There are essentially two types of carpet construction sold in the UK - Tufted or Woven carpet
Tufted carpet is much quicker and easier to make. Imagine a very large sewing machine – and you have Tufting! It is suitable for all types of yarn and you can make a variety of finishes. The majority of carpet sold in Britain and Europe is tufted.
Floor covering is a term to generically describe any finish material applied over a floor structure to provide a walking surface.
Flooring is the general term for a permanent covering of a floor, or for the work of installing such a floor covering.
Flooring
Which type is for you?
Both terms are used interchangeably, but floor covering refers more to loose-laid materials. Materials almost always classified as floor covering include: carpet, domestic vinyl, laminate, resilient flooring such as linoleum or commercial vinyl, known as flooring.
Tufted Carpet
Your quick guide
Woven Carpet
A woven carpet can be either an ‘Axminster’ or a ‘Wilton’.
Axminster carpet is predominantly patterned with unlimited colour potential.
Wilton tends to be plain but can use up to 5 colours. The manufacturing methods for both are traditional and labour intensive (the front and back of the carpet are woven together simultaneously) – but they are the ‘carpet man’s carpets’.
