Shaw

Why Shaw?

      Endlessly versatile and ever classic, Shaw offers so many styles, patterns and colors that your carpet selection is limited only by your imagination. Exclusive features such as R2x® Carpet Stain and Soil
      Repellent, SoftBac® Platinum carpet backing system, and innovative fibers ensure that your carpet is ready to be walked all over for years to come

Performance ratings make comparing easy

Ratings from 1 to 5

On the label of every residential carpet style, you'll find an easy-to-find, easy-to-understand Performance Rating.

Rated from 1 to 5, the scale represents the carpeting's ability to withstand extended wear. A perfect rating of 5 means that after rigorous, industry-standard testing, the carpeting maintained the appearance of brand new carpet.

A rating of 4.0 or above is considered outstanding. These carpets are recommended for heavy traffic locations, including family rooms and children's areas.

A rating of 2.5 to 4.0 is predicted to provide normal durability. These carpets can be used in most home applications if properly maintained and cleaned.

A rating below 2.5 should be considered for light to moderate traffic areas only, such as bedrooms.

It's not practical to associate years with the carpeting durability rating. There are so many variable factors--area of the home, traffic patterns, number of inhabitants, level of proper maintenance, etc.--that what might be only 3 years of acceptable carpeting performance to one could be a lifetime to another.

The carpet performance rating results from rigorous testing that conforms to industry standards. Some of the factors that determine a carpet's performance rating include the following:

Face weight - In general, more ounces per square yard is better.
Twist - Higher twist helps resist crushing & matting

Density- Higher density improves comfort and performance

If you have questions regarding carpet performance, please contact the Shaw Information Center at 1-800-441-SHAW (7429).

Understand Warranties with Shaw's Star Selling System

Shaw's Star Selling System makes our warranties easy to understand and, even more importantly, easy to compare. Shaw's Star Selling System is a labeling approach that assigns specific criteria for each of three carpet categories: 3-Star, 4-Star, and 5-Star. The system works across all of Shaw's residential carpet brands. Although there are a few exceptions within categories, the packages of features and benefits for each of the star ratings are outlined below:

3-Star

Residential products in this carpet category may carry one or more of the following warranties:

· Shaw Limited 5-Year Quality Assurance Warranty (warranty against manufacturing defects).

· Limited 5-year generic stain warranty (Stain Safety or other).

Limited 5-Year TEXTUREGARD texture retention warranty, if the product meets stringent performance requirements and rating guidelines.

4-Star

Residential carpet products in this category may carry one or more of the following warranties:

· Shaw Limited 7-Year Quality Assurance Warranty.

· Limited 7-year stain and soil warranty (either Shaw's R2X Stain and Soil Repellent, Stainmaster, or other Shaw stain resistance warranty).

Limited 7-year texture retention warranty, if the product meets stringent performance requirements and rating guidelines.

5-Star

Residential carpet products in this category may carry one or more of the following warranties:

· Shaw Limited 10-Year Quality Assurance Warranty.

· Limited 10-year stain and soil warranty (either Shaw's R2X Stain and Soil Repellent, Stainmaster, or other Shaw stain resistance warranty).

· Limited 10-year texture retention warranty, if the carpet product meets stringent performance requirements and rating guidelines.

· 30-Day Customer Satisfaction Guarantee

· 5-Star products are also backed with SoftBacPlatinum which carries a ten-year no-wrinkle/no re-stretch guarantee.

Carpet Construction

 

Types & Styles

The manufacturing of carpet--which can be described as sewing strands of yarn into a backing material--creates thousands of yarn loops.

When the loops are cut, we create a CUT PILE carpet, often known as PLUSH.

When the loops remain uncut, we create a LOOP carpet.

These two options can be combined to create four CONSTRUCTION possibilities:

Cut Pile

When the loops are cut, you create a cut pile carpet.

Loop Pile

When the loops remain uncut, you create a loop pile carpet.

Patterned Loop

When the loops remain uncut and the loops have multiple heights, the result is a patterned loop carpet.

Cut & Loop

When cuts and loops are combined, you can create a wide range of patterns.

Carpet Fibers

 

Fiber is carpet's basic ingredient.

The four basic fibers used in carpets today all have their individual strengths. Even more importantly, they all make excellent carpets. Your ultimate choice will be determined by the characteristics that are most important to you.

Although some carpets are made of blends, most are made entirely of one of the following four fibers:

Nylon

Nylon is more expensive than other synthetic carpet fibers and has been the most commonly used carpet fiber since the early 1960's.  In overall performance characteristics, nylon is the most versatile of all fibers, providing excellent flexibility in creating a variety of carpet styles.  Nylon can be found in a wide range of both cut pile and loop pile styles.  It is durable, resilient, and receptive to dyeing for color versatility and uniformity; many new nylon yarn systems are also exceptionally soft.  Though not inherently stain resistant, most nylon carpets are treated with stain-resist carpet treatment for protection against household spills and stains.

