Carpets

In the East, the carpet from time immemorial considered a symbol of prosperity, health and loyalty to the customs of their ancestors. And she looked sorry for the family that could not ustelit floors of his house worthy of carpets. In some countries, carpets are still considered a symbol of wealth and power. They traditionally give to the wedding and anniversaries receive a legacy and keep as a priceless heirloom.

In some countries, carpets are still considered a symbol of wealth and power. They traditionally give to the wedding and anniversaries receive a legacy and keep as a priceless heirloom.
Indeed, oriental rugs can rightly be called works of art, equal in value to antique European tapestries, tapestries and paintings. For example, the production of this Persian rug requires the highest skill and diligence: the master tying thousands of knots on the cloth-based, it takes six months to several years (one square meter accounts for up to several millions of nodes). Once the carpet is woven, it is washed in running water - is a kind of check on quality. If a figure is not shed, paint is not darkened, and the thread will not disband, it means that the carpet is made to last.
Carpets are woven by hand until now. However, the production of a modern European carpet took away from the ancient oriental art: handmade gave way to machine, and national patterns and replace the images of flowers and geometric shapes. The cost of such machine-woven, carpet can sometimes equal the cost of manufacturing by hand. It all depends on the materials from which made the carpet, as well as its density (the number of knots per square meter), directly determines the longevity and quality of product. Behold the root
Basic materials for the production of carpets today - it's wool, silk and synthetic fibers. Wool is a traditional ancient times and the most common material for carpet weaving. She is extremely strong, durable, resistant to abrasion and mechanical stress. Therefore, better facilities in continuous use that wool rugs: they are flexible, their fiber returned to its original position even after a significant stress x, and they do not leave marks on the furniture.
  
 Wool carpets can trap moisture in damp areas and keep warm in poorly heated rooms. They do not accumulate static electricity on them pleasant to walk barefoot. Well known and aesthetic qualities of wool rugs - Wool fibers do not shine, look extremely soft, creating a feeling of comfort. By the way, the price of exclusive woolen carpets with time does not decrease but, on the contrary, increases.
Silk has long been considered one of the most valuable and revered natural materials. Silk Carpets differ grace, elegance, and a soft shimmering shine. Silk fibers are rightly considered the strongest, but the carpets are quite thin and unlikely to be warm on cold winter evenings. In addition, silk is highly hygroscopic, so the silk carpets should not be subjected to prolonged exposure to moisture. However, there are important advantage: silk yarn due to its extraordinary fineness can reach the highest density of weaving, due to what is provided exclusively detailed study of the figure and long product life.
Unbeaten record so far is set in China, where the carpet was woven with a density of approximately 10.8 million knots per square meter. This corresponds to about 3.3 knots per millimeter in width and height. Such hyperfine netting was included in the Guinness Book of Records. I must say that the cost of silk carpets is significantly higher wool. These carpets are used as decorative ornaments, which serve more than one generation. In addition to the natural silk produced from cocoons of silkworm larvae, for the manufacture of carpets is also used as an artificial - viscose, acetate and copper-ammonia silk. Rayon is produced from natural products - pulp, ie raw material is wood.
There are three industrial way to pull a thread out of pure cellulose. The use of so-called viscose method allows us to obtain viscose rayon or silk. When using the acetate method is obtained acetate silk, and when using a copper method - less widespread copper-ammonium filament yarn. The starting material for its production is extremely sanitized cellulose or linter, very SHORT cotton thread that does not allow spinning.

