Process of preparing carpet backing using nonwoven material

A process is described for treating a nonwoven fabric to improve its suitability for use as a primary backing in manufacturing tufted carpets and carpet tiles. The process includes the steps of needle-entangling a nonwoven fabric, preferably a spunbonded polyester web, from one or both sides, heat-setting the needled web, calendering and cooling the web and then saturating with a liquid curable elastomeric binder. The saturated web preferably is treated to remove excess binder, heated to dry the web and cure the binder, and wound up on rolls. The resultant fabric is dimensionally stable and has elastomeric properties similar to a woven fabric which provide improved tuft grip and repairability when used as a backing for tufted carpeting.