When it comes to carpet fibers, there is an array of choices that are offering consumers more solutions to everyday wishes and concerns: beauty, softness, durability and stain and pet resistance. New technologies and innovations are upping the bar on performance while providing elegant color and pattern options to help keep carpet on the forefront of design.

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Engineered Floors

The Lifetime Pet Warranty for Dream Weaver carpets promises a lifetime of “relief for you and your pet.” It’s the most recent development to the residential carpet brand, which was engineered with solution-dyed PureColor fiber. PureColor nylon features cationic technology that reduces the number of dye sites in the fiber and reduces the fiber’s ability to reduce stains. It also has N2 stain and soil treatment. The carpet is marketed with a purple shield that assures that select polyester or nylon carpet is warranted against accidental stains caused by dogs or cats, according to Will Young, residential brand manager. The carpets are merchandised with a new 65-color wall display, called Your Retreat, which shows a balance of colors from cool grays to natural earth tones.

Invista

Invista’s Stainmaster brand recently launched Livewell carpet, launching with Dixie Home and Shaw in 2017. According to Tim Millsaps, channel marketing manager, the flooring was developed to help allergy-suffering customers improve their comfort at home. The company points to research from the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America that shows that 50 million Americans suffer from airborne-related allergies. The Livewell carpet system designed to reduce dust and allergy-aggravating particles from bonding to the fiber.

Lexmark

Lexmark carpet unveiled 100% solution-dyed PET fiber in its 2017 introductions. Rodney Mauter, executive vp residential, said that the PET fiber helps to reduce shedding and stands up to foot traffic over time. In addition, the carpets feature Scotchgard Protector by 3M to provide greater stain and soil protection. The one-step application process treats the carpet fiber so that spills stay on top of the surface and dirt and does not adhere.

Mohawk

Mohawk’s 2017 launch of SmartStrand Silk Reserve offers even greater softness with durability and cleanability. “The premium soft category continues to grow,” said Jason Randolph, senior product director at Mohawk. “The days of wall-to-wall carpet are behind us, but retailers are seeing opportunity to trade up the carpets they offer.” Seth Arnold, vp residential marketing at Mohawk, says the move to softer carpets mirrors what’s happening in other industries. “Look at what the Yeti cooler did for the insulated cooler, which was a mature category. They differentiated a product and are charging $300 for a cooler. Creating the softest carpet in the world gives the consumer a reason to purchase carpet and trade up, which gives the retailer a better margin.”

Phenix

Phenix Flooring introduced the Cleaner Home Collection, an assortment of carpets crafted with Microban antimicrobial technology to target consumers who are looking for products that proactively simplify the cleaning process. The collection includes 10 new styles, each constructed with Phenix’s new Opulence HD solution-dyed PET fiber. In addition to Microban, the carpets feature SureFresh odor capture technology.

Beaulieu

Beaulieu’s Stylish Beauty collection features highly styled carpets made from Stainmaster’s 6.6 nylon fiber as well as unbranded 6 nylon. The company says both types of nylon offer myriad benefits: strength, abrasion resistance, resiliency, colorfastness, soil resistance, cleanability and dyeing flexibility. The collection of patterns are formed by precise loop and cut placement, textures in solids, tweeds, and pindots, in addition to loops with texture and dimension. These carpets feature Magic Fresh, a technology that neutralizes common household odors.