| A look a the history of tufted carpets proves to be | | | | resembled the expensive woven products. Efficiency |
| very intriguing. It all began with a Georgia woman in | | | | was the greatest benefit to the new tufting process |
| the 1890s. Catherine Evans Whitener began hand | | | | and enabled manufacturers to sell new carpets and |
| crafting tufted products. Her crafts were so popular | | | | rugs for half the price of the woven wool rugs. |
| that it soon became a craze that spread throughout | | | | Tufted carpets soon became one of the most |
| Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolina's. | | | | controversial products being manufactured, when |
| The 1930s showed Singer, a producer of small | | | | producers of wool carpets began putting them down, |
| sewing machines, adapting his machines to the tufted | | | | claiming the cotton made them a low quality product. |
| textile industry. This allowed companies to quickly | | | | The industry was saved in 1957, however, when a |
| generate large quantities of robes, throw rugs, toilet | | | | company named DuPont began selling a new product |
| covers and bedspreads. By the 1940s, the | | | | called bulked, continuous filament nylon. |
| tufted-textile industry had progressed into a very | | | | Like cotton, the new nylon was inexpensive, yet |
| profitable one. | | | | performed as well as wool. It also could be sold for |
| The popularity of the tufted carpet grew so quickly | | | | half of the square foot price of wool. This made the |
| that manufacturers and machine developers quickly | | | | carpet industry one of the fastest growing in the |
| found it necessary to adapt the tufting machines | | | | 1960s. |
| used for making bedspreads to have the ability to | | | | Four companies controlled the majority of the |
| mass produce rugs that were room sized and to | | | | carpeting industry in the year 2000. Beaulieu, |
| make wall-to-wall carpeting. Mohawk, out of New | | | | Mohawk, Shaw and Interface were the four |
| York, largely dominated the high-priced carpet | | | | companies that produced 80% of the carpets made |
| industry until the 1950s, using power looms and | | | | in the United States. The newest company in the |
| expensive natural wool fibers. | | | | group was Interface. |
| During the 1950s, companies like E.T. Barwick Mills and | | | | Interface chose not to get into the residential carpet |
| Cabin Crafts, based in Georgia, started using their | | | | market, and instead ventured into the relatively new |
| tufting machines and large pieces of backing material | | | | commercial carpeting market. This was when the |
| to create a new era of less expensive carpeting. | | | | tufted carpets industry was introduced to "modular |
| Instead of the expensive wool fibers, these | | | | carpeting," or floor mats. |
| manufacturers were using the less costly fiber of | | | | Get your FREE carpet gift and the best information |
| cotton. | | | | on the tufted carpets at Mike Selvon's portal, and |
| This enabled them to produce carpets and rugs that | | | | leave a comment at our carpet tiles blog. |