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There are several newer condo buildings that are having trouble installing carpet in the common hallways of their buildings. Third-party carpet inspectors are usually the people who end up having to make the decision as to why carpets fail. By the time a carpet inspector is finally involved with one of these claims, the carpet has been subjected to moving, steam cleaning, vacuuming, and atmospheric issues.
The very nature of the hospitality style carpet used in the common areas of the condominiums can create problems. Proper installation and maintenance procedures are extremely important if there is any hope of maintaining a beautiful appearance for more than ten years.
Common carpeted hallways in condos often have streamlined edges and irregularly shaped hallways that require multiple carpet panels to be joined together to complete the installation. The way carpet seams are expected to be constructed has changed dramatically in the last five years. Unfortunately, no one seems to have informed the carpet installers. There is simply no mechanism in the industry to keep carpet installers and retailers informed of changes in the industry.
According to the Carpet and Rug Institute 2011 Standard for Carpet Installation, glued carpets are supposed to have all cut edges sealed with a thermoplastic adhesive or something similar. Next, a third bead of seam sealer is supposed to be applied to one edge of the seam to “weld” the carpet panels. Most carpet installers and retailers are unaware of this requirement. It’s no wonder the seams are blurring in so many buildings.
Unfortunately, the blame for fuzzy seams falls on the carpet maker, carpet cleaners, vacuums, and the latest is the new LEED approved carpet adhesive. There is nothing further from the truth. The reason architects and carpet manufacturers insist that all cut edges of the carpet be encapsulated with a joint sealant is that they need it. The construction of the carpet and the adhesives used to bond the primary and secondary backings have changed for a number of reasons, primarily to make the carpet a more “green” carpet.
Another installation-related problem that wreaks havoc on the premises is the lack of adhesive that is used to hold the carpet to the substrate. If there is one place where corners can be cut, it is by reducing the amount of adhesive used to hold the carpet. You can double the “savings” if the carpet is a double adhesive installation. This type of installation is when the mat is attached to the pad and the pad to the concrete. There are tables that clearly describe what type of trowel to use to apply the adhesive to different styles of carpet backing. Unfortunately, it is rare for installers to adhere to this table. The general rule of thumb for a properly laid rug is that it would be extremely difficult to peel off a rug, and if you could, there would be feet in the adhesive. Feet on the adhesive means that where the glue separates from the concrete there are strings of adhesive between the floor and the carpet backing.
The last major problem with hallway carpeting that you see often is when wall-to-wall carpet is replaced with new carpet tiles. Carpet tiles are installed with a pressure sensitive adhesive. This adhesive should be applied to a clean concrete surface free of all contaminants, including adhesive from previous carpet installations. If pressure sensitive adhesive is applied over the old carpet adhesive then it mixes with it, the moisture is trapped, and as the moisture eventually tries to escape over the edges of the carpet tile and lifts up, or the new adhesive is emulsified. Again, this problem is generally attributed to the manufacturer and the carpet supplier will often attempt to glue the rising edges with an adhesive that they shouldn’t be using in an attempt to keep the rising edges down on the concrete.
The dilemma for most condo corporations is the assumption that the carpets are installed to specification. When a company that does things correctly is listed against a company that does not, the price difference is quite substantial. Inevitably, companies that take shortcuts or don’t know the standards get the contract. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that very few companies install to the standard.
So what is the solution? It’s very simple:
• Make sure all seams are constructed with three beads of seam sealer
• Request that the proper amount of adhesive and required number of pallets be included in the carpet manufacturer’s shipment.
• Always ensure that the concrete substrate is properly prepared according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
• There are certified carpet inspectors available on the market that can be hired to confirm that the carpet was installed to the standard.