ynow.net.

Carpet and Area Rugs

Major Carpet Subjects.

Carpet accounts for about 75% of all flooring purchases in the U.S. Carpets and rugs are used for their decorative qualities of color and design. Carpets and rugs will cushion the floor, act as a sound deadener, and help thermally insulate the floor. I am amused when carpet only sales people say that carpet saves on energy costs. They must have vacuum cleaners powered by hamsters. A floor that is swept verses carpeting that should be vacuumed is a trade off decision based on one's lifestyle, energy costs in your area, and comfort. Carpet is big business, and therefore, big money. Of course, big money can bring out the best in most people and the worst in a few people. Information is the key to sorting the two. The problem in buying carpet, for most people, is lack of knowledge and experience. Obviously, knowledge is the key to good decision making. Knowledge is why you are at this web site. I hope not to disappoint you. For experience, well what can one do? Home owners buy new carpet about every seven to ten years, long before the carpet wears out. Ten years is a long time for the industry to develop new trends. The insider information on this page may help you catch up with the carpet and rug business.

If you are just looking for cleaning advice, please go to my Links page for industry sites that have up to date information.

FIBERS

Carpets and area rugs are made from five types of fibers; Nylon, Polyester, Olefin -- (Polypropylene is one type of Olefin), Wool, and Acrylic. A sixth fiber, Cotton, has limited use.

NYLON - (more than half of the carpeting sold in the U.S.)

Nylon ,(typically made from a dicarboxylic acid and a diamine), is a tough synthetic fiber with excellent resiliency, (ability to retain shape after being walked on). The latest generations of nylon carpets have good stain resistance. Nylon color possibilities are practically endless. The best way to keep the color is to SOLUTION DYE the raw polymer, then make it into a fiber. A good solution dyed commercial nylon carpet can be smeared with household chlorine bleach without showing loss of color. As you might have already guessed, solution dyed nylon carpets are more expensive to make. A residential nylon carpet is most likely given color by CHEMICAL BONDED DYEING, (yarn, continuous, piece, print, or stock dyed, depending on when the dye is used in the manufacture of the carpet). I have sold a lot of YARN DYED carpet where the nylon yarn is placed into a vat with the dye and "cooked" under heat and pressure - then the fiber is clear coated to keep out stains that can enter minute cracks in the fiber. The yarn is then made into carpet. Unless you have a compelling reason for using solution dyed carpet, you will find yarn dyed carpet the better consumer choice.

As with most fibers, synthetic or otherwise, there are differences in the quality or characteristics of the nylon fibers depending on how each was made. Chemically, there are different nylons only some of which are suitable for carpets. The nylon fiber thickness and number of fibers per strand can be different. Treatments like heat setting the twist, add-ons like clear coatings, and add-ins like monofilament polymeric conductors to eliminate static electricity, are all manufacturing variables in the carpet makeup and cost.

POLYESTER

Polyester is a synthetic fiber that is softer and less resilient than nylon, but costs less to make, (it can even be recycled from plastic bottles and the like). (One ester is made by reacting an acid with alcohol or phenol, then use the process of polymerization to make the complex ester we can walk on) Polyester can be easily solution dyed to allow harsh solvent cleaning, so it has excellent stain resistance for a lower price than nylon. Polyester is often made in bright, vibrant colors. The newest generations of polyester carpet, made in high density Berbers to resist matting, are quite good for family rooms. Some people like the feel of soft polyester fiber in a low density-high nap saxony carpet in their bedroom.

OLEFIN (Polypropylene) -- (about 30% of the carpeting sold in the U.S.)

Olefin , (unsaturated open-chain hydrocarbon with one or more double bonds), is a strong synthetic fiber you will find in the berber section. Polypropylene will not absorb water, (I use this fiber in a winter running shirt to whisk the perspiration away from my body). The fiber will be dyed with limitations to achievable colors. No additional treatment is needed to make the carpet stain resistant. In a carpet, Olefin is a tough fiber used in high traffic areas and some outdoor carpets. The feel is not as soft, and the color selection not as varied, as in Nylon or Polyester. However, with large looped, multi-colored berbers, Olefin can seem soft to the touch and coordinate in most color schemes.

TIP: A good manufacturer will spend the time to have experts chose among the colors and textures available to have the best looking Olefin carpet and carpet samples possible. If the line of samples look dull and uninteresting in the store, any carpet you may buy from that line will also look dull and uninteresting. Move to a better line, even with the same manufacturer.

