I’d like to share some interesting issues called in by dealers and field claims I’ve looked at.
Should the Rooms Be Empty?
A dealer called with a concern for installing carpet in a hotel. The end user wanted the dealer to bid on the job without removing the furniture from the guest rooms in which the carpet was to be installed. The end user felt the installers could move the furniture from one side of the room to the other and work around it. Aside from this being one of the more stupid requests we’ve heard in a long time, the dealer, who rightfully took issue with this request, wanted to know if there was an industry standard for installing carpet in empty rooms. Crazy as it sounds, it is actually a good question. Nowhere is it written that carpet, or any flooring material for that matter, should only be installed when rooms are empty of furnishings. Trying to install carpet in hotel rooms with the furniture still in them to try and save money is insane. Regardless of the method of installation, be it direct glued down, double stick or pad and tackstrip, the installation cannot be conducted or successfully accomplished if the room is not empty. There is no industry standard for this; nowhere is it written that areas to be carpeted should be empty. However, common sense should dictate that any area to be carpeted must be free of any obstructions, which includes furniture, before the carpet can be installed. Would these people requesting the furniture not be moved to install carpet ask the painter or wallpaper hangar to complete their work with pictures and lighting hanging on the walls? I don’t think so. The fact that the commercial dealer even had to ask this question begs for more detail related to installation of carpet. The assumption by anyone with half a brain should certainly be that the rooms should be empty but there is nothing in writing nor anything specifically stating this. Therefore, as ridiculous as it sounds, someone could, as they have in this case, tell an installer they don’t want the furniture moved. After all, nothing says that furniture should be moved. The industrys’ installation guidelines tell how the carpet is to be installed relative to adhesive applications and stretch in format. It might behoove those of you reading this to include a statement in your proposal or installation guidelines that the rooms must be free of furnishing and other obstructions which would impede the proper installation of the carpet. Otherwise, if there is a claim for on a carpet installation that doesn’t mention furniture, you could conceivably be held liable because you didn’t specifically state something could or could not be done nor did any industry guideline say so. I’ll say it here so that it’s in print, published by an independent source as public knowledge. All areas that are to receive carpet, or any other floor covering material, must be free from any furnishings or obstructions that would impede, hinder or compromise the installation of the floor covering material. Any claims or complaints resulting from furnishings or other obstructions existing in the installation environment, which would compromise the installation, and their presence would compromise the installation and the product installed, should not be honored or entertained. Problems which could result from not removing furnishing could be, but are not limited to, wrinkles, permanent indentations, loose carpet and distortions in the material or the pattern. No room should have furniture that is to receive floorcovering.
Loosing the Pattern On four separate occasions, complaints on products installed for a relatively short period of time, the end users concern was for the pattern disappearing. Two of the products were organic patterned tip shears and two were loop pile woven goods with linear block style patterns. The concern with the two tip sheared products was the pattern “walking out”, basically disappearing in the traffic areas. The woven patterned goods were both light colored carpets and the pattern disappeared when looking at the carpet about 20 feet from the point of observation. In other words, the pattern is visible close to where you are standing but the further out you look, in a corridor for example, the pattern disappears and the carpet appears to be one color – in these two cases that was a light color. None of the end users of any of these products anticipated nor expected that the pattern they chose would not be visible to them once the carpet was installed. The samples were vividly patterned and the small samples they were shown clearly indicated a pattern that was blatantly and vividly obvious. What happened to the carpets to cause the pattern to disappear generating complaints from the end user?
In one case of the tip sheared product the carpet is a tone on tone pattern. When the carpet compresses from traffic the pattern literally disappears. The compression on the face of the carpet causes the pattern to be obscured so that when the carpet is viewed over an expanse it appears as if there is no pattern at all. This is very frustrating to the end user because adjacent to this carpet are tufted and printed patterns that have been down for many years. There is no loss of a distinctive pattern in any of the older carpets – the newer complaint carpet appears to be older to them. When we tested this carpet, subjecting it to 12,000 cycles in the Hexapod test, we were able to replicate the complaint appearance. Is this then a defect in the goods because the pattern washed out? No. Because the carpet is basically a tone on tone color pattern, there is no contrast in the colors to make the pattern configurations distinct and separate. The tip shearing of the larger portions of the pattern, as well as cut pile yarn next to loop pile yarn in a linear configuration, are basically singles yarns. They are not highly resilient and when subjected to volumes of traffic their reaction is to compress, which causes the carpet to reflect light. These are design elements in the carpet. This product would work in a less “hostile” environment because the pattern wouldn’t disappear. There is no defect in the carpet. It is not failing to perform because of a deficiency in structural integrity nor because some physical component is failing. The problem is having specified this product in the first place. This type of carpet will react in this way because it is an inherent characteristic of its performance and appearance retention given it construction, coloration and yarn configuration.
