Seaming complaints are a major source of claims for the residential market in particular. Consumers think that seams should not be visible but in some products it may be nearly impossible to make that entirely so. The skill of the installer working with a particular product will make the difference. We have a very low, dense, off white colored, cut pile velvet style carpet installed in the upstairs of our house that you would be hard pressed to find the seams. The installer we used has the patience of Job, the skills of a brain surgeon and the pride of a lion and me critiquing his work, so it was bound to be as good as it gets.
Seams are challenging to make and it does take patience and skill to make them right. Most of the time great results are achieved but at times, as you’ve all experienced, the making of a seam can go terribly wrong. Some carpets are much more susceptible to that happening than others. Take for example the seam in the photo provided. This is a very high end, expensive, cut pile, patterned polypropylene carpet. The complaint was for a discoloration at the seam. The manufacturer was being blamed for the discoloration in the carpet. Upon seeing the complaint condition, which was emailed in with an excellent series of photos from various vantage points, that actually put me on site. It was obvious from the evidence, the complaint was not manufacturing related. The “discoloration” was only at the seam. From one direction it looked light colored (the photo you see) and from the other direction it looked dark.
When the color changes from different vantage points on a seam the cause is a change in the light reflectance of the surface. In this case the polypropylene fiber was distorted altering the light reflectance of the carpet surface in that location. Polypropylene has the lowest melting point of any synthetic fiber used in carpet. If the seaming iron is set too high it will distort the face yarns. If a metal tool box is used to weight the seam, it will trap the heat and distort the face yarn. The result is what you see in the picture.
More and more of this type of carpet is being sold and it must be understood how to work with it. It requires a skill set that is above average and an understanding of the limitations of the product. If you sell this type of product, which can retail into the high $40.00 per yard range, you have to employ an installer of commensurate value.
Another issue visible in the photo that gives pause as to the understanding of carpet seaming in general, is the seam runs right into the middle of the doorway – not the best layout. The fill should have been placed at the other end or the direction of the carpet turned to run the length of the room instead of the width.
There is no way to fix this damage, and it is damage. This is clearly a complaint caused by compromised installation practices. From the opposite direction this light shaded seam area looks dark; as if it were soiled. From either direction it is completely objectionable and would certainly be unacceptable to any consumer. The seam location is also wrong. And closer photos show the seam itself is not well made.
Conclusion on this is the dealer eats the carpet. If you’re going to sell unique and expensive carpet you better employ the services of an installer who can work with it; he won’t come cheap, nor should he. That installer could have made this seam nearly invisible.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts