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Aaron McPeak
Aaron McPeak has over 11 years of experience in the floor covering industry, holding various positions including sales, operations, marketing and advertising, installation, and leadership. Other significant experience was with the U-haul Company where he spent 10 years ending as the district manager for Kansas. He is degreed from Friends University in business management and is currently attending Wichita State’s EMBA program. He can be reached at amcpeak@starlumber.com or at 316-941-1753.
Carpet, Tile & Floor Covering
2008-02-01 10:12:00
Why are carpet wrinkles and seams showing
We bought new carpeting about a year ago. Some of the seams have always shown but now more so than ever. Additionally, there are wrinkles. We have called the carpet company where we bought it but they say we signed off on it when they finished and can’t do anything for us. Why are these showing up now a year later?
Assuming your seams were constructed to CRI (Carpet & Rug Institute) standards by a qualified installer, seam visibility is part of broadloom carpet appearance. Most rooms are wider then 12’ wide requiring a seam and visibility is going to be a fact of life. The largest factor in determining how visible a seam will be is to analyze the lighting in the room. Seams construction perpendicular to a light source will create a shadow that will be easily seen. When determining the material necessary, the estimator should have drawn a scale drawing and noted any significant windows, doors or other light sources. Every effort should have been made to reduce the number of seams by reducing fill pieces or considering a carpet that comes in 15 or 13’6 widths if this would have helped in removing seams. Many times by purchasing a couple more yards, a seam can be removed or moved if seam visibility is a big issue. The style of carpet being chosen also has a significant effect on seam visibility. Looped carpets or those with pattern matches are more difficult to hide then a textured or a frieze piece. An improperly made seam may also be the culprit if the edges are gapped or overlapped. A seam may be remade at least once, however, this is usually not going to solve the problem. Proper planning and discussions with your retailer and installer are always the best way to insure that you will have the best seam placement possible. Carpet wrinkles are a combination of the following factors: humidity and temperature at the time of the install, proper installation using a power stretcher, proper cushion and the quality of carpet. In Kansas, the humidity and temperature can vary greatly making the carpet hard to work with in cold weather and causing the carpet to loosen with the change in seasons. Ideally, carpet has time to acclimate before installation and heating is absolutely required to allow the installer to work with the carpet to get a proper installation. CRI (Carpet & Rug Institute) standards require that stretched carpet be power stretched. Power stretching is a tool with a head that has pins, a pump handle and poles that are braced against an opposing wall. While a knee kicker is a useful tool during the installation it is impossible to get a proper stretch without the use of a power stretcher. CRI standards state that an inappropriate use of cushion may result in wrinkling and buckling and that the cushion thickness should not exceed 7/16 inch. Most manufacturers suggest a firm dense cushion for the best performance. Higher quality carpet will normally have either a higher pic backing or “softbac” that are construction methods that help reduce the need for a re-stretch, however, these enhancements do add to the price of the carpet. Any reputable installer or retail store offers a re-stretch as part of the installation warranty to account for the known factors that cause this wrinkling. Re-stretching your carpet does require the rooms to be emptied and involves an installer using a power stretcher to remove the wrinkles and trim back the excess carpet.
 
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