The question was posed recently about patterned carpet and what’s normal about the way it appears in a wide open installation. To be more specific the question was about bands or lines showing up in a wide open area that are actually the pattern itself. The repeat in the pattern, when looked at from a distance actually will give the illusion of a line or band in the material. Though this is not a normal question, the end user was concerned because this is not something that they were aware would happen.
Any patterned material, whether carpet, wall paper, or clothing can and will have repeat lines visible and depending on what the design of the pattern is, they may be more evident. Let’s say that a product used in a ball room, for example, has a pattern that repeats every 12 inches and that the pattern runs the length of the material and at an angle. If you look down the length of the ballroom as the pattern becomes more obscure it will appear as a lineal band. This will also occur when looking at an angle. As a matter of fact, even if the pattern is larger and it repeats in the length, it will appear as a band in the material. This is not something that should be considered a problem. Actually, to think so defies logic because that’s what repeating patterns do. A simple example and comparison would be the hash marks in a highway. They are a defined length with and equa-distant space and when looked at on a long flat expanse would appear as a solid line. This is a pattern and it would be no different in a large area of carpet. It was somewhat mystifying when this question was brought up by a mill rep that had an issue with an end user regarding the normal pattern lines in the carpet. What else would you expect the pattern to do and how could you expect a patterned carpet not to look like this especially if you have had any experience with this type of product.
Certainly you could understand if the pattern had a bow, skew or waver in it or if it did not align squarely at the seams. This was not the case in this situation. There was no concern for the pattern being out of square in any way. The concern was for the pattern being a pattern and exhibiting a characteristic that is normal and inherent in the product. If someone doesn’t like this look then they should choose a pattern that is random in nature with a large repeat. But a smaller pattern that is lineal is going to show bands because that’s what makes up the pattern and how it is laid out. The pattern is going to be somewhat like a grid when the pattern repeat is progressive and that’s the way the carpet is going to look on the floor, somewhat like a grid.
Anyone who works with patterned carpet such as a designer, architect or end user, particularly in the hospitality segment of the marketplace where patterned carpet is the norm, should be well aware of this. Maybe outside of this market the end user might not be so astute and be puzzled by what they see in a large area where the patterned material has been installed. But one would think that common sense would prevail and these normal bands would be understood for what they are, the normal repeat of the pattern in the product. Needless to say, this type of concern is rare but if you work with patterned goods and get a complaint on a streak, 30 to 40% of the time it is due to a repeating element in the pattern that is interpreted as a streak. This can occur in woven, tufted, printed or any other type of construction that includes a pattern.
Author – Lewis G. Migliore – The Commercial Flooring Report
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts