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Linen Carpet
Linen carpet is mostly found in older carpets, but it can be found with lots of effort today. More common than pure linen carpeting is a wool and linen carpet blend. Irish linen carpet thread is some of the strongest thread around, used for not only binding carpets but also stitching saddles and the like. Consider linen carpet as area rugs or runners, wall-to-wall carpeting, or carpet tiles.
Sometimes linen, or flax, is used alone in carpet and rug making, other times it's blended with fibers like wool or cotton, and yet at other times it's the warp of a woven carpet. Linen is a strong fiber that doesn't stretch when pulled. But because it's a hard fiber too, it doesn't readily stand up to traffic.
Linen is one of the first products made by early man, coming from the cultivated flax plants. Initially it was used to make clothes and other fabrics. It's been found in near-perfect condition wrapping Egyptian mummies and as wall tapestries. Generally, when it's used in carpet making, it's either blended with other fibers or used as the carpet warp. But not always.
There are hand-tufted 100% linen carpets available. They have backings of things like cotton/polyester or jute warp, and come in a narrow selection of colors.
Wool and linen carpet blend is used in area rugs and cars, like Volvo, and wall-to-wall carpeting. You can even buy linen carpet tiles if that's the route you want to go. There are beautiful ancient Chinese and Portuguese carpets or rugs that are made by weaving wool yarn onto a linen foundation. Some of the wool/linen blends are 50:50, some are 80:20, and blend ratios in between. Wool and linen are also used together in tapestries, again with the linen most often being the warp of the fabric.
One bonus of a linen carpet is that the clothes moth and carpet beetle can't digest cellulosic fibers, like linen (cotton and rayon too) so generally it's safe from that kind of damage. Cleaning linen rugs and carpets takes a special approach; your supplier should have directions for you to follow to keep your linen rug and carpet in good condition.
Linen carpet may not be the ideal flooring for your home or office, but it is a versatile floor covering that can be used in some situations, and it's great as a tapestry!
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