Woodward Grosvenor

Established in 1790, Woodward Grosvenor manufactures and supplies a wide range of high quality wool-rich carpets and plant fibre floorcoverings for the residential market.

Includes carpets ranges from The Wool Carpet Company and Causeway Carpets.

A highly skilled team of people ensure Woodward Grosvenor offer quality products that reflect the diversity of today’s styles, spanning prices to meet most budgets.

Woodward Grosvenor has been synonymous with quality flooring for over two centuries.

The combination of elegant design, timeless style and quality materials has meant that Woodwood Grosvenor have been able to create a high standard of floorcoverings that look and feel great for years and years.

From wool-rich plain and patterned carpets, to textured plant fibre floorcoverings. There is a choice for every taste and whichever design you choose, you will be making an investment that will add style, elegance and a feeling of indulgence to your home.

Woodward Grosvenor was founded in 1790 by Benjamin Grosvenor in Kidderminster, the home of carpet excellence. Since becoming part of the Brintons Group in 2003, Woodward Grosvenor has seen developments and investment behind the established ranges.

But developments haven’t stopped there. Spring 2008 has seen the launch of Natural Base, a natural floorcovering range created using some of the finest plant fibre materials sourced from around the world. Giving the floorcoverings both a unique look and feel, this collection brings a whole new element to the portfolio.

After over 200 years, many Woodward Grosvenor carpets are still designed and woven in Kidderminster. Today, Woodward Grosvenor’s commitment to producing quality flooring is as paramount as ever – with a fantastic array of elegant ranges that bring enduring comfort and style to any home.

Construction methods

Traditional woven carpets such as axminster and wilton have been manufactured for over 200 years. The looms on which the carpets are woven have altered considerably over the years but the construction principal of interlocking the pile yarns with backing yarns is little changed.

Construction images
Axminster constructionIn an axminster gripper weave, cut tufts of yarn are inserted at the point of weaving by means of grippers. For each tuft to be inserted along the width of the carpet, there is a corresponding metal gripper which rises from the bed of the loom to grip the appropriate coloured end of yarn from the vertical yarn carrier. A knife blade slices the tuft to the correct length, the gripper then returns to the bed of the loom and places the tuft in the appropriate position, the weft shots of the backing yarns then bind it into place.

A beater bar pushes each row of tufts and weft shots tightly
against one another to form the carpet. The “beatup” (rows) can vary from as low as 5 to 14 rows per inch, or even higher if required. Different coloured ends of yarn (according to design) can be selected from the yarn carrier, which is raised or lowered by means of a jacquard (punched card) mechanism. Many different colours can be used in this weaving method. More modern looms have electronic jacquards which enable them to produce very complicated designs with almost infinite pattern repeats.

Wilton constructionA traditional wilton weave carpet is one in which the pile threads run continuously into the carpet and are raised above the surface of the integral backing by means of wires or hooks. Wilton carpets are often cut or loop products and different yarn types can be used to produce different surface textures. Wilton weaving is not as versatile as axminster for the production of patterned carpets, due to continuous yarns that create waste yarn on the back of the carpet.

Woodward Grosvenor wilton carpets are woven on looms designed and built by our own engineers in our own factory. They differ from traditional wilton looms as they have no “dead” or wasted yarns in the back. These advanced design looms weave two carpets as a sandwich, know as “face to face”, which is then sliced into separate rolls. As with traditionally woven wilton carpet, Woodward Grosvenor face to face looms produce a durable woven product, which is hard wearing and dimensionally stable. The carpet does not suffer from the delamination and stability weakness often associated with tufted carpets.

Tufted constructionA number of needles arranged across the width of the machine stitch yarns into a primary backing cloth, which is fed through the machine. Once the pile has been created, it is held in place by a latex backing. Secondary backings can be applied to add weight and handle to the product. Both cut and loop can be produced in the same carpet.

Flatweave constructionIt is basically a basket weave effect. With each different shot the polypropylene and wool yarn wefts are either raised or lowered for the wool warp yarns to pass under or over them.

Plant fibre constructionOur Natural Base products are manufactured using a traditional woven construction known as flatweave to give an unusual basket weave effect with a latex backing. These are made using four different plant fibres:

Sisal, Seagrass, Coir and Jute

For more information on each of these please take a look at raw materials.

Underfloor heating

Underfloor heating has become increasingly popular in both retail and commercial enviroments.

The claimed advantages of energy efficiency combined with this obviously comfortable heat source means it is being specified for many new homes particularly in the self-build sector and in many commercial developments.

Underlay

General Guidelines on Underlays for wool-rich carpets
Carpets are installed on a wide variety of underlays and whilst we know that in the majority of cases an acceptable performance of carpet and underlay may be achieved, careful choice of underlay can actually enhance the performance of the carpet. We acknowledge that there is a balance to be achieved between providing the right underfoot comfort and the right support to the carpet and from our experience and evaluation of various underlays we would make the following points.

Underlay
Benefits of firmer underlays
These give added protection to the carpet against the hard sub-floor during normal walking.
Indentations from furniture will be less severe where the carpet is fitted on a firm underlay.
Firmer underlays will prevent excessive vertical movement and stretching of the carpet in use and will therefore help to prevent rucking problems.
Comments on softer underlays
Soft, low density underlays do not give adequate support in heavy wear areas as the carpet pile is effectively squashed against the sub-floor, accelerating wear and appearance changes.
A softer product will collapse under the pressure and allow the carpet backing to be distorted, preventing good recovery and making indentations more severe.
Thicker, softer products have been seen to create dimensional stability problems in some installations where the carpet has stretched due to the excessive vertical movement as the underlay is compressed during normal use.This can cause particular problems on seams.
In our experience it is false economy to fit new carpet over old or softer, cheaper underlay. As already mentioned carpet needs to have as firm a support as possible in order to achieve its maximum performance. An old flattened or new soft underlay will not be capable of providing adequate support to the carpet.

Woodward Grosvenor preferred types of underlay
Good quality hair felts minimum weight 42oz per square yard.
Firm crumb rubber underlays or high density supportive foam are also recommended. Generally we prefer underlays which are not too thick, we suggest a maximum thickness of 8mm.
Felt/rubber combinations in the form of a sandwich are also recommended as these combine the support of the felt with a softer “bouncier” feel during walking.
Thick, softer foam with holes or egg box or waffle type backings and lightweight felts are not recommended.

Choice of underlay for stairs
The choice of underlay on stairs is particularly important and, again, firmer products are needed to give a good cushion and support the carpet. Felt or felt combination products help to “round out” the stair nosing preventing premature wear and will at the same time give a better more rounded appearance to each stair.

Equalising wear on stairs
In most households, the carpet on the stairs receives the heaviest wear. The wear is usually concentrated towards the centre of the stairs and the carpet over the nosing takes the greatest punishment. For this reason, it is recommended that a stair carpet should receive special attention to equalise the wear over its lifetime. The retailer/fitter will be able to advise on the best approach to this in any particular installation. The most common approach on a straight staircase is to allow an extra length of carpet, equivalent to the riser and tread (about 0.46m or 18 inches) so that the carpet can be shifted periodically. Where shifting is not possible, consideration should be given to the purchase of sufficient material to replace of areas of high wear, e.g. turning points at top and bottom of stairs or on half landings. It is a good idea to take a look at your existing carpet on the stairs to see which ones show signs of the most wear.

Plant fibre floorcoverings
All the floorcoverings within the Natural Base range should be installed using a double stick system with short pin gripper around the edge to give a tidy finish. The recommended underlay is a flat foam rubber similar to Interfloor Technics 5 or 6. A tackifier adhesive should be used between the subfloor and underlay and a permanent adhesive between the underlay and floorcovering. Our Natural Base range is not recommended for use on stairs.

Carpet care

Your Woodward Grosvenor wool-rich carpet will benefit from regular cleaning – keeping it looking good for years. Here are a few tips to help:

Refer to the plant fibre section for specific advice on caring for your Natural Base floorcovering.

Barrier mats
Barrier mats to help keep your carpet clean. All types of flooring get dirty although some show soiling more than others. Wool-rich carpets, because of the nature of the wool fibre, will generally hide soiling better than synthetic products and will also be easier to clean. However it is a good idea to use small mats or an off-cut of your new carpet in kitchen doorways or in other areas where the carpet is next to a hard floor to prevent greasy spots spreading to the carpet. Doorways where there is street access will also benefit from a small off-cut or rug. Please remember to keep these mats clean so that soil does not spread from them to the carpet.

Vacuuming
Vacuuming is the most important thing you can do to keep your carpet clean. You cannot over-vacuum a carpet! Woodward Grosvenor recommend an upright vacuum cleaner with a cylindrical brushing action or a cylinder vacuum cleaner with a power-brush attachment, for cut-pile carpets such as our patterned axminster ranges and for our plain twist carpets.

