Soil Retardant – A chemical finish applied to carpet and fabric surfaces which inhibits attachment of soil to fiber. It is usually a topical treatment but may also be inherent in the fiber.
Slate – A naturally laminated rock that is often used in regular and irregular shapes embedded in cement or mortar to create a hard-surface, pattern floor.
Sisal Flooring – Rugs, mats and matting made from sisal, a natural plant material. Available woven and dyed in various colors, as well as machine and hand painted. Similar flooring is made of jute, coconut and seagrass.
Sculptured Carpet – Any carpet pattern form from high and low pile areas, such as high-low or cut-and-loop.
Saxony Carpet – Cut-pile carpet in a relatively dense construction, with well-defined individual tuft tips. Smoother finished saxonies are called “plushes.”
Rubber Flooring – Today rubber flooring – tiles and sheet goods – is made from synthetic rubber. It comes in ribbed, coin and other raised patterns.
Remnant – A short piece of carpet from a roll of carpet that usually measures less than nine feet long. Smooth surfaced flooring (tiles, strips or sheet goods) manufactured by combining a plastic material with filler and pigments, then processed into sheets of different thicknesses. If a backing material is used, the plastic sheet is joined to the backing. Types include solid vinyl, backed or cushioned vinyl, rubber, cork and linoleum.
Random Sheared Carpet – Created by lightly shearing either level loop or high-low loop carpet so that only the higher loops are cut. Sheared areas are less reflective than uncut loops, which appear brighter and lighter in color. Random shearing high-low loop carpet produces a cut and loop style texture.
Rag Rug – A sturdy, colorful rug handwoven from cotton scraps.