SmartStrand is the brand name for a revolutionary carpet yarn developed by Du Pont, the company that researched and created Nylon in 1935. Manufactured by Mohawk in the USA and distributed in Europe by Lano Carpets, there is unnecessary mystery and confusion surrounding to the fabric.
The yarn itself is called Triexta, Sorona being the brand name given by Du Pont, and SmartStrand the name given by Mohawk and later Lano. All of these names can and are often used interchangeably, but none of them really explain what yarn is and what its benefits are.
SmartStrand is actually a form of polyester. Perhaps much of the mystery and marketing jargon associated with fabric comes from the negative perception some have of polyester. In short, the original polyester (PET) yarn was petroleum-based and low-resilient, cheap to produce, and provided cheap rugs that were easily dyed, producing vivid colors and soft pile but at the expense of durability. Later, a new form of polyester (PTT) was created that had much better strength, yet high cost, and again lacked eco-friendly credentials. This is where Du Pont stepped in and after many years of research created Triexta Sorona, known as SmartStrand. SmartStrand is a highly renewable PTT thread, made primarily from corn, that has all the benefits of polyester but very few drawbacks.
Each carpet material has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Wool has excellent anti-crush characteristics, it can hide dirt well, but once stained it can be extremely difficult to clean, it is also the most expensive of all conventional carpet materials.
Nylon is also expensive, it has an absorption level, which means that the fabric can partially absorb pet urine and other stains and spills, chemical treatments are required to keep stains away, this together with the composition of the fabric means that the yarn is not particularly eco-friendly. It has great strength and elasticity and it takes on color well, but it suffers from fading from UV rays and must be cleaned regularly.
Polypropylene is tough and has decent stain resistance, can be cleaned with fairly harsh chemicals and is inexpensive, yet it flattens easily and attracts oil stains and dirt, often leaving you feeling matted after its use.
PET polyester is vibrant, soft, has high stain resistance but little “bounce” elasticity. The fabric has good fade resistance and is cheap, but it works like a cheap carpet and is not suitable for high traffic areas.
Finally, PTT (Sorona, Triexta, SmartStrand) has all the benefits of PET, being silky smooth, taking color well, with excellent stain resistance and low moisture absorption due to its closed cell construction, as well as being wear resistant, with excellent rebound. back support (with some warranties lasting up to 25 years) and strong sun protection, which means it can be used in any area of the home. The manufacturing and materials used mean that SmartStrand is a highly renewable, environmentally friendly and environmentally friendly material. SmartStrand is more expensive than most other synthetic fabrics and is in line with Nylon in terms of cost, matching all the positives, but eliminating many of Nylon’s drawbacks. It is expected to be the carpet yarn of the future.