The backing of a carpet can often be overlooked and yet it is one of the most important factors of the carpet’s construction.  A carpet’s primary backing is the depository of the face yarn.  Both the primary and secondary back provide dimensional stability.  A carpet with poor dimensional stability will tend to shrink and pull away from the walls, or will stretch resulting in ripples on both glue down and stretch in installations.  A carpet’s backing additionally plays a very important roll in how well a carpet will seam.

Which way does the fuzzy side go?

Most everyone in the carpet business is familiar with the saying “fuzzy side up.”  That fuzzy side is the “face” of the carpet.  The “back” is that other side, and it can be made from a variety of fabrics, yarn, natural or synthetic materials.  A carpet may have only a primary back, which is the fabric that the fuzzy material is tufted, woven or bonded into. A tufted carpet with a single back is referred to as a “single” or “unitary” back carpet.  A “conventional tufted carpet” is one with both a primary and secondary back with some type of scrim or attached cushion that is laminated to it.

Back, Woven & Knitted Carpet: 

The most common backing materials are jute, kraftcord, linen, polyester, olefin (polypropylene), rayon, cotton and combinations of these materials. These materials are the “construction yarns” comprising chain warp, stuffer warp, and shot or fill which are interwoven with the face yarn during the manufacturing of the carpet.

Primary Back Tufted Carpet

Primary backing materials are manufactured as both woven and non-woven fabrics in which the pile yarn is inserted by tufting, needle punching, stitching, embedding or bonding.  Primary back is the carrier fabric for the pile yarn and should not be confused with secondary backing which is a reinforcing fabric laminated to the back of tufted carpet subsequent to the tufting process. Some synthetic primary backings have nylon fiber attached to their upper surfaces to make them union dyeable with nylon pile yarns.

Secondary Back “Fabric” Tufted Carpet

Usually woven jute, or woven or non-woven olefin (polypropylene).  The fabric is laminated to the back of carpet (usually with latex adhesive) to reinforce and increase dimensional stability, strength, stretch resistance, stiffness, and hand.  Because secondary backing is visible, whereas primary backing is concealed under the pile yarn in finished carpet, dealers and installers often refer to secondary backing simply as “backing.”

Backing Fabrics

Both woven and non-woven primary and secondary backing is made for tufted carpet. It is primarily polypropylene, but some jute and other materials are used. It is important to remember that woven backing is not the same as woven carpet.

Woven polypropylene backing presently accounts for 95% of the secondary market and 90% of the primary market.  As of 1996 the secondary market was shared by Amoco and Synthetic Industries with additional companies sharing part of the primary production.  Amoco is the world’s largest backing supplier with their woven polypropylene primary backing representing more than 50% of the North American primary backing and their ActionBac representing more than 50% of the secondary backing market.  Polypropylene backing can now be made from recycled polypropylene and these are expected to be a player in the near future.

Spunbonded backings are made in both polyester and polypropylene.  They are primarily used in the automotive industry as moldability and dimensional stability are very important.  They also represent about 80% of the carpet tile and six-foot roll market.  Some spunbonded is used for lower price printed loops as they create less needle deflection than woven backing.

Secondary Back Attached Cushion

This cushion is laminated to the primary back.  The most common cushions are polyurethane foam, high-density foam, sponge rubber, woven fiber, latex with an embossed pattern, solid vinyl and foam-type vinyl.

Unitary Backing

A single fabric backing with high rubber content latex or hot-melt resin compound laminated to the bottom side.  A unitary backing system is used to increase dimensional stability, tuft bind of the individual fibers, minimize edge ravel at seams and snagging of rows on looped pile construction.

Article from Carpet Inspectors Handbood

by Terry Weinheimer and Kevin Weinheimer

FloorCentral.com

Is the Cut Pile Carpet Fuzzing of Shedding?

• Rub your hand across the carpet in a brisk tempo to check for loose or attached fuzz. If fuzz develops do not jump to any conclusion as yet.

• Is the fuzz short and releasing or minimally attached? This type of fuzz is not unusual on cut pile constructions with spun yarn systems. Staple yarn filaments, which are cut during the tufting process and not bound at the backing by latex, are free to be pulled to the surface by traffic and abrasion. This type of surface fuzzing is known as shedding and it diminishes and becomes less noticeable with time. Shedding is a characteristic and not a defect.

• Check for long fiber that is not releasing. Grasp fibers between the thumb and forefinger and pull upward on them. If this results in a lot of long strands that are not releasing this is called fuzzing or bearding and may indicate inadequate latex saturation on the yarn bundle. If the latex penetration into and around the yarn bundled is inadequate the fuzzing is a manufacturer-related condition. Fuzzing and bearding can also result from improver vacuuming and maintenance.

Testing of an unused piece of carpet or an on site evaluation will usually be required to determine the cause and responsibility.

• Consumer: Embedded dirt and grit is cutting fibers but leaving them still bound at one end.

• Manufacturer: Poor latex penetration and or encapsulation.

• Fiber: Poor yarn spinning, twisting or heatsetting. Need sample for testing.

FloorCentral.com

At Floor Central, we received the following explanation of shedding from a carpet manufacturer. This is one of the best explanations of shedding I have come across. This is suggested reading for both industry personnel and carpet consumers.