Pure silk can be distinguished from an artificial, or acetate, through a simple test - the so-called tests on combustion. Smoldering pure silk, which is a protein compound, smell like burnt horn. Acetate as silk, as a cellulose product, in contrast, forms a whitish smoke and distributes a sharp smell, similar to the smell of burning paper. Floor carpets made of artificial silk quickly dumped, and therefore easily contaminated, losing pretty soon its attractive appearance.
Cotton is the second most important role (after wool) in industrial production of woven carpets, but it is not used for the pile, and as the material foundation fabric (the warp and weft threads). Cotton, featuring a form of resistance and high tensile strength, is well established as a basis for holding carpet knots. Sometimes it is woven in the carpet pile. In old and antique carpets, such as Turkmen, it is sometimes used for decoration white outline, small parts of the pattern.
Today, cotton is part of the carpet nap usually in the form of mercerized. Mercerized yarn - this yarn, which took an additional technological processing - mercerization (handling the concentrated solution of caustic soda), which increases its resistance to tear and abrasion resistance, reduced hairiness, yarn acquires a cylindrical shape and silky shine.
This method was developed in the first half of the XIX century English chemist John Mercer. Chemical treatment improves both the ability to staining, approximately 25% higher and the tension load. Mercerized cotton is used for weaving carpets in Turkey (Kaiser), the Indian side of Kashmir, and rarely - in Pakistan. It gives the product a kind of silk carpets. In trade, such "silk imitation" called everywhere "misleading."
In Turkish bazaars mercerized silk represent tourists under the following names: wood silk, silk floral, flosh, shelkovidny material ipekli. These items are designed to disguise the true origin of the material and not just misleading, but they are wrong on the merits.
Enjoy great popularity today, carpets made of artificial materials - suprima, terklona, polyester, polyamide, etc. These rugs inexpensive, but their design has attracted many. In addition to price and design, synthetic products have a huge "plus" - practicality. They are much easier to clean than carpets made from natural materials. But the lion's share of the market today are not synthetic, not wool, and certainly not silk carpets.
Explicit leadership - for carpets of mixed fibers, having a fairly low cost. Typically, they are made of yarn, which is a mixture of wool and synthetic materials. In this case, that the carpet justified his price and has maintained its splendor to the delight of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the percentage of synthetic fibers in it should not exceed 50 percent. Therefore, the purchase must ask, what is its composition. Nodule zavyazhetsya ...
Carpets can be classified not only according to their composition, but also on ways of manufacturing. Depending on the technology of production and way of securing the yarn on the basis of the following types of carpets: woven, braided, felted, tufted (punched). Tufted production speed, cheap. The process of making woven carpets are much slower and more complicated. Simulating the traditional manual work, much more expensive woven carpets tufting. They are flat textile products consisting of two intersecting systems of fibers: longitudinal and transverse.
 
 
Woven carpet is not a nap. In contrast to woven, braided rugs are produced in the process of introducing the yarn into cloth (cotton, wool or, for example, jute) framework by weaving knots. Wicker rugs have pile. Each knot is tied separately, thus ensuring the opportunity to get absolutely any patterns.
Carpets also differ in texture, pile, which can be folded or split. Split hair is obtained if the loop cut or trim. It is less durable than loop. But looks elegant. And in one mat may be a loop, and split hair. The simplest single-level loop carpet is: all the loops have the same height and not cut. This is an ideal solution for offices and rooms that are frequently used, such as for stairs. Uncut loops are resistant to wear. If you make a loop of varying heights, we obtain a multi-level loop carpet with relief.
However, one should bear in mind that even on a short split hair are the next steps and dirt, so this rug requires much more attention and care. Swap it chairs or tables, of course, is not recommended. You should not become attracted the softness of a long nap, if the carpet is designed for rooms where going to a lot of people. A long nap is better suited for bedrooms and home offices, and a short, vice versa - for living rooms, dining rooms and hallways. Exotic East
Today, many are willing to design the interior of the so-called colonial style. This requires an exotic furniture, ornaments made of ivory, exquisite china and, of course, carpets - Persian, Turkish or Chinese. The story colonial-style rugs are traditional ornaments: flowers, animals, medallions, as well as religious and philosophical reasons for the countries where they are produced. Of course, not everyone can afford to have the old carpet, but many are able to buy an affordable, high-quality replica.
These carpets are produced in Europe based on sketches of European and American designers in small batches and have their own, albeit narrow, market. By the way, due to relatively low prices for excellent quality of interest in these products continues unabated. Buying is real Persian handmade carpet, can not doubt its exclusivity - the master with an accuracy never repeat pattern, although the common elements of the pattern may persist: it is for him can be judged, in some areas made carpet.
For example, in carpets made in the Iranian city of Tabriz, dominated by bright colors and large elements of the pattern in Naina - on the contrary, cold colors and fine details. For Nepali carpets typical large geometric pattern reminiscent of abstract paintings, and sharp transitions of color. In this case, perhaps the most challenging combinations: bright red with green or purple with white. From handmade carpets, perhaps, only the Nepalese can be wholly self-colored, patterned in the form of one or more geometric shapes. Caring for carpets:

