Common Carpet Performance Issues and What To Do About Them

Color Variations: Slight color variation may exist from side to side. This is a normal characteristic and may be more evident at the seams. Your installer should take care to make sure seams are not placed in the center or high profile areas of the rooms.

Dyelot Variations: Color and/or texture may vary from dyelot to dyelot. Two dyelots should never be seamed side by side, however they may be used in areas separated by other flooring surfaces or on stairways.

Fading/Color Loss: As in all textile products, carpet is subject to color changes over time. This can be due to a variety of things, but is usually caused by exposure to ozone, direct sunlight, certain cleaning agents, benzoyl peroxide and other household items. Window treatments can go a long way in protecting your carpet from harmful ultraviolet rays.

Matting/Crushing: Some degree of matting and crushing is unavoidable, especially in high traffic areas and pivot points. Extra care in vacuuming these areas will go a long way in decreasing the degree of noticeable crushing. Indentations from furniture or heavy objects are inevitable. Utilizing furniture coasters under the legs of heavy furniture will help minimize this condition. Brushing the affected areas with your hand or fingertips will usually hasten the recovery of the crushed fibers.

Roll Crush: This condition is caused by the weight of the roll on itself, and generally occurs during transit from the manufacturer to the installer. Roll crush marks are characterized by width-wise lines that appear darker when viewed from one direction, and then appear lighter when viewed from the opposite direction. Roll crush cannot be prevented and will usually dissipate on its own with normal use and frequent vacuuming. In the most extreme cases, the crush marks can be corrected with the application of steam to the face of the carpet by a professional carpet cleaner.

Seams: Depending on the dimensions of your room(s), one or more seams may be required to complete the installation. Seams are never invisible, however certain types of constructions are able to minimize their appearance. Visibility of seams is not a manufacturing defect.

Shading: Shading is a change in pile direction, often caused by footprints and vacuum marks, that results in what appears to be a change in color. This is actually caused by the light reflecting in different ways, depending on which way the nap is laying in a particular area. Fibers that are laying down will reflect light differently than those that are standing up. This is a normal characteristic of cut pile and cut/loop patterned carpets.

Shedding: Shedding is a normal characteristic of new carpets and will decrease over time with frequent vacuuming.

Sprouting: Occasionally, a buried tuft works its way to the surface and stands up higher than the rest of the carpet tufts. Simply snip the sprouted tuft with sharp scissors and vacuum as usual. Never vacuum carpet with a visible sprouted tuft as it may get caught on the vacuum and cause a snag.

Wrinkles: Wrinkling (sometimes referred to as “buckling”) can sometimes occur after the carpet has been installed for a period of time. This is usually the result of improper carpet cushion, or the installer not following the recommended installation guidelines found in CRI-105. The CRI-105 guidelines can be found at www.carpet-rug.org