Recently, in a local newspaper real estate and rental magazine insert, there appeared a question and answer column by a gentleman who answers questions on home improvement and repairs. The title was: “Ripples in carpet may mean installers didn’t stretch it correctly.”
This question came in from a reader, it said: “we turn our thermostat down to 61 degrees from November to May, while we winter in the south. This year they found a small area of their carpet in a high traffic lane with ripples in an area that covers no more than two feet. The rest of the carpet is ok. Can we get rid of the ripples, maybe by running a hair dryer over the carpet? This past winter was a mild one and maybe this could have caused the problem.
The writer, a home repair expert, called a local retail dealer who provided him his thoughts on the problem and solution. He thought the mild weather and temperature of the house had nothing to do with the ripples. He said carpet is inert (with no power to move) and that temperature usually does not affect the material. This is incorrect. Carpet is not inert, it possesses a great deal of force to move, expand and contract both in changes in temperature and humidity. He stated carpet can ripple if stretched too much, that heavy padding can cause it to ripple or if the carpet is subjected to wheels from rolling traffic. Also that some tufted carpet can dry out and delaminate. This is true.
You’d need more information to answer the question. What we don’t know is how old this carpet is, where exactly the ripples are in the carpet, what type of carpet it is, etc. What we do know is that carpet will wrinkle if it is loose, if the temperature and humidity fluctuate, if the pad is too thick, if it is affected in a particular area by a foreign substance that weakens the back, such as urine or kerosene. Since this spot is very small I wouldn’t think the carpet was loose overall or else it would be wrinkled overall. In one spot you have to look at whether or not the carpet has been affected physically or chemically by a force, such as a concentrated, unalterable pivotal area, spot cleaning or any other effect that could de-stabilize the carpet in this one specific location.
They also mentioned in this article that at one time knee kickers were used to install carpet which could over stretch or under stretch the carpet. Now the industry requires the use of a power stretcher that can apply a more uniform and controlled pressure to tension the carpet. I don’t know when the knee kicker stopped being a tool of the trade because many installers still use it as their primary tensioning tool. We constantly fight this battle in the industry to get installers to use a power stretcher.
The final answer to the consumer is to have the area in question restretched to take out the ripples. This is correct providing the ripples are in fact caused by the carpet coming loose. It may be more than this or it may be only this. Since we don’t know the answer to some very important questions we can’t suggest exactly how to fix the ripples, certainly however, the most logical conclusion would be to stretch them out.
This situation would require someone knowledgeable about installation and carpet construction actually looking at the concern and determining the exact cause and the exact repair required. I don’t imagine that would be difficult and I’m sure the same dealer who assisted the author of the column could make that determination if he looked at the carpet.
The two concerns I have with the article is the statement that temperature has no effect on the carpet and that the knee kicker is not used anymore. Both are incorrect. For the sake of not sounding too critical, the affects of ambient conditions on carpet are substantial. Both the woven polypropylene backing and the face yarns, especially if they are nylon, are influenced by heat and humidity. The backing by heat and the face yarns by gain and loss of moisture. Both will influence movement of the carpet. The other factor is that with the thermostat set low this can allow for the house to expand and contract more. One of the discussions we had here lately is that if you have wrinkles in a carpet you either have too much carpet or not enough floor.
Just because you see something in print or on TV for that matter, you can’t just take it as the truth. You have to read between the lines. If you really need to have a question answered or you have a concern call us. Here you’ll get the facts needed to address any concern you have with floor covering materials or substrate conditions. We’ll make sure we get all the information from you to help us help you best and determine an answer with a solution. The carpet will always tell you what’s wrong.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts