Types of Double-Sided Carpet

Backing

• Backing material is used on the back side of carpeting and faces the flooring underneath the carpet. Technically, any carpet with backing is also double-sided. Backing is applied to all tuft, machine-woven carpeting in one of two types of formats -- primary back and/or secondary backing. Primary backing is made of fabrics, such as cotton, and not made from yard. It is attached to carpeting material by tufting needles on weaving machines. Secondary backing is typically laminated to the back of the carpet to give the carpeting stability. A carpet can include a primary and secondary backing material.

Double Carpets

• A double carpet is a machine weaving process used to create the pattern work for carpeting on the front and back facings at the same time. Another name for double carpets is “face-to-face.” The technique is commonly used for carpets with intricate patterns such as those found on Oriental rugs. The result is a “Siamese twin” effect, where shapes, colors and textures are the same, hence the name double carpet. In many cases, the final carpeting is cut down the middle and the edges are bound to create two identical carpets. Double carpets are often custom woven for large spaces, such as expansive hotel lobbies. Manufacturers also use the double carpet technique as an economical way to mass produce carpets with the same patterns and designs.

Wilton Weave

• A wilton weave is another machine weaving technique that produces double-sided carpeting. However, unlike a double carpet, the underside of the carpet is not a mirror image of the front facing. The design on the bottom side mimics the front facing side, but does not produce a pile or depth of fibers. The basic purpose of wilton weaves is to maximize the structural integrity of the carpet. This is achieved by weaving the yarns from the top facing through the carpet backing material, and then back and up through the top, using hooks or wires.

Carpet Tiles

• Carpet tiles are another form of double-sided carpeting. Carpet tiles are typically square and come in a variety of colors, textures and patterns. The back side of carpet tiles is used to make installation easy. The back side of the carpet is pre-glued with an adhesive and has a wax-like paper covering the glued side. The paper is peeled away and the carpet is laid like tile to carpet floors. Carpet tiles are popular for casual, informal rooms such as family rooms and home offices, and rooms that have to endure heavy foot traffic and wear, such as bathrooms and bedrooms for children.