What Is Polypropylene Rug Backing

Did you know that most synthetic carpets and rugs are made from nylon fibers with a polypropylene backing.

What is polypropylene rug backing.

Polypropylene rugs also known as olefin rugs are designed to look like sisal but they are actually made from synthetic fibers. Most outdoor rugs are constructed with a backing material of either polypropylene or another synthetic fiber. Polypropylene or olefin is a popular and versatile fiber usually used for making carpets after nylon. All synthetic rugs lack wool s brilliant spiral structure created by mother nature meaning the fibers tend to become matted down and tear from foot traffic and heavy furniture.

Age of synthetic rugs synthetic. Synthetic rugs are not as resilient to foot traffic as wool rugs. When polypropylene backs are used on these materials it can have the potential to release over 40 chemicals into the environment s air including styrene and 4 phenylcuclohexane 4 pc according to ecology center if you have ever installed new carpeting into your home or placed a brand. It has some excellent characteristics that make it an ideal choice for rugs and carpets.

Synthetic rugs are durable and they are available in flat weaves shags short tufted pile and other styles that can complement a hardwood floor. This homequicks write up tells you some pros and cons of polypropylene rugs. Depending on the performance requirements carpet backings can be made from different types of material jute polypropylene rubber etc and can have a number of additional. Unfortunately olefin s weakness for oils means that any oil based spill or residue will not easily be cleaned from the carpet s fibers.

You may also hear the term unitary backing which is a heavy application of coating applied directly to the carpet s back without using a secondary backing. In fact polypropylene is often used to help clean up oil spills in lakes and oceans by skimming a polypropylene net across the surface of the water to soak up the oil. Because this backing type has a hard coarse texture a rug pad is recommended to protect the flooring underneath the rug. Polypropylene the main ingredient in the rug is simply a polymer created from monomer propylene and is frequently used in packaging labels textiles and reusable containers.

Similar to the backing on residential carpet action backing allows for easy cleaning and is constructed with a combination of olefin and latex. The usual life span of a polypropylene nylon acrylic or polyester rug is 3 5 years with professional cleaning. Olefin rugs can be inexpensive rug options but they generally come with woven backings that can actually damage floors. To find out if a rug has a woven rug backing simply turn the rug over.