TECHNICAL NOTE: Olefin is a generic name for paraffin based fibers. Polyethylene and Polypropylene are both Olefin fibers.

• Polyethylene is made from ethylene gas. It is has a waxy hand, fair abrasion resistance, fair strength, and low heat resistance. Polyethylene does have good sunlight resistance. It is used in upholstery and drapery fabrics.
• Polypropylene is made from propylene gas. It does not have a waxy hand. When compared to polyethylene, polypropylene is lighter, stronger, has better abrasion and heat resistance, and is less expensive to make. Some light-stabilized grades of polypropylene have good sunlight resistance.

So, if a carpet is labeled Polypropylene, then polypropylene is the pile fiber. If a carpet is labeled Olefin, it is possible that it is mostly polypropylene with some polyethylene fibers mixed in with the pile fibers.

WOOL - (less than 3% of the carpeting sold in the U.S.)

Wool used in carpet is normally from fleece, (sheep hair), but in antique rugs the wool can also come from other animals like goat hair, etc. For this page, the term wool will refer to the yarn made of fleece. Wool is a natural fiber with good resiliency, a soft luxurious feel, and high bulk. It is the standard that synthetic fibers are compared to. Wool can be left the color of the sheep, or dyed to different colors. (Dyed wool will have highlights just like any other dyed hair. This enhances the luxurious appearance or wool.) Dolly is a cloned sheep. Why not flocks of red and yellow sheep to go along with the flock of blue sheep that already exists? We'll see.
Wool is obviously more expensive than the other fibers due to supply and demand. Wool carpets wear well, and really do age beautifully. Wool carpets have a look and feel that is unmistakably their own. However, Nylon and Olefin carpets will last longer in high traffic areas.

ACRYLIC

Acrylic is a synthetic fiber , (polymerized acrylonitrile, CH2=CHCN, nasty stuff while liquid but an excellent monomer that mixes well with other monomers), that has a similar feel and look of wool, and will often be blended with wool to reduce the cost of buying a pure wool carpet. Acrylic resists the build up of static electricity. All Acrylic carpets and area rugs, (particularly with rubberized unitary backing), make excellent bathroom floor coverings, as they resist mildew and perform well in heavy moisture conditions.

COTTON

Cotton does not make successful carpet pile, but is fine for rugs that can be dried. Cotton fibers are soft to the touch, and are strong in and of themselves. However, cotton fibers also can absorb and retain many times their weight in water, (great for clothing -- not carpeting). Cotton holds water well. Water in carpet holds dirt. Dirt in carpet accelerates the breakdown of the carpet and pad when walked on, (like rubbing sand into it). Cotton fibers wear badly as carpet pile.

You will find cotton used well in area rugs that can be lifted off the floor and dried out. Cotton yarns do wash well and are highly absorbent. Cotton is made into small area rugs, such as braided cloth rugs, that can be washed and dried easily. Some woven rugs have cotton as the warp fibers, (particularly antiques and imports from certain countries). Cotton is useful as fringe.

CARPET CONSTRUCTION

FLOCKED carpets are made by electostaticaly binding fibers to a backing.

KNITTED carpet is made by numerous knitting needles interlocking pile and backing yarns, then a latex coating is applied to the backing to bind tufts firmly. When installing a Knitted carpet, do not try to stretch along the width and only delicately along the length.

NEEDLE-PUNCHED carpeting is made by, you guesed it, needles punching bating into a center fabric. This forms a flat fabric like carpet mainly used for indoor-outdoor carpeting.

TUFTED carpet , (the most purchased kind of carpet), starts with a pre-made fabric called the primary backing. The tufting machine quickly moves the primary backing past a bank of needles that insert tufts of pile yarn into this fabric. A latex adhesive is used to bind the tufts, (and usually attach a secondary backing to the primary backing). The 'new carpet smell' is from this harmless latex adhesive.

WOVEN carpets can be identified by the names of the looms used to make them. The three most important weaving methods for carpet are Axminster, velvet, and Wilton. As with the Knitted method, Weaving simultaneously interlocks the pile and backing yarns. A Woven carpet cannot be stretched along the width, but can be stretched about two inches along the length of an average size room.

• The Velvet loom is the easiest to understand. The pile yarn loops are formed over "wires" that zip back and forth over the loom. If the "wires" are used to cut the pile yarns, you make a cut-pile carpet,. otherwise you have a looped pile carpet. Typically, Woven Velvet carpets are just one color and one type of pile because variations are hard to do.

• The Wilton loom uses a mechanism to regulate the feeding of pile yarns into the loom to form a pattern. This was invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1801. Think of it as a punch-card carpet computer. Sculptured carpets are made by controlling pile height and cutting, or not cutting loops.

• The Axminster loom most closely duplicates the weaving methods of Oriental carpets. The loom has control over each yarn tuft into the carpet. Axminster carpets are known for complicated designs. Spools of yarn that feed the loom can hold different color, or even different kinds, of yarn. One of the carpet reps told me that his company has three looms that can be programmed with almost any design a customer can send them. Do you have a photograph of a tapestry, an antique rug, or a cobblestone walk you wish to duplicate in a carpet? No problem. Because Axminster carpets are more complicated to make, the manufacturer is motivated to put the best people on the job and use better fibers like wool. This will be reflected in the cost of the carpet.
  
  I have often watched people who were just browsing around the store drawn to the Axminster carpet sample boards like bears to a honey tree. Extra care was made in selecting the colors, creating the designs, making the wool yarns, and displaying the samples. The tolerances in those carpets were tight, (loops of the same size really were the same size, rows and columns were strait, and generally the carpets had a neat and clean look to them).

UNITARY BACKING has no webbing. Each loop is glued in and is tougher to zipper, but is good for seaming. It is installed by latex glue down only. NO STRETCHING.

ACTION BACK is Tufted, like needle point. It is kicked like residential carpet, and can be glued down.

ENHANCED BACK, (cushion-backed, or other names), has foam and/or felt glued to the carpet, and that IS the padding. The seams lock in like Unitary Back carpet. It is installed by glue down only. NO STRETCHING.

MOST CARPETING IS TUFTED into a primary backing fabric, then a latex adhesive is used to attach a secondary backing. It is the secondary backing that you see when you flip over the carpet sample.

• The normal secondary backing , (sometimes called "jute" even though it may be made from jute, polyester, or polypropylene), looks like graph paper lines or a grid of fibers. The thickest fibers form strait parallel lines and the fibers at right angle to the first are actually two strands that twist once around each of the first fibers, like basket weaving. The latex adhesive is used generously over this secondary backing to lock in the grid pattern, (so it will not move around under use like a loosely strung tennis racket). It is vary tough, and will easily scratch woodwork, walls, or skin. This can be glued down, but performs best with padding. This kind of carpet can be rolled lengthwise or along the width, but is not generally flexible. A large roll of this carpet will not be easy to maneuver into a work area in some tight corner situations, (like right angle staircases). When you save some pieces from the installation or have discontinued samples, DO NOT USE THIS on wood or other carpet without pad- it will gouge and cut into them. (I use old samples as car mats, but my feet only rest on them- not walk on them.)
• A newer type of secondary backing, under different names and levels of improvement, attempts to overcome the roughness of the typical secondary backing. One of these on the market at this time is basically a felt-like fabric with built in webbing like the jute backed carpet, except that the grids are not locked into place with latex adhesive but are held into place by the felt.. The felt like material protects things from scratching, and the less ridged grid allows for grater flexibility. You can roll, twist and bend this kind of carpet, say around corners.

CARPET TILES can be constructed in different ways, but are by definition "tiles". Carpet tiles generally cost about double a normal carpet of comparable durability, (installed price anyway). The tiles might be one and one-half feet square or two feet square. Tiles take longer to install. There is reusable glue available for moving the tiles around, rotating tiles through high traffic areas to stretch out life of the carpet. The glue and tiles cost more, but it is worth the extra expense for some applications, like public buildings.

Most carpet starts as loops of yarn, tufted or otherwise, then the loops are either cut or left as loops, or both. (Huh?) Cut pile, Loop pile, or Cut and Loop pile. I am not yet referring to colors of yarn. When the carpet surface has different heights of yarn, it is called SCULPTED carpet.

LOOP PILE carpets leave the loops of pile yarn as the surface of the carpet. Many people think that this kind of carpet works well for high traffic areas because the loops show less effect when walked upon, all other factors being equal.

• BERBERS are larger loops of yarn. I tend to call all loop pile carpets Berbers
• Level loop means to have all loops the same height. A pattern can still be made by positioning the loops as to direction and distance from one another.
• Multi-level loops form patterns and can hide footprints more easily than level loops.

CUT PILE carpets are made by cutting the loops so that you now have two upstanding yarn ends where one loop used to be.

• VELVETS, PLUSH'S, or SAXONIES look rich. The yarn ends are strait up. This kind of carpet shows vacuum marks and footprints quite easily, but will feel comfortable under bare feet.
• TEXTURES, or TEXTURED SAXONIES seam to show more than one color of yarn, but you are really seeing highlights in the yarn , like crests of waves of water. In other words, if Velvets are like still waters - a Textured Saxony carpet is like choppy waters.
• TEXTURES, as a term, may also be used to describe multi-level cut pile carpets, (a sculpted carpet), or all carpet finishes as a group.

CUT and LOOP PILE carpets combine both types of yarn ends, and is normally used for sculptured carpets.

When you shop around, (as you should), comparing carpet to carpet by the feel may not be so accurate. I use the manufacturers own ratings of Face Weight, Density, Twist or Tuft Bind, and of course- Fiber Content. If the store does not have that information, ask them to get it before you commit to a measure. If the store will not provide you with this information--walk away! There are so many ways to make a carpet that effect performance, durability, and price that you can find just about what you need in most price ranges. As you shop around you will gather in your mind what you are willing to compromise on to fit your project and budget. Always take the final sample choices home to see what they look like in the setting to be carpeted. The color will almost always be different than in the store. Also, the over all look of the carpet sample may not be what you had in mind. Samples allow you to stretch your imagination as to what kind of carpet type and look you might use. Please take samples home. (Sometimes a bargain carpet just looks cheep, and do you really want that in your home? There are inexpensive carpets that look good. But, they will not last as long.)

• FIBER CONTENT should tell you what fiber(s) was used; (nylon, olefin, polyester, wool, or acrylic). Sometimes there is a description as to solution dye or continuos filament, (SD or CF), but this is mainly as a selling point over lesser carpets. In a normal carpet store, a special name on a fiber or carpet will probably indicate something better or with particular features over competing carpets. However, in bottom end retail outlets, a special name may not mean much at all- save a marketing attempt to have you believe you are getting a much better product than competing ones when the real difference is minor if at all. Of course, the largest price variations always occure at the high end a product line from carpets to violins as there is simply more room for maneuvering.

• FACE WEIGHT is a numeric expression that refers to the number of ounces of the pile fiber in a square yard of carpet. This is not to be confused with the extra weight of backing materials or any fused cushioning as with enhanced backed carpet. (Face Weight is determined by the American Society for Testing Materials method D-418, plus or minus 7%. Commercial moisture regain defined by the American Society for Testing Materials method D-1909.)

• DENSITY is a numeric expression that refers to how tightly the pile yarns are placed into the carpet. Think in terms of trees in a acre of a forest. If there are a lot of trees in that acre, the density is high. If Paul Bunyan just went through that acre swinging his ax, then the density is low. (Density numbers are in accordance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development standard Use of Materials Bulletin UM 44D.)

• TUFT BIND is a numeric expression that is used with loop pile carpets to express the relative strength of attachment of yarn loops to the carpet backing. An average tuft bind number is 20. A high number means that the family dog will have a harder time pulling up a fiber along the length of the carpet, a disassembly called zipping. A common cause of zipping is sliding heavy furniture across the carpet without using glides on the feet. Actually, pulling up a loop is rather hard to do. Please remember to compare only similar carpets as to tuft bind. A high end commercial carpet may have a tuft bind of, say, 26. A high end large loop berber for residential use might have a tuft bind of around 14 or 16. So if you intend to have 10,000 people walk through your living room each night, purchase the commercial carpet. (Tuft bind values are in accordance with the American Society for Testing Materials method D-1335.)

• TWIST is a numeric expression that is mainly used with cut pile carpets to represent the number of full twists in the yarn fiber per one inch of fiber. This measurement is taken before the yarn fiber is tufted into the primary backing, so the number is valid on carpet of any pile height. All other things being equal, a higher number is better for durability against crushing/matting. Also, look for the term "heat set" method of making the twist permanent. (Twist numbers are in accordance with the American Society for Testing Materials method D-1423.)

• DURABILITY ratings do NOT as yet follow industry wide standards, so any ratings will only be relevant between carpets rated with the same methodology. Generally, durability ratings will combine subjective and objective points. "Objective" as in how long different carpets are likely to last in the same situation. "Subjective" as in how different carpets would look as they are used, called Apperance Retention. Durability tests should rate crushing, matting, shedding, and maybe other things particular to the kind of carpet being tested. I typically use durability ratings to match a carpet to the amount of traffic, (level of use), that is to be expected for an application. A low traffic bedroom carpet would not be a good choice for a high traffic living room.

DYE METHODS

SOLUTION DYE means to mix dye stuffs with the raw polymer, then make it into a fiber. Colorfastness is achieved by integrating the pigmentation into the structure of the yarn fiber itself. This allows for harsher cleaning methods on the carpet, even some mild solvent use. Please use only the methods recommended by the manufacturer because you could effect other parts of the carpet, like the latex on the backing or the clear coat around the fiber. The main thing about cleaning a carpet is to rinse, rinse, and rinse again until you are bored stiff.

CHEMICAL BONDED DYEING may be labeled continuous, piece, print, stock, or yarn dyed, depending on when the dye is used in the manufacture of the carpet. The dyestuffs are topically applied to the yarn, whole carpet, or carpet surface. Harsh cleaning or heavy commercial traffic may show gray spots in the carpet by wearing off the color. Think of the colored fiber like a carrot or a radish, (dull in the exact middle).

• YARN DYED carpet where the yarn is placed into a vat with the dye and "cooked" under heat and pressure is the best of the chemical bonding methods. The manufacturer has greater control of color and color intensity. This can mean fewer differences in dye lots.
  
• CONTINUOUS DYED carpet is made by running the whole carpet through a hot dye bath.
  
• PRINT DYEING is an economical method for a manufacturer to make intricately designed carpets and rugs on demand. Print dye methods can result in motif patterns like flowers, golf, fishing, hobby, holiday, cartoon, and any frivolous or message oriented carpet or rug. Oh sure, the color may not make it all the way down to the backing, but not everyone will pay more money for permanent dye methods in a "fun" carpet.

For both Continuous and Print Dye methods, the manufacturer can pack a warehouse full of white looking carpet ready to except dyestuffs. Then, make more of any color or pattern of carpet that proves popular in the marketplace, (reducing waste). Also, customers can make special orders of carpet of these types with less expense than would be expected with more durably dyed carpets. "Customers" in this context would normally mean large retail chains and other corporate accounts, but this could mean you too.

PAD TYPES FOR CARPET AND RUGS.

I tend to group carpet padding under three major headings, (felt, foam, and rebound), but the industry uses the terms- Prime Urethane, Densified Urethane, Grafted Urethane, Bonded Urethane, Flat Rubber, Rippled Rubber, and Felt for classifying cushion types.

All padding is described by thickness, the maximum should never be more than 1/2 inch with few of us recommending anything above 7/16 inch. Padding for loop pile carpets should not be thicker than 1/4 inch as excessive vertical movement when walked on will break down the carpet faster than intended.

• The four polyurethane foams are listed by density in pounds per cubic foot.
• Felt and rubber padding is listed by weight of ounces per square yard.

Padding will increase the longevity of the carpet, improve both sound and thermal insulation, prevents carpet slipping, and cushions the carpet to make walking on it more comfortable. "Cheep" pad will coast you more in the long run. (If it looks like thin packing foam, it is cheep.)

Pad comes in different widths, typically six foot wide and four foot wide. The pad is normally seamed with duct tape. The seams should never run along under the carpet seams, but crossing underneath is fine.

FELT or HAIR padding has good firm support. It is used in many commercial jobs in public buildings because it meets stiff fire codes, and wears well. Usually, it is not as mildew-resistant, or stretch resistant, as other pads, and can be less comfortable to walk on over many hours.

FOAM pads should not lose more than half their height when you pinch them. I generally do not like urethane foam pads. I call rubber pads "foam" because there is nothing else in them but air. Rippled or waffle rubber pads allow for better air flow then smooth rubber pads. (NOTE: Just after the oil crisis of the late 70's, some pad manufacturers put clay filler into rubber pads to save money. Unfortunately, the pad would eventually release the clay. If your old carpet is always dusty, even after vacuuming, you may have this kind of pad.)

REBOUND pad, (the most used residential padding), is made of bits of urethane foam bonded together. Usually a web of fishing line-like thread is fused to the top of the pad, (this side faces the carpet). The multi-colored look of the pad has to do with the available urethane pieces, so the overall color is not an indication of the density or thickness of the pad. Normally I would recommend a 1/4 inch, six or eight pound pad for berber carpet and a 7/16", (no higher), six pound pad for saxony carpet. Berber carpets have continuous filaments, so a pad higher that 1/4 inch will allow premature breakdown of the carpet.

Some people ask why the estimate includes the same amount of pad as carpet when there will be some waste in the carpet. Well, it is common practice to include the same amount of pad for several reasons. Pad is not easy to work with. There will be wasted pad as well. Installers are not given instructions as to pad placement like they would be for carpet, (for seams and use of waste from main areas on stairs, etc.), so installers like to have a workable amount of pad on hand. Also, carpet remnants used by the customer should probably have padding as well. Pad is not expensive, (except rubber pad), but if the estimate of waste is in excess of 15%, then talk to your salesperson about cutting back on pad. (Five to ten percent is OK)

• Pad for rug over carpet, (what I sold looked like a white felt fabric), is tacky on both sides to prevent slipping. This kind of pad must not allow staining to the carpet, (or the rug), by the adhesive or by bleed through. This kind of pad should protect the carpet from being harmed by the rug. If you are using a rug made from a jute backed carpet piece- please be watchful for damage as you may need to use a thicker pad.
• Pad for rug over hard surface flooring will probably resemble a mesh of rubbery looking webbing. It must prevent slipping, prevent staining of the flooring, and allow for air flow under the rug.
• Carpet Tape can also be used to hold down an area rug. Carpet tape is about hand width wide and is usually suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications.

Normally, area rugs are made in such a way as to not harm what they are placed over. However, if you slip even once, you should consider using padding. Padding for area rugs is often sold in pre-set dimensions, like five feet by eight feet or two feet by four feet and/or other common dimensions. You simply cut the pad to measure with scissors to about an inch short of the edges of the rug.

Air Pollution?

Having wall-to-wall carpet installed puts a great deal of new textile product in your home, and there will be off gassing, that New Carpet Smell. The odor and off gassing from the new carpet is not toxic at all. You may wish to ventilate the area for a day or two, (air flowing over the new carpet and exchanged with fresh outside air). If the odor is still strong after the second day, go ahead and run the fan for a third day with greater exchange of fresh air. After three days the odor should have dissipated. If you still have a strong odor, then I would recommend looking for another source for the odor. Carpet can hold particles generated elsewhere in a house, especially one in construction or renovation. If you still think that there is a problem with your new carpet, please contact the store or your installers to confirm what products and installation methods were used. Any problem should be investigated and resolved to your satisfaction. The proverbial Las Vegas bookmaker would give odds that it is not your carpet.

Some specifics.

• Formaldehyde has not been used in the manufacture of carpet in the United States sense the 1980's, and only in small amounts before then.
• The new carpet smell is mostly 4-Phenylcyclohexene, (4-PC). Even in the extremely small amounts off gased from new carpet, one can still notice it. (Many of us are more familiar with the liquid hydrocarbon Benzine C6 H6, a solvent for fats and resins. The bivalent radical Phenylene is C6 H4. Phenylene is combined with Cyclohexane C6 H12, a saturated cyclic hydrocarbon. Safer than swamp gases, but just as noticeable in very small concentrations)
• In 1992 the Carpet and Rug Institute, (CRI -- look under carpet in my links page), established indoor air quality testing programs for carpet, adhesives, and cushions. Products that meet the low emission standards for Volatile Organic Compounds earn the appropriate CRI label. When you have a carpet sample, please look on the back for the Indoor Air Quality Testing Program label from CRI. Products are re-tested quarterly to stay in the program.

Reducing allergic reactions from the removal of old Carpet and old Pad.
Old carpet and especially old pad do hold an astounding number of dust mites and particles that can cause allergic reactions.

• If you are known to be particularly sensitive to these allergens, please consider being away from the premises for two or three days while the old carpet is removed and new carpet installed.
• Talk to your carpet salesperson about your concerns as special scheduling and installer co-operation may be involved.
• Please vacuum first, and have the widows open for fresh air in the work area.
• If the old carpet and/or pad is to be sliced into manageable strips for disposal, try politly asking the installers to use large leaf-garden bags or plastic drop cloths you provide to contain the dust.
• After the installation is complete, you may wish to clean most of the premises. The dust that was kicked up will be just about everywhere.