    * The carpet should be regularly vacuumed. This will preserve its appearance and prolong its service life.
    * Timely remove stains. The sooner you start cleaning, the greater the likelihood of success.
    * The main condition in order not to leave stains - do not try to rub it into the carpet. And in order to avoid the stains, sprinkle talcum powder on the edge spots or starch, and start brushing from the edge to the middle spot.
    * For wet cleaning, use the foaming shampoo that will protect the carpet from getting wet. Use only a quality product that will not damage the color and texture of carpet.
    * If you can not clean the carpet in the home - contact the professionals. They will return to your favorite carpet its original appearance, and it will serve you for years to come.
    * To prepare the carpet for the storage, you first need to roll it into a roll, and then close the plastic wrap.
    * To dry carpets need a natural way, avoiding direct sunlight.
Price issue
Thus, the price of carpet depends primarily on the material, manufacturing technology (manual or machine) and country of origin. If it is a natural hand woven carpets, the price of which increases year by year, then another criterion for determining the price, will the term of its existence. However, there must be very careful: the increased demand for antiques made the masters to develop the technology of "artificial aging", in which the carpet "boils" and polished. Sometimes only an expert can distinguish the carpet, created decades ago, from product manufactured recently.
Considered to be the most expensive silk carpets (the price can be several tens of thousands of dollars). Next to "carpet hierarchy" down the following products made of wool. More "below" - carpets of wool in combination with synthetics. And finally, the cheapest - synthetic carpets. With regard to the country, here, again, the leader of Iran. The price for a silk rug is from 1000 dollars per square meter, for wool - from $ 400 per square meter. Nepalese carpets can be half the price, and Chinese - even tripled. What can we say about the Azerbaijani and Turkmen - their cost is about $ 100 per square meter of wool carpet.
However, these figures are very conditional, as important are the size (the larger the rug, the more expensive per square meter of this article), variety of colors and density, from which "flow" properties such as complexity and detail of the pattern of the carpet. Most-most:

    * The world's largest carpet in the casino Argentine resort Mar del Plata. An area of 6 thousand square meters. m
    * The most ancient of all known in the world of cut pile carpets is stored in the Hermitage. According to archaeologists, his age is not less than 2500 years. Precious discovery brought a mountain of Altai.
    * The carpet is worn under the knees of Muslims in the Great Mosque in Sivas, Turkey. Under the existing traditions, old carpets of the mosques are not released every 30-40 years for them new plank. The first carpet covered the floor of the Great Mosque back in the XI century.
Fur coat for the fair sex
It is known that today more and more appears admirers of modern style. Clearly, oriental rugs with traditional for them to figure in the minimalist interior is unlikely to fit. In such cases, choose either the carpets plain or decorated with a rare, non-intrusive geometric pattern. At the same time in Europe gained increasing popularity fur rugs and skins. Some well-known Italian factory to their collections of furniture and accessories offering carpets (eg, Baxter, Bizzarri, Minotti).
 

In general, a symbol of wealth and prosperity, the carpets themselves this richness and often are. However, good hand-made, expensive materials and exclusive nature of the pattern is always appreciated. And such a piece of furniture, the carpet, whose history goes back more than 8,000 years, always occupy a dominant place in the room. He dominates the furniture and paintings set the tone for the mood and draws attention. This creation of beauty, a work of art. Each carpet has its own soul, its own personality. Each of these original and unique. And this, you will agree is well worth it.