Stretched a pattern wrong in a master bedroom and the seams split open like 3 feet

I was working on a job in Raleigh last Tuesday, laying this thick patterned carpet in a master bedroom. I guess I pulled too hard on one side during stretching and the backing just gave way, seams split clean open. Had to pull the whole piece back, cut a fresh piece, and re-seam it with a heavier adhesive. Took me an extra 2 hours and I had to eat the cost on materials. Has anyone else had backing fail on them like that when trying to stretch a tricky pattern?

2 comments

2 Comments

torres.leo13d agoMost Upvoted

Had that happen to me on a high-end wool berber a few years back. The backing was cheap and it just tore right at the seam when I was power stretching. I think the issue is those thicker patterns have less flex in the backing so any extra tension pops the glue lines. What worked for me was switching to a wider seam iron and using a more flexible adhesive made for commercial carpets. That stuff bonds better and lets the backing stretch a little without snapping. Did you try the hot melt tape method or just the regular glue?

coran6313d ago

Oh man, I actually read something from a flooring blog that said those wool berbers with the cheap backing are notorious for this exact problem. They recommended using a spray adhesive primer on the backing before applying the seam tape. It gives the glue something extra to bite into without pulling on the fibers. That wider iron trick sounds smart though, I might try that next time.