For loop-pile carpets such as some of those in our Desert Spice range we recommend a cylinder vacuum cleaner without a brushing action or an upright machine with the brushes raised or turned off.
Recommended vacuums

Woodward Grosvenor recommend upright vacuum cleaners or canisters with power brush attachments for cut pile carpets
Spillages and stains
Never rub or over-wet your carpet when trying to remove marks It is very important to clean up spillages as soon as they occur. Solid residues should be gently removed by scraping with a knife. Greasy residues can be treated with an oil/grease remover sprayed onto an absorbent cloth. Blot frequently but do not rub. Liquid spillages should be blotted up as far as possible with a clean, white cloth or absorbent tissue. Then use a ‘woolsafe’ – approved shampoo solution or trouble-shooter spray for upholstery and carpet. Moisten the area of the stain and then blot thoroughly with clean tissue or cloths. Repeat as necessary and allow to dry thoroughly before walking on the area. A wet suction vacuum cleaner can also be used to remove spillages and the trouble-shooter spray from the carpet. Do not use water in the machine however as you do not want to over wet the carpet. Do not rub as this will roughen and un-twist the pile
Woodward Grosvenor recommend the use of Woolsafe Approved Operators and Chemicals for the professional removal of stains.

Go to www.woolsafe.org for more information.

woolsafe logo
Overall cleaning methods for Woodward Grosvenor carpets

Interim cleaning methods

a. Absorbent Powder – Suitable for use on Woodward Grosvenor carpets

In this system impregnated compound is spread evenly over the surface of the carpet, and brushed in with cylindrically rotating brushes. Once the powder is dry it is vacuumed up using a very strong vacuum cleaner.

b. Dri Foam (cylindrical) – Suitable for use on Woodward Grosvenor carpets

A low crystallising shampoo solution is fed from a container onto cylindrically rotating brushes, which are closely followed by an extraction device. Once dry thorough vacuuming is required to remove the dried residue from the pile.

c. Dri Foam (rotary) – This system is not recommended for Woodward Grosvenor carpets

Based on the floor buffing system, with slower head rotation, either rotary brushes or absorbent pads are used. The shampoo solution is applied to the machine pads or sprayed onto the surface of the carpet and the machine is moved over the surface. The treated pad absorbs soil from the carpet and holds it until the pad is next cleaned. Unfortunately this system has a roughening and flattening effect so is not considered suitable for Woodward Grosvenor carpet.

Deep cleaning

Hot Water Extraction – This system is suitable for use on Woodward Grosvenor Carpets

This is generally considered the most effective method for overall cleaning of carpets. It is basically a spray and extract system using a weighted head tool or one with integral cylindrically rotating brushes. Shampoo solution is sprayed into the pile of the carpet and vacuumed back into the machine by the vacuum head, which pass immediately behind the sprays.
Woodward Grosvenor recommend the use of Woolsafe Approved Operators and Chemicals for the professional removal of stains.

Go to www.woolsafe.org for more information.

woolsafe logo

This advice is offered as a service to Customers, and Woodward Grosvenor & Co Ltd will not be liable for loss or damage or injury arising out of any action taken based on this advice.

Plant fibre floorcoverings

Information specific to our plant fibre floorcoverings

Here we have collated information for our plant fibre collection, this information differs from our wool rich carpets.

Natural Base
Due to the living nature of the products within the Natural Base collection, great care should be taken from installation through to its maintenance.

Colour Match
Natural Base flooring is made from natural products and may therefore contain randomly blended coloured plant fibres; this is an inherent characteristic of the yarn, which is considered an attractive and intentional feature of the product. As with all textile products colour reproduction may vary between dye batches.

Fitting Instructions
We strongly advise that your Natural Base flooring is fitted by a professional trained plant fibre flooring fitter. These type of products differ significantly in the method by which they need to be fitted and as such require specialist knowledge to ensure that they stay looking great. Before the floorcovering is installed it should be acclimatised in the area in which it is to be laid for at least 48 hours. Our Natural Base range is not recommended for use on stairs.

All the floorcoverings within Natural Base range should be installed using a double stick system with short pin gripper around the edge to give a tidy finish. The recommended underlay is a flat foam rubber similar to Interfloor Technics 5 or 6. A tackifier adhesive should be used between the subfloor and underlay and a permanent adhesive between the underlay and floorcovering.

Stain Protection
We recommend that all plant fibre products are treated with a stain protection solution. To ensure your valuable carpet is protected, we apply Intec stain protection solution as standard at no extra charge to all of our Natural Base products. Intec is one of the most effective, ecologically sound and environmentally friendly treatments on the market. Intec will not affect the performance of your floorcovering and enables spillages to be blotted up quickly with kitchen paper. Please ask your Natural Base retailer for more details and an information leaflet.

After care

We hope that you will be very happy with your choice of Woodward Grosvenor floorcovering

All of our products are covered by a two year warranty

Warranty
If any Woodward Grosvenor floorcovering is found to be defective in manufacture or materials within the first two years from the date of purchase it will be made good by our expert staff or, at our discretion and after all attempts to make good have been carried out, be replaced with a floorcovering of equivalent value from the current range.

This warranty does not cover unfair wear and tear and/or faults arising from improper installation.