An Overview of the Different Carpet Colouring Methods

Nothing makes a carpet lover's heart beat faster than rich and vibrant colours. But how does the knitted fabric actually get its attractive tones and patterns? We will examine this question in today's article and inform you about the common dyeing methods used in the production of carpets. In addition, we explain the advantages of each variant so that you can make the right choice for your rooms.

From Customised to the Borderless Diversity: The Development of the Colouring Process

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Initially, only natural dyes derived from plants, minerals or animals were available for colouring carpets. The traditional vegetable dyes include, for example, indigo blue (which can be taken from the Indian indigo plant or the European dyeing damsel) and ragwort, which is contained in the roots of the dyer's shrimp. Dyes such as ultramarine, chrome yellow or cinnabar come from the world of minerals. One of the most well-known natural dyes is purple, which was obtained from a type of snail. One gram corresponded to around 12,000 used screws so that the production was not only lengthy but also very expensive. The development of synthetic dyes did not begin until the mid-19th century. These consist of different hydrocarbon compounds that can cover almost any colour you want.

Modern dyeing methods for carpets, depending on where in the manufacturing process they are used, assign to one of the three major categories, fibre, yarn or piece colour. The fibre dyeing takes place even before the spinning of the yarn is completed. If the yarn is dyed before the weaving or tufting step, this is called yarn dyeing. When piece dyeing the carpet is available as a complete product and is, as the name of the method already reveals, dyed in one piece. All three categories include several alternatives to the colouring of carpets, which we present below in detail.

Fibre Colour: Coloured Colour Power

At the beginning of the production chain, the use of fibre dyeing is possible. When flocking, the fibres get their colour before they are processed into yarn. With this method, even large areas can be coloured in a uniform tone. The colour intensity is also convincing compared to yarn or piece dyeing. Spinneret dyeing, also known as the solution dye method, adds colour pigments to the fibres creating a strong bond between the dye and the fibres, which gives the carpet excellent light fastness and colourfastness. The method is mainly used for the pile materials polypropylene or polyamide and can also be used for a mottled texture.

Yellow Staining: The Process for Exciting Patterns

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The different methods of yarn dyeing offer versatile possibilities for the formation of patterns. The yarns are dipped in a dye bath in suspended or packed form, then rinsed and dried. Space dyeing involves dyeing using a multi-colour printing process that produces differently coloured sections on the yarn. The differential dye method or contrast dyeing uses fibres with different chemical properties, which lead to varying absorption of the colour pigments. In this way, exciting and unique patterns can be achieved, although one and the same dye bath is used for all yarns. The use of fibres that can no longer absorb any colour in individual sections offers additional design options.

Piece Colouring: Not Slacking, But Flaunting!

The piece dyeing is mainly used on tufted carpets. Only at the end of the production chain does the raw white pole get its colour. For smaller quantities, skidding is especially worthwhile: up to 200 m of the rippled goods move through the dyeing liquor and gradually take on the desired colour. Continuous staining is the perfect solution for extensive production processes - in this process, almost endless surfaces can be produced in the same colour. The large and fast systems can even handle pieces of up to 6,000 m² in one go. As with yarn dyeing, the use of the differential dye method for patterning is possible. Alternatively, different designs come about with the aid of the printing process, in which only selected parts of the carpet are dyed. A lot of pigments depends on the choice of the stencil. The combination of different dyeing and printing methods promises a large selection of individual patterns.

Colouring Your Carpets – Is that Possible?

If your beloved carpet has seen its best days, giving it a new shine and dyeing it on its own can be tempting. But there are a number of arguments against the project. Essentially, the dying of a finished knitted fabric is only possible in the case of natural materials - with synthetic fibres such as polyamide, every effort is in vain. Since carpet tiles and flooring often cover an area of several square meters, the purchase of the textile paint can be costly. In addition, there is a sizeable risk that no uniform application of paint can be achieved. For these reasons, we recommend you to avoid the independent colouring of carpets. Instead, it makes sense to pay attention to the light fastness of the product already at the time of purchase - this can be recognized by the pictogram with the sun. For the long-term enjoyment of the colours, you can opt for rugs that have been dyed using the spinneret method.

We hope to have given you a good overview of the different staining methods. If you are still looking for the right carpet for your apartment or project rooms, you should explore our carpet collections in our online shop. There you will find a wide range of first-class decors that leaves nothing to be desired.

If you have questions, you can always contact us - just write us a message using the contact form.

We say goodbye and say until next time! Your team from BRICOFLOR, the No. 1 for wall & floor!