In the second case of a tip shear failing to perform up to the end users expectations, the manufacturer actually supplied a letter telling the end user not to use the product they chose and if they did what would happen to the carpets appearance. Don’t you know they were telling the truth. The end user however, still complained when the carpet did exactly what the manufacturer said it would – they found their way to us to voice their concern. After reviewing all the documents, in which we found the manufacturers letter, going to job sites to look at the carpet installed, getting samples from several other locations and running a battery of tests on the carpet to get it to do what they were experiencing, we found the answer to the problem – it was the same as the manufacturer had told them. This product is not appropriate for use in this application. Had they heeded the refreshingly wise advice from the manufacturer, they would have saved themselves the aggravation of their discontent and the expense of finding out what they had initially been made aware of in this products performance characteristics.
In both of these cases the same colorations and patterns could have been used with loop pile yarn and both of these complaints could have been avoided. Which brings us to the point that you have to know what to use where and why. It doesn’t mean you’ll blow the sale to suggest a product that will actually work and look they way the client wants it to. In fact, the client would probably be very pleased if you made the suggestion or had something in print relative to what works where and why. The most important word here is why, you have to tell them why. You could use this article or excerpts from it or I could write you something if you’d like to help you avoid these kinds of problems – costly as they are to both your bottom line and reputation.
The other two complaint carpets were loop pile patterns. Coincidentally, both of them were beige base colors with brown or tan block patterns- one was large blocks, the other small. The concern was for the pattern disappearing with the small block pattern and soiling and the large block pattern was for soiling. Both of these carpets were excellent quality but again, the pattern in a small sample piece gave the illusion of being much more prominent than it actually wound up being on the floor. When these carpets were installed in both cases the end users complained about soiling and appearance loss -within days.
When the carpets were inspected there was indeed a legitimacy to the complaints. The patterns did wash out and the carpet did have spots on them. Why? Was this a defect or not? No defects in either product. The light dominant color in the pattern reflected more light and therefore washed out the dark yarn in the pattern. The light color also exacerbated soiling and any spillage which left a residue to attract soil. As a result the impression was that there was a problem with both carpets. Accelerated soiling tests were performed and both products passed the test according to the grading scale, however, because they were both light colors the soil was more obvious. The spots logically are going to be more obvious because nothing in the color or pattern would hide them. Again, no defects, just a specification problem. The right carpet was chosen but the wrong colors were used. In a small sample you can’t tell, unless you are attuned to what the carpet is going to be experiencing on the floor, what it is actually going to look like. All you have to know is that light colors in this type of patterned goods will actually work to mute the definition of the pattern. Combinations of starkly contrasting colors will accentuate the definition of the pattern and prevent it from being obscured and magnifying soiling. This is all very simple stuff really and common sense, which unfortunately has a way of evaporating when one of these types of complaints arises.
How were the last two complaints resolved. In one of the cases the concern carpet was only installed on one of four floors scheduled to be recarpeted. We were able to influence the general contractor and designer to change the color and pattern of the carpet – darker colors, busier pattern, on the remaining floors. Since the carpet for the three additional floors, which were going to get much more traffic than the floor the light color was installed on, had not been received, the option existed to change the order. The client sent us samples of the re-selected carpet, it fit the bill and we told them the new choice they made was excellent – practical and inherently problem free relative to the color and pattern. That decision saved them a lot of headache and pain. The manufacturer didn’t even know we helped them dodge the bullet in this case. The other case of the light colored carpet necessitated a change in the maintenance plan. The carpet would have to be cleaned more often, focusing on the highest traffic areas, and a conscious effort made to keep it looking good. We referred the client to Host carpet cleaning system for maintenance. In my opinion, especially in commercial applications, this cleaning and maintenance system can’t be beat for maintaining the original appearance of the carpet. Employed properly, conceivably, the carpet would never have to experience a deep extraction cleaning to try to bring the heaviest soiled and used areas back to a presentable appearance because it would never be allowed to get to that point. Where spots are concerned, the carpet can be spot cleaned with a cleaning “solution” which does not leave a residue that can re-attract soil. Typically with a wet cleaning system the cleaner will apply a preconditioner to the spots, then use additional cleaning solution and water to remove a dark spot. Almost always the dark spot is removed. However, unless there is a complete purging of all of the cleaning agents used, plus the original substance that caused the spot and the carpet allowed to dry before being trafficked, chances are the spot will return. With a dry compound cleaner such as Host the likelihood of a removed spot coming back is remote at best. There’s nothing miraculous about this it’s just a common sense approach that works. If you can correct a situation, prevent “ugly out” from occurring and keep the carpet closer to a like new appearance you’ll avoid complaints that ensnare you like a spiders web.
I am a firm believer in simple solutions to complex problems and there always is one. Avoidance is the easiest way to stay out of trouble, that means being conscious of what kind of a problem could occur if you put the wrong carpet, or any flooring material for that matter, in the wrong place. All you have to do is guide the end user to the right product. If they insist on the wrong choice and you can see your headed for the brink of the falls, you have two choices – back out of the deal or go forward knowing you’re going to experience some degree of pain.
If I can help you avoid or resolve any situations similar to what you’ve just read, let me know. It may only be as a voice of reason but it may be just enough to keep you from the pain of trouble. You may be able to resolve an issue or, at the very least, find out exactly why you have the problem.
Author – Lewis G. Migliore – The Commercial Flooring Report
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts