Hand Loomed Viscose Cut/Loop
Hand loomed of 100% viscose that shimmers effortlessly from every angle. Even better, the surface features alternating stripes of cut pile and looped yarn, adding textural interest. Available in 7 rich, jewel-tone colors: ruby, charcoal, grey mist, pewter, aqua, blue steel, and aubergine.
‘Viscose’ is a little hard to define. It has a long history, it involves a lot of complex chemistry and the word is used differently depending on the context. It can be used to refer to a chemical solution, a process and the resulting material.
But it doesn’t stop there. There are many variations of the process, which produce similar but subtly different fibres which have lots of different names, including copyrighted brand names!
Rayon, modal, lyocell, luxcelle, tencel, evlan, faux silk, bamboo silk, art (short for ‘artificial’) silk – the list goes on. The most common name for the fibre we find in carpets is viscose rayon, but it may be referred to by any one of the above.
So, before we go into the pros and cons of viscose carpet, we’ll give you a little background to help clarify exactly what we mean when we refer to something as viscose, and what it is you’re buying.
So, what was the method that Bevan and Cross developed?
Well, as we said before, the ‘viscose process’ has many different variations – to make matters more confusing, some of them are used to create other materials like cellophane – but there are some techniques which are common when making viscose rayon.
Viscose is a semi-synthetic fibre – made by taking a natural material, in this case anything which contains cellulose (wood pulp, bamboo, soybeans, eucalyptus, cotton) and putting it through an artificial chemical process. This is what distinguishes it from polypropylene or nylon, as they are 100% man-made.
The process generally begins by soaking the organic material in a strongly alkaline chemical, such as sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and adding a solvent, typically carbon disulfide – this creates the eponymous ‘viscous cellulose solution’.
This is allowed to ‘ripen’ or mature – the actual chemical process is depolymerization, which means the long chains of molecules in the cellulose are broken down into smaller chains.
It is then extruded or ‘drawn’ through small holes (known as ‘spinnerets’) and into a bath of more chemicals (this time an acid, commonly dilute sulphuric acid) which hardens the solution into the fibre we all know and (sometimes) love.
The Pros and Cons Of Viscose
Feel
Viscose was designed to be a substitute for silk and so carries with it the same softness and smoothness – you will rarely find anything softer than a viscose carpet!
Unlike polypropylene, viscose carpets do not suffer from a static buildup, and are very good insulators so will keep you warm in the winter. Plus they tend to have a thick pile, making them feel truly luxurious and comforting – if you don’t believe ask, just order a free sample of one of our viscose remnants!
Price
Despite the complex process used to produce it, viscose is still relatively cheap to make, and that saving is passed on to the customers!
Compared to wool or even polypropylene carpet, viscose is very affordable, so it’s always worth considering if you are on a budget.
Look
Viscose has a consistency of appearance, colour and texture which is impossible to achieve with natural fibres.
If you are one of those people who likes things to be ‘just so’, then it is an excellent choice! Also, as we discussed in our previous blog on Winter Trends, the ‘crushed velvet’ look is very in at the moment, and some viscose carpets (especially the Elegance range from Intercontinental Trading) will often provide that opulent, chromatic, appearance.
Wear and Flattening
There is no denying that viscose carpet doesn’t stand up to wear and tear as well as wool or some of the natural floorcoverings – it tends to flatten quite easily so it’s best avoided for high-traffic areas. Bedrooms and sitting rooms are probably best!
There have been reports of viscose (rugs in particular) ‘shedding’ their fibres, however this is much more to do with poor construction than the viscose itself – needless to say, we take care only to stock high-quality viscose products.
Unlike the 100% manmade fibre polypropylene, viscose is rather delicate and does not take kindly to harsh chemicals like bleach or moisture.
Water will get into the cellulose fibres and cause them to swell up and the twists of the carpet will ‘blossom’ and become slightly fluffy- in extreme cases they can even lose colour and develop a yellowish hue.
This does not make the carpet unusable, but it will be noticeable. It is best cleaned use dry-cleaning solvent, or by a professional cleaner. However, like wool viscose can be stain-guarded to prevent moisture soaking into the carpet and make clean up a whole lot easier.
All that said, it’s not the ideal carpet to have in areas where spills are likely to happen – ones with young children in them, for example!
Environmental Issues
Not necessarily a problem with the carpet itself, but it is always worth pointing out for our ecologically conscious readers (who may well be interested in our previous blog about Carpet And The Environment) that there are issues around the production of viscose, specifically the disposal of certain chemicals. After all, you’ll remember that sulphuric acid was one of the commonly used ones – it’s not easy to get rid of that stuff!
As we touched on above, not all viscose is made equal Some processes (like that used to make lyocell) are
far more environmentally friendly, recycling the majority of their potentially harmful chemicals.
If you want a carpet that looks good, feels good and won’t break the bank, then viscose is a great choice – however, if you are looking for a carpet which will stand up to a lot of hardship, you might want to try wool instead!
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