Types of Unbound Carpet

Wall-to-Wall

• The most common unbound carpet is carpeting that professionals install from wall to wall. This carpeting is unbound because it is stretched and secured at the edges to the floor or baseboards using carpet tacks. On concrete floors and in doorways, tackless strips and binder bars are used to secure the carpet and prevent it from shifting or loosening. When wall-to-wall carpeting is installed during the building process, the baseboards may be installed after the carpeting, to ensure secure attachment.

Oriental Rugs

• Handwoven rugs such as oriental and Persian carpets are unbound, as they are commonly made with selvedges, which are the outer edges where the rug maker has wrapped the weft strands around the last warp strands to hold the rug together. These rugs may have fringes that are loose ends of the warp strands, which the rug maker leaves free to provide a decorative touch. Secured at opposite ends of the rug, the weft strands hold the warp strands in place.

Carpet Tiles

• Used commonly in offices and industrial premises, carpet tiles or squares are unbound because they are glued to the floor and pressed tightly against the adjacent squares to create a continuous carpet that has the appearance of wall-to-wall carpeting. In some applications, the tiles are staggered to create a pattern but still need to be glued flush with the tiles beside them, so no edging is required.

Remnants

• Carpet remnants are pieces of carpeting left over from bigger projects. These can be used effectively as loose scatter rugs, but because they are unbound, you may need to use binding tape to seal the edges and prevent fraying before you can use them. The unbound edges are unsightly and can be dangerous, as they lift and curl easily and can cause people to trip.