If the room does not exceed the carpet width then there should be no
seams except at maybe a closet. It is normal to place a seam from one
carpeted room to the next usually under the door in the middle. It is
not normal to see a seam in a new installation. Installers don't put
cardboard under the carpet to protect the floor. The carpet pading does
that well and I suggest using a very good padding. It is not uncommon
after a year or so in some installations to have to go back and
restretch the carpet---very easily done with the right tool. My last
piece of advice is to save a scrap piece of your carpet in case you ever
damage a spot. Using a carpet cookie-cutter (round) device you can
replace a spot easily. Also, all professional carpet installers are
taught to leave the carpet onsite for a few days before installing so it
will acclimate to the new environment which might have prevented the
areas you saw that you thought were seams. Hope this helps.

J




wrote:

There should never be seams on a tread for a new installation. It will
obviously take a lot more traffic and the odds of the seam showing up
over time is much higher. Again, check the grain direction on the
adjoining pieces.



Another carpet installer came out this morning. He fixed up the minor
issues (two places where carpet wasn't firmly attached), and was much
more communicative than the last pair.

The installer indicated that there weren't any seams (except for the
necessary ones). He said that the lines were a function of how the
carpet was stored, and would disappear after a few days with vacuuming.
For the stair tread, he indicated that if the 'seam' did not
disappear, then they would fix it. Presumably, this would require
minimal work (and carpet).

Me being a bit skeptical, he pulled up some of the bedroom carpet and
sure enough, there was no seam. Given the claim that these lines will
disappear after a few days, I'm satisfied for now.

FWIW, there was no contract other than the cost of the job (labour +
materials). So yes, I'm probably SOL if the lines don't disappear. Of
course, I haven't actually paid the full amount yet either...


If there's a fair mess and there's no indication that
they'll be picking up after themselves, I mention it.



This (mess) didn't actually bother me much, it's just something that I
think a professional would do.