Shopping HINT: If you are affected by the air quality of a carpet showroom, you may wish to be elsewhere when your new carpet is installed. Most people can flip through stacks of new carpet samples for hours and not be bothered by the off gassing.

The Carpet Store.

How a carpet job is measured.

Sometimes customers shopping for carpet would bring in a rough diagram of their home's floor plan. This was helpful in guessing how a carpet could be laid down -- sometimes ruling out certain sizes of carpet or patterns in carpeting because of the resulting excessive waste, or seams in the worst places. However, I would order a carpet measure before ordering the carpet for a customer. A person who measures carpet jobs for a living will know what to ask (the customer) and look for to avoid ordering to little or to much carpet. Think of this as a tailor measuring a gentleman for a new suit. The tailor does not assume both arms will be the same length or the waistline will be in the usual place.

Most people do not measure their own carpet project. So, to save space on, (and load time of), this page, I have written a separate Carpet Measure Sub-Page. To view the page, just click Carpet Measure Sub-Page. A return button is included inside the page.

When someone is sent out to measure a carpet job, they like to know the type of carpet, the pattern repeat and width, (or choice of widths), of the proposed carpet.

For your convenience, I have added a sub-page that is a .GIF image of Graph Paper with one line of text for returning to this page. All you need do is click, PRINT, then return click.

WHAT TO EXPECT WITH A CARPET INSTALLATION

BEFORE THE CARPET ARRIVES.

• IF TACKLESS STRIPS are to be imbedded into concrete or stone, that must be done a day ahead of time by the installer.
• IF GLUING DOWN THE CARPET ON CONCRETE, the concrete must be cured and you might consider etching the concrete to insure a good bond. Fresh slab concrete may take three months to cure, and suspended concrete, (a floor with an air gap below it-for example high rise buildings), will take about seven months to cure. Ask the concrete contractor for the specs. on the new concrete.
• IF YOU ARE ALSO PAINTING the room, you might consider painting about a week earlier. Carpet installation tends to leave small scratches on the trim work and some walls, so please keep a little extra paint for touch up.
• IF YOU ARE ALSO WALLPAPERING the room, you might wish to wait until after the carpet is installed to put up the wallpaper. However, you could paint the ceiling, (bringing the paint down the wall an inch to allow an even top line for the paper when you trim it). You might also consider striping off the old paper before the carpet arrives. A messy job.
• IF EXISTING FLOORING IS TO BE PULLED UP, please make certain this is done before the carpet crew arrives.
• IF YOU ARE RIPPING UP OLD CARPET YOURSELF, please do this before the carpet crew arrives. Please do not remove the tackless strips. Please DO remove any staples that kept pad or carpet in place.
• IF THE NEW CARPET IS HIGHER than the old flooring, you might chose to trim the doors fist, (I , personally, would prefer to wait and know exactly how much to trim). When you have the sample carpet in your home to test the color, also check height for doors and also for wood transition strips, (metal strips are adjusted when installed). The carpet crew is not responsible for installing new sub-floors or trimming doors, but they will install new transition strips. Hopefully, the person who measured the carpet job will also note the transition strip situation for the estimate. However, sometimes people change their minds on which carpet, and that can effect height.
• GENERALY, have the area ready for the carpet installation. Please read below for what a crew will and will not do to better understand how your situation will need to be planed.

THE BIG DAY.

Normaly, a carpet crew consists of two people, one installer and one assistant on the way to becoming an installer. [Mind you. I am referring to good crews, not warm bodies yanked off the street by unscrupulous carpet stores.] The crew may require access to electricity for their power tools. The crew will obviously need safe and ready access to the areas to be carpeted. Safe- meaning no dogs, cats or other pets and no small children under foot; appliances, lamps, etc. are to be unplugged: windows uncovered for sufficient light; good ventilation: and generally things that may interfere with the work should be dealt with or discussed with the crew before arrival. Ready access- meaning someone at the work site when the crew gets there, (or a key dropped off at the store a day ahead of time); no obstructions in the way of getting the 12' to 15' carpet goods as well as tools into the work area; security badges if applicable; access to where the old carpet and pad is to be placed for removal, (or reuse). [NOTE - If you wish to reuse the carpet, please make sure the crew knows this before arrival, or they may well cut up the old carpet into manageable strips customary for disposal]

