Atlanta—In what it states will “change the face of commercial carpet,” Mohawk Industries has introduced a patent-pending car pet protection system called Ever-Set. The state-of-the-art technology, which has been in development for more than three years, was created expressly for the harsh and high-traffic environment of the commercial marketplace. Designed to render commercial carpet installations virtually impervious to staining, noted Frank Endrenyi, Mohawk’s vice president of technology, even the most damaging spills such as betadine, mustard and fabric dye will not affect broadloom featuring Ever-Set technology. “In fact,” he added,” such spills that ordinarily require the use of special detergents, chemical removers and solutions, or those that traditionally have been impossible to remove with any technology and permanently alter the color of carpet, can now be cleaned very easily with nothing more than water.

“EverSet has not only redefined carpet stain protection for the commercial market,” Endrenyi continued, “it has redefined the industry’s maintenance needs. Facilities managers no longer need to rely on expensive cleaning professionals and complicated cleaning materials to keep their carpets stain-free.” Additionally, EverSet puts to rest concerns about dark color bleeding and is guaranteed against any color water bleed problems to which other conventionally dyed products are susceptible, he noted. “It does not alter or hinder the performance characteristics of color fastness, light fastness or soil protection of commercial fibers. In fact, it maintains those characteristics and enhances the ability to repel substances that permanently color or discolor nylon fibers.”

Intrinsically Resistant EverSet is not a coating or a topical solution, explained Endrenyi. It is a proprietary technological process that alters the chemistry of any nylon fiber, regardless of the dye system used, and makes it intrinsically resistant to any substances that produce either permanent or difficult to remove stains. “In short,” he said, “stains and spills are unable to chemically attach to the nylon; they just sit on the surface waiting to be wiped away. The stain-prevention products currently on the market are, more often than not, topical solutions. They tend to protect only against what are called acid or food-coloring stains, such as wine. EverSet, however, defends carpets against ‘neutral,’ non-food color stains, such as mustard, chocolate and betadine which were previously impervious to any cleaning methods.”

Confidence “This raises the bar as far as the type of stain that can be removed,” he added. “In the past, nothing could take out mustard or betadine. We are confident that anything that can happen normally in an environment, EverSet will take care of it.” According to Endrenyi, while EverSet was designed for commercial applications, it may be used residentially in the future. “What we wanted to do was develop something that would hold up to commercial abuse, which is more stringent than residential. The technology works in every environment. Commercial systems are typically processed a little differently. Different processes would then have to be formulated or developed to apply it to a residential broadloom.” “It works on all types of nylons,” he added. “It’s not restricted to DuPont nylon, to our internal nylon, or to BASF nylon, it works on all types—solution dyed, yarn dyed, type 6 or type 6,6. But it’s not a straightforward type of recipe because every fiber and yarn has different characteristics.

It’s not a coating like other protectorants are. “The reason everything else is such a simple recipe is because it’s a coating on the outside of the fiber,” he reiterated. “This is not a coating. It actually creates a new structure that alters the fiber in some degree and, because fibers are different, the alteration has to be a little different.” Unprecedented Breakthrough EverSet technology was previewed by several prominent members of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) who participated in the IIDA Winter Leadership Council, co-sponsored by Mohawk and Solutia, noted Sam Bracken, Mohawk’s vice president of marketing. “The verdict was unanimous. Ever-Set impressed them as an unprecedented breakthrough.” “The presentation of EverSet was pretty amazing,” said Vicki VanStavern, president of VanStavern Design Group in Edmond, Okla. “I have no doubt that this new technology will open many doors for designers to use carpet in ways we were limited before.”

Gail Burns, principal of the Houston architecture and design firm, Watkins Hamilton Ross said, “Ninety-five percent of our work is in the health care arena. Often, we have had to settle for solution-dyed carpeting, ultimately sacrificing color brightness and design for stain and chlorinated compound resistance. With EverSet, we now have the best of both worlds. From what I’ve seen, this is going to lead to some great applications for my industry.” Initially, EverSet technology will be available in a select number of patterns from the Mohawk Group family of brands, including Karastan Contract, Durkan Commercial, Mohawk Commercial, Bigelow Commercial and Durkan Patterned Carpet. The EverSet products will be offered with a lifetime warranty. 

While Endrenyi admits EverSet is not totally stainproof, “it has perked up a lot of interest from people. For example, with mustard, on a scale of one to five, five being totally removed, we think it’s a four-and-a-half. If you really look hard you might see a slight something, but with the practical eye you would gloss right over it. “The commercial arena has always needed great performance,” he continued. “Everybody has been trying to create something to prevent stains. We say it’s only a stain if you can’t remove it. We believe this product will have far reaching effects. “We feel with all the green initiatives and IAQ issues today, where people have had to use complicated stain removal procedures and, at times, don’t know what to keep on hand,” he concluded, “EverSet is an enhancement which will totally alter the mindset of maintenance procedures.” For additional information on EverSet, call Mohawk at 770/792-6300. —Louis Iannaco