Polypropylene (also called Olefin)

Since 1980, the use of polypropylene carpet fibers has grown dramatically.  Unlike the other fiber types, polypropylene will not absorb water and must therefore be solution dyed (pigmented) to impart color.  Solution dyeing is a pigmentation process in which color is actually built into the fiber when it is formed, or extruded, thereby becoming an inherent part that cannot be removed from the fiber.  The color will not fade, even when exposed to intense sunlight, bleaches, atmospheric contaminants, or other harsh chemicals or elements.  However, since it is not as resilient as other fibeers, poypropylene is normally used in loop pile constructions in which there is less need for superior resiliency.

Polyester

Polyester offers exceptional softness and color clarity, and it is also naturally stain and fade resistant.  While polyester is not as inherently resilient as nylon, carpets made of polyester fiber will perform well if appropriately constructed.  Carpets of polyester are generally available only in cut pile styles and are usually less expensive than nylon in comparable weights.

Wool

The preeminent natural fiber and used in the manufacture of carpets and rugs longer than any other fiber.  In fact, the weaving of wool carpets has been traced back to 3,000 B.C., and wool rugs and carpets have been prized as objects of beauty and prestige ever since.  Wool does not have the stain and abrasion resistance of some of the man-made fibers, but it has an enduring quality, and many wool carpets and rugs are said to "age gracefully."  Soft underfoot, wool also offers the somewhat intangible consideration of prestige.  However, wool carpets are considerably more expensive than most synthetic carpets and represent less than 1% of all broadloom carpets sold.

 

A number of carpet styles utilize a fiber blend, such as nylon and polypropylene.  The blending of fiber types to form the carpet yarn is designed to combine the beneficial characteristics of each fiber, such as the resiiency of nylon and fade resistance of polypropylene.

While these descriptions outline basic characteristics of different fibers, how the fiber is processed and fabricated - the construction - is more of a determining factor of a carpet's performance potential.

No other flooring warms and insulates a room like carpet.

The warm comfort that carpet provides is not just your imagination.  Unlike other types of flooring, carpet is a natural insulator, providing additional warmth in cold seasons.

The use of carpet in a wall-to-wall application actually increases the R-value, or insulation level, of the carpet area, potentially saving homeowners like you utility costs while reducing energy use.  The R-value (thermal resistance) measures how much a material resists the movement of heat through a ceiling, wall, or floor in a building.  The higher the number, the more effective the insulation.

Recently, tests carried out at the Johns Manville Technical Center Thermal Labs, one of the most sophisticated laboratories of its kind in the world, confirm carpet and pad significantly increase R-value compared to other flooring materials.  Results varied according to the carpet's construction, with heavier products generally providing higher R-value.  Carpets were tested with and without cushion, and the combination maximized the R-value.  Carpet really is warmer.

Test results from the different carpet constructions were compared to three hard surface products - ceramic tile, laminate, and engineered hardwood - and the differences were dramatic: 

· Carpet vs. engineered hardwood:  From 3 to 7 times the R-value.

· Carpet vs. laminate: From 4 to 8 times the R-value.

· Carpet vs. ceramic tile: From 8 to 17 times the R-value. 

 

Carpet with cushion represents a clear advantage in insulation capability over hard surface flooring.  Of course, potential energy cost savings by using carpet and cushion in lieu of hard surfaces will vary widely.  The type of floor construction, local energy costs, climate, and carpet/cushion type all affect how significant these savings could be.

Obviously, savings would be greater in colder regions of the country.

Dr. Alan Hedge, professor of Department of Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell University, also cites thermal comfort as another of carpet's advantages.  "Carpet feels warmer to the touch than other floor coverings because the air at room temperature is trapped by the carpet fibers which acts as an insulator, and carpet has a low thermal diffusivity compared to other floor materials that have higher thermal diffusivities and that conduct heat away from the body more rapidly, resulting in a lower skin temperature, cooler sensation, and greater thermal discomfort," Hedge reports.

Not Sure Where to Start?

The flooring and design experts at Shaw have tips and advice to help move you into action. Get smart, get inspired and get going.

Check out Shaw's new "A Woman's Guide to Flooring' for helpful shopping tips and design advice"

Tuftex - Tuftex is casual elegance that appeals to your senses. Fair and warm, open, airy, and sunny. Tuftex creates colors, textures, and images that are in harmony with this lifestyle.

 

Tuftex of California: Creating Innovative Flooring for America's Homes

Color Logic... That's what we call the approach we've taken to develop the color lines for our product introductions. Over the past twelve to twenty-four months, we've been studying the impact that hard surface flooring (now approaching more than 50% of the market in the Western United States) is having on carpet color. Residential interior designers tell us they start the flooring selection process with hard surface first. In our primary markets, that usually means ceramic or stone. Then they look for carpet colors that work with and complement the ceramic and stone selections. As a result, we've redesigned our West Coast color palette with a broader array of mid- and dark-range neutrals, softer sages, and tinted taupe's.  And we've accented the assortment with an occasional burnt sienna and a teddy bear chocolate. Our Color Logic color lines are broader, richer, warmer, and they complement and coordinate beautifully with stone, ceramic and rich wood floors. Tuftex is all about color. This year, more than ever, we think you're going to like the choices.