, both, visually and physically. Hence it is the main determinant of appearance quality and retention...

Environmental effect - Most materials, natural or synthetic, have some environmental impact, and those used for carpets and rugs are no exception. Health hazard comes mainly from rug and carpet being outgassing potentially toxic fumes, as well as from rug and carpet mold (mildew) infestation....

Area rug size and shape - In somewhat different ways, area rug size and shape have both, functional and aesthetic aspect. At first, one would say that area rug's size is pretty much determined by dimensions of the space it is intended to. In reality, the decision on how large area rug will be, and whether it is to be square, round or of some other shape, should come after careful consideration of not only room's size and geometry, but also typical traffic patterns, form and arrangement of other objects and decor elements present, as well as the intended use of the room, or space...

Colors and Patterns - Color of your rug, or carpet, creates certain visual effect, emotion, and an atmosphere. Individual perceptions vary, but most of us will be affected similarly. Here's a brief overview of what are out typical responses to colors and patterns. It may help you decide what rug color and pattern type is best for your room...

Design style - Possible variations in the visual characteristics of the rug/carpet face - its design - are literally countless. They come from visual rug/carpet attributes created by both, fiber coloration, and its dimensional appearance. Luckily, all this immense variety is being channeled, fairly efficiently, into a few main classifications...

Carpet and rug buying checklist - The two main aspects of every rug or carpet are (1) its aesthetics and (2) practicality. Once you find the one that has the right looks, the next step is to check out how appropriate are its materials and construction type to its intended use. In other words, what is its quality level. The following checklist will help you figure that out...

Rug and carpet care tips - From the moment a new rug or carpet enters your home, certain steps and procedures should be followed to ensure its functionality and appearance retention. They are related to placement and installation, as well as carpet or rug care and maintenance. Here are the main pointers.
 

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