THINGS A CARPET CREW WILL DO

• A GOOD crew will install your carpet in accordance with the RESIDENTIAL CARPET INSTALLATION STANDARD, CARPET and RUG INSTITUTE CRI-105. (Assuming residential applications, CRI-104 for Commercial jobs.)
• TAKE UP old carpet and pad, and place them in a pre-set place for removal. If the old carpet is to be hauled away, this must be included in the estimate.
• INSTALL New Tackless Strips if needed, (it is better to keep the existing tackless strips when in good shape than potentially damage the floor by removing them).
• INSTALL New Pad, and New Carpet, (or glue down the carpet as per the job).
• INSTALL New or REINSTALL Existing transition strips.
• VACUUM the new carpet, (my crews did anyway).
• MOVE furniture out of a room, then back into the room, usually in the same given area. Note: furniture to be moved should never include breakables, treasured heirlooms, or things heavier than two healthy people can handle. Whenever possible, the furniture will be temporarily moved completely out of the work area.
• ASK YOU TO SIGN some form that states that you are, or are not, satisfied with the new carpet installation. Any problems should be specified on this form. This does not reduce your rights under any warranty. The carpet store needs to know, by written or verbal means, that the crew has done its job and can be paid.
• ASK FOR FINAL PAYMENT to the carpet store, unless some other arrangement was made at time of sale, (like financing, insurance or new construction funds, etc.).

THINGS A CARPET CREW WILL NORMALLY NOT DO.

• CREWS DO NOT TRIM DOORS or LAY NEW SUB-FLOORING or any other carpentry work to accommodate the new carpet.
• CREWS DO NOT DO PLUMBING or ELECTRICAL tasks like removing and re-installing gas, water, or direct-wired appliances.
• CREWS DO NOT REMOVE SOME KINDS OF EXISTING FLOORING like vinyl, vinyl tiles, or black cut back adhesive flooring which may contain asbestos. Talk about this with your sales person well before you buy the carpet for possible solutions.
• CREWS DO NOT MOVE LARGE or INSURANCE PROBLEMATIC THINGS such as organs, pianos, pool tables (they need four people to level out), aquariums, furniture that needs disassembly, grandfather clocks, claw foot bathtubs, water beds, breakables (like china, lamps, pictures, brick-a-brack, etc.), big-screen TV's, computers, stereo equipment and other sensitive electronics. I hope you get the idea.
• CREWS DO NOT BABYSIT, walk the dog, feed the cat, answer the phone, or water the plants. Sadly, some people think that having two other adults in the house, (for any reason), allows them to go shopping while the crew wakes up Grandpa in time to take his medication.
• CREWS DO NOT, as a rule, re-paint or repair scratches to walls and wood trim. Carpet will come larger than the room it will go into. Even the best crews cannot guarantee not to accidentally cause minor scratching , especially to the woodwork when the carpet is to be pushed under the baseboard.

AFTER INSTALLATION

Obviously, the first thing to do is examine the carpet and installation before placing your furnishings back into place. Specifically look for flaws in the carpet like streaks, crushed sections that cannot be brushed out, uneven pile hights not meant to be, uneven patterns or color intensity, etc. Also, look for mistakes and omissions with the installation. Is the carpet stretched, (it should not be loose enough to trip you when walked on)? Are the seems pattern matched? Do the seems show gaps? NOTE: It is not possible to completely hide seems from someone who knows where they are, but seems should be unnoticed to a casual observer. Are ALL the steps turned and tacked? Is a piece of the carpet not tucked under a baseboard? Are the transitions strips in place and in good shape? Generally, look for unfinished work.

Next, consider vacuuming the carpet, even if the crew already did. You now have a great deal of new textile product in your home, and there will be loose fibers. The off gassing from the new carpet is not toxic at all, but you may wish to ventilate the area for a day or two, (air flowing over the new carpet and exchanged with fresh outside air).

Now would be a good time to touch up the paint job as needed. Wallpapering can now be done. Please use drop clothes to protect the new carpet.

When you do place your furnishings into place, consider using glides under heavy pieces. Please remember to replace your window treatments before going to bed unless you like nosy neighbors looking in on your breakfast.

Try to save little scraps of the new carpet for color coordinating other things at a later date. Also, it is a good idea to save all the information about the carpet purchase for use later. Important information would include the invoice and warrantee information.

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