Jute Carpet
Natural fiber carpets are environmentally friendly, made from a sustainable material. Jute carpet is the softest and least durable of the natural fiber carpet and rug options, but its softness is unbeatable. Jute is also used as carpet backing and padding for carpets.
Jute carpet is the softest of the plant fiber carpets, soft like a cotton blanket. It's an economical carpeting that comes in a rainbow of colors, though tan to brown is its natural color range. Jute is the least durable of the plant-fiber carpets, is prone to stains, is slippery when traffic worn, and it's easily damaged by direct sunlight.
Jute, of the genus Cochorous, is made from the inner meat of the plants which thrive in damp heat, and the climatic conditions obtained India and Pakistan. It takes about four months for the plant to grow to 8-12' height and shed its leaves, at which time it's harvested, bundled, soaked so the fibers can be separated from the stem, and then dried in the sun for two or three days. Then the fibers are run through a variety of mechanical steps that turn it into a yarn suitable for weaving. Jute is most commonly grown and woven into carpets in West Bengal in India and Bangladesh.
Because of its more delicate nature, jute carpeting is better suited for use in sitting rooms and bedrooms, rather than heavy traffic areas like entryways, halls, and living rooms. When it's mixed with other fibers, like wool and linen, a more durable product results, one that can be used in any room of the house except the kitchen and bathroom. Jute carpet backing, often of felt, helps stabilize the carpet so it doesn't stretch or change shapes, helping its durability a bit.
Jute doesn't readily take die (though it does stain), but the other fibres it can be mixed with do, so that's when you get a more colorful rug or carpet. Perhaps you'd like something more subdued. Jute's natural color is various shades of light brown, but by bleaching it, shades of pale cream to pale white are produced.
The texture and patterns of jute carpets give you several options of look. They are available in a wide selection of weaves including basket weave, herringbone and boucle (a three-ply yarn with an uneven, knobby texture that creates a knobby textured carpet).
A final interesting note about jute is that it's often used as backing for some carpets and some linoleums, as well as carpet padding. You never have to ask "how do I install jute back carpet", because it installs the same way any carpet does. And jute carpet pads help prolong the life of modern carpets, and keep them from moving.
If you are looking for an environmentally friendly and sustainable material product for your floors, consider a jute capret or area rug. It's beautiful and soft, giving you the look and feel you won't get from too many other flooring options.
