Definition and Properties of Frieze Carpet Style:
Frieze (pronounced “free-zay”) is a cut-pile carpet style of tightly twisted yarn that gives a kinked or curled appearance to carpet pile. Each carpet tuft has two ply’s of yarn that are twisted together. Most carpet styles have 3.5 to 5 turns (twists) per inch. A Frieze may have 7-9 turns per inch and the high carpet twist level causes the carpet tuft to kink or turn back upon itself giving it a curled, highly textured, tousled, informal appearance.
Sometimes Frieze carpet is called “California Shag” because it is similar to the old, ugly, hard-to-maintain shag carpets of the 1960s and 1970s. Shaw Floors refer to their Frieze carpets simply as twist.
Advantages & Benefits of Frieze Carpet Style:
- Stain and dirt resistant: Frieze carpet is one of the most stain and dirt resistant options you will find. The twisted fibers of this type of carpet flop around, which easily conceals any unattractive dirt or grime.
- Soil hiding: The speckled style further conceals dirt and stains.
- Warm: Frieze carpet’s long fibers make it nice and warm in the cooler months of the year.
- Noise suppressant: The thick carpet also helps to deaden sound, a big advantage in a house filled with children.
- Durable: The tightly twisted fibers of Frieze carpet make it extremely durable - more durable than any other carpet style. High durability is probably Frieze’s primarily due to its high twist.
- Hides footprints: The fibers flop, concealing dirt, footprints and vacuum marks, making it great for high traffic areas.
- Hides seams: Friezes seam together beautifully, usually leaving no visible trace of the seam.
- Soft texture: This carpet is soft and cozy to walk on.
Pro’s and Con’s of Frieze Carpet Style:
Disadvantages of Frieze Carpet Style:
- May require special vacuum cleaner: The fibers in Frieze carpet are quite long, which means you will need to use a special vacuum or carpet cleaner for this type of carpet. Vacuums with beater bars that cannot be turned off are not a great match because they can snag and tear the fibers. Frieze carpet can be snagged and torn by a typical vacuum’s beater bar. The best vacuum for Frieze carpet is one that either doesn’t have a beater bar or has one that can be turned off. Also, finding a vacuum with adjustable heights for its cleaning head would help, since the vacuum cleaner should be set to as high a height as possible to avoid tangling and tearing of the tuft ends.
- Fraying: They’re also prone to fraying if you’re not careful when you vacuum and clean.
- Difficult to clean: Frieze tends to grab onto moisture and stains. Since it hides dirt, spills and stains, it can be neglected to the point that it requires serious, frequent professional cleaning.
- Ugly to some: Frieze looks more informal and belongs only in casual rooms.
- Cost: Frieze carpet can be more expensive than other carpet styles of the same fiber material.
Tips for Cleaning Frieze:
- Pile lifting is too aggressive for this style of carpet.
- Frieze carpets should be vacuumed at least every two weeks. The vacuum should also contain a beater bar which helps shake up any dirt hidden beneath the individual carpet fibers. A high pile setting on the vacuum will reduce the risk of snagging fibers and creating fray.
- Spills should be cleaned up immediately because they easily sink to the backing and are hard to find. The best way to get rid of a potential stain is gently blotting the spill out with a moist, white towel. Never rub too vigorously on a spill or you may untwist the tufts.
- Professional extraction cleaning should take place at least twice a year. However, the professional carpet cleaner needs to be aware that cleaning Frieze style carpet at high temperatures will sometimes untwist the tufts!
- Because Frieze carpet likes to hold onto water, extra dry strokes are needed when extraction cleaning.
- Powdered deodorizers may help remove odors from most other carpets. But their fine, powdery texture makes them stick to the long Frieze fibers and work their way inside. If you sprinkle a powdered deodorize such as “Love My Carpet®” on a Frieze carpet, you may never be able to get it all up!