Solution-dyed carpet has been in vogue for the last several years, prized for its impressive resistance to fading and staining as well as its durability in high-traffic homes with pets. It’s these attributes that give mill executives confidence that the solution-dyed process— whether polyester or nylon—will continue to resonate with retailers and their customers for years to come.
“We fully expect solution-dyed carpet to continue its rise in popularity,” said Joe Young, vice president of residential product and marketing for Engineered Floors. “It has everything consumers are looking for: resistance to stains and fading, ease of upkeep, cleanability and durability. When you consider the success of our DW Select collection based on styling, design and coloration—coupled with the fiber’s built-in traits—we see an extremely bright future for solution-dyed carpets.”
Solution dyed’s growth has been fueled by at least four factors, according to executives: increased color separation, colorfastness, innovation and environmental benefits.
Increased color separation. “Solution-dyed carpets allow for more significant differences between yarn colors and therefore bolder and sharper color contrast, which has become increasingly important with the decline in popularity of solid color cut pile carpet,” said Bob Hardaway, vice president of carpet products, Shaw Floors. “We attribute a lot of that change in trend to the popularity of hard surfaces and how much movement and personality that is innate to those products.”
Colorfastness. Bleach and fade resistance are inherent in solution-dyed carpets, executives say, helping carpet maintain its cleanability.
Innovation opportunities. “We have perfected the production of solution-dyed polyester with our PureColor fiber, and these products will continue to remain a preferred choice for our customers and their consumers who are adding or replacing carpet in their homes,” Young said.
Shaw has its 3C technology, which creates the deep, linear, natural variation in yarn that can only be achieved in solution-dyed yarn.
To achieve the best-quality solution dye, Mohawk has invested heavily in extrusion, color dosing and tufting to ensure it makes the best quality solution dye. “This technology ensures improved color consistency, less variation from dye lot to dye lot to go along with the benefits in stain and colorfastness,” said Jamie Welborn, senior vice president of product management, soft surface. “Technology today has improved tremendously with process controls to eliminate variation.”
Environment: Solution-dyed fibers use less water, creates less chemical runoff and requires less energy to manufacture. What’s more, it doesn’t fade or stain as easily; therefore, the useful life of the carpet is longer. “That’s why we believe the solution-dyed trend will continue, because it fits so well with other popular cultural trends,” said Drew Hash, president/CEO, Southwind Floors. “For example, the trend of caring for the environment, rejecting a throwaway mentality and getting more value for the money spent are supported by the inherent advantages of solution-dyed carpet.”
Polyester’s rein to continue
Given polyester’s status as the most popular fiber in the flooring industry, The Dixie Group re-entered the SD polyester market with its DH Floors brand in 2021 and found success with its DurasilkSD portfolio. “We do see solution dye as a large and important part of the market,” said Jared Coffin, senior vice president, product and marketing. “It has many great characteristics like fade and stain resistance. Stain resistance and cleanability have been features consumers purchase by. Add to that the fact that most marketing has centered around pets—which consumers love—and you have a winning proposition.”
For today’s demanding consumer, carpet needs to check multiple boxes, which is why solution dyed has flourished for homeowners. “We are seeing more of a need for solution-dyed products due to the continually increasing demand for performance goods with a high level of style and design,” said Christine Zampaglione, senior marketing director for Stanton. “The consumer ultimately wants her home furnishings to not only be beautiful and decorative but have a longer lifespan with less maintenance and easy cleanup.”
Quentin Quathamer, director, residential carpet, Phenix, concurred, adding: “If a consumer wants their floor to look newer longer and doesn’t want to worry about staining, going with a solution-dyed fiber is the best choice for them. Solution-dyed fibers offer a differentiating value proposition that gives it superior stain resistance, fade resistance, features that help the floor to look new longer.”
