Flooring, Carpets and Rugs

Frieze carpet (pronounced “free-zay”) is a carpet with a particular cut pile where the fibers are very highly twisted, so twisted that they curl over at the ends. In fact this carpet may be called a “Twist Pile” in some places. The way the pile is cut and the twist give a textured effect and help the durability of the carpet. Frieze carpets are not only very hard wearing but they also have the added advantage that they are good at disguising footprints, stains and any wear and tear that do occur.

All these factors, especially the resiliency of the pile mean that frieze carpets are very good for carpeting high traffic areas such as halls, stairs, landing and main living areas. They are also good in homes with children and pets where dirt and spills inevitably occur.

You often find frieze carpets in mixed colors which helps the disguising effect although they are generally not so much multi colors as different light and dark shades of one main color (a kind of tweed effect). It is not easy for frieze carpeting to incorporate an elaborate pattern as the twist in the fibers would tend to distort the effect so you are best sticking with the tweed effect or a very simple large pattern.

This type of carpet is sometimes mistaken for shag carpet but shag carpet is different in that the pile is much longer – the pile on freize carpet is short but simply a bit unruly! You do have to keep it clean however as even the slightly longer pile in a frieze carpet can trap dust and grit and cause wear over time. Vacuum regularly to remove this and you should enjoy your carpet for many years to come.

Frieze carpet is a quality carpet that is slightly more expensive than flat woven carpet to produce and therefore to purchase but you will probably see that it is worth it as it will also last longer than cheap carpets.

If you are looking for particular brands then Shaw frieze carpet and Mohawk frieze carpet are worth a look.