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#1
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Carpet question
Hi all,
Had some carpet installed today, including 3 bedrooms, a hallway, and a set of stairs. Should I have seams on my stairs and in my rooms? The three rooms were all done with the same carpet. None of the rooms exceed 12' width, with lengths of 16', 13', and 10'. The 16' turned out well, but I quickly discovered that the other two (smaller) rooms were laid using 'strips' of carpet. To me, this seems like a no-no in the carpet world unless you've got a room that is too big. Am I mistaken? I was under the impression that the rooms would be done with 'full' sheets of carpet. Not only that, but it looks like someone mowed my carpet. On the stairs, there are a couple of spots where the carpet is loose. There is also one tread with a visible seam on it. This seems totally wrong to me...it's in the middle of the tread! Why not cut the carpet and place the seam where the riser/tread meet, or even below the bullnosing? Finally, these guys didn't put down any cardboard, sheets, etc. to protect my existing floors (it was a wet day outside, and they were tracking it in). They didn't bother to clean up loose fibers after the fact. Were these guys bad installers or is this par for the course? Cheers, Dave |
#2
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Carpet question
" wrote in
oups.com: Hi all, Had some carpet installed today, including 3 bedrooms, a hallway, and a set of stairs. Should I have seams on my stairs and in my rooms? The three rooms were all done with the same carpet. None of the rooms exceed 12' width, with lengths of 16', 13', and 10'. The 16' turned out well, but I quickly discovered that the other two (smaller) rooms were laid using 'strips' of carpet. To me, this seems like a no-no in the carpet world unless you've got a room that is too big. Am I mistaken? I was under the impression that the rooms would be done with 'full' sheets of carpet. Not only that, but it looks like someone mowed my carpet. What does your contract say they will do? They usually outline things. If it says nothing about piecing OR whole sheets then I would think you are SOL. On the stairs, there are a couple of spots where the carpet is loose. There is also one tread with a visible seam on it. This seems totally wrong to me...it's in the middle of the tread! Why not cut the carpet and place the seam where the riser/tread meet, or even below the bullnosing? Anything that is lose warrants a callback. As far as seams, contracts usually say seams are not invisible. This keeps PITAs from complaining when they look with a magnifying glass (not saying this is what you did). The seams were invisable on the last job I had done and the contract did say seams are not invisible. It was a HD install. Finally, these guys didn't put down any cardboard, sheets, etc. to protect my existing floors (it was a wet day outside, and they were tracking it in). They didn't bother to clean up loose fibers after the fact. The HD install referred to above, they even vacuumed the whole rug to get the lose fibers out and the pile laying nice. Were these guys bad installers or is this par for the course? Based on my only one experience with installs, obviously they do not compare well. That's why I chose to have HD do the install. If something was sour I could beat up on them. If they sub-k some bad installer, that is their problem. I could always go there and have someone to bark at. Tell them to pull up purchase history records for some leverage. Not have to settle for excuses that sub-k won't return calls. That is their problem. I think their installers have incentive to stay on the HD call list. THe lemons get booted. THen again, I've read not so good stories about HD subs too on here. Cheers, Dave |
#3
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Carpet question
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#5
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Carpet question (update)
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. |
#6
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Carpet question
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#7
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Carpet question (update)
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. |
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