Carpet Shedding

With all the styles we make using staple yarns this explains why (to some extent) we receive so many claims for shedding. Many times these claims are given birth as the point of sale because the consumer is not aware or is not made aware of the normal shedding characteristics of staple yarn. Fortunately, our experiences with the many (many) samples that have been submitted to us for shedding has shown that the vast majority of these claims are not valid, the shedding being experienced is well within the normal range for staple, and in many cases is so slight that the very though of submitting a claim has to be questioned.

Shedding (vacuum cleaner canisters and bags filling with fuzz) is a major complaint we see. A few years ago I received the following explanation of shedding from a carpet manufacturer. This explanation is as true today as it was then.

Shedding occurs when sheared fiber that has not been removed during the vacuuming process (after shearing) work their way out of the now installed carpet by traffic and vacuuming. We also see shedding as a result of individual staple fibers that have been spun together, when an infinitesimal amount of fiber that was not captured in the latex yarn bundle slip from the twist yarn. Consider this: If you have a 2-ply staple yarn constructed carpet you could have as many as 300 individual filaments of yarn in a single tuft! If only one (1) filament slipped from each tuft as a result of normal shedding, imagine the amount of shedding that could occur in a typical 12′ x 20′ room! Perhaps you can better understand this if you consider, for example, that a typical 1/10 gauge cut-pile carpet has approximately 103,680 tufts in one square yard of carpet!

Shedding with carpets of staple yarn construction poses no danger of excessive fiber loss, it is not a defect, and it will stop in time! The time required for shedding to stop will be based on how often the carpet is vacuumed, how thoroughly the carpet is vacuumed, and how effective the vacuum model is (models with roller brushes and adjustable pile height settings work best), and how heavy the carpet’s pile is (the heavier the style the longer it will take to remove those fibers that will eventually shed.  Dealers and consumers should be told that shedding may last up to a year! They should also understand that because shed fiber that has been captured by vacuuming has been “fluffed” in the process, the amount of fiber contained in the vacuum bag often appears to be significantly greater in amount then what was actually been removed. And the common sense thing to do when this is observed is to clean (or exchange) the vacuum bag to prevent overloading the vacuum cleaner.

This information should equip you to better respond to clams for shedding, and help dealers and consumers understand that this is a normal condition and its occurrence does not indicate that a carpet is defective.

Among the mysteries and most misunderstood concerns with carpet is pile reversal, shading, watermarking and pooling. These concerns result in not only the changing appearance of a carpet, they also result in disappointment and often irritation on the part of the consumer when the change takes place. Often this change occurs within days or weeks of installation and the consumer believes they have an inferior carpet when they don’t. The following explanation by the Carpet and Rug Institute is one of the better that I have ran across as it pertains to pile reversal, also known as shading, pooling, watermarking and highlighting.

Pile Reversal – Watermarking, Shading

All pile yarn carpet is subject to pile reversal; however, it is most likely to be observed in smooth surfaced, densely constructed, plush type qualities. This phenomenon is difficult, if not impossible, to predict or prevent. Pile reversal creates a permanent change in the carpet’s appearance caused by the difference in the way light reflects off the sides and tip of a yarn as the pile lays in different directions. Shaded areas appear light from one direction and dark from another direction. After a period of use, carpet may look as though water has spilled on section of the carpet hence, the term “water marking.” Other terms also commonly used to describe pile reversal are “pooling.” And “highlighting.”

Why the carpet pile, which lays uniformly in one direction when installed, changes direction permanently, is often a mystery. In many installations, the pile reversal direction is predictable from the pattern of foot traffic. Carpet pile is pushed away from turning traffic and toward the sides of a corridor.  Shading lines can cross carpet seams even when the manufactured direction of the joined pieces of carpet differ. In other situations, location factors such as an uneven subfloor, are thought to be possible causes for this phenomenon,

Pile reversal is not a manufacturing defect and does not affect the durability of the carpet. Pile reversal is not due to the materials used to produce the carpet, the manufacturing process, or any combination of these factors. Watermarking or shading may develop on a carpet made with any fiber(s) or manufacturing process. Once the condition has developed, it cannot be permanently removed.

When pile reversal takes place, there is little which can be done to return the carpet to its original appearance. Brushing or vacuuming may create some degree or temporary appearance change; however, this change is only at the top portion of the tuft. The pile will return to the reversed position after it is again subjected to foot traffic.

The visual impact of pile reversal depends on the nature of the carpet. Loop pile carpets or cut pile carpets with matte yarns have a low light reflecting quality. Boldly patterned carpets moderate, shading may not be visible even though pile reversal has occurred.

It is not possible to assure that pile reversal will not develop in any carpet.

The above explanation is from:

The Carpet and Rug Institute

Technical Bulletin CRI-03/00

By Terry Weinheimer
Every person in the floor covering industry and especially those that sell, install, inspect and service carpet need to understand the broad variety of complaints that they will face at any given time. These same people need to understand that appearance and wear are not synonymous and in fact the two frequently used words are as different as apples and oranges. Most consumers and far too many “experts” in the industry do not understand or refuse to understand the difference between appearance and wear. By the time you get through this chapter, the author is hoping that this difference will be understood.

There is saying in the carpet industry that has been around at least as long as nylon carpets. “Carpet doesn’t wear out it uglies out”. Unfortunately, a knowledgeable inspector often finds that a carpet has uglied out due to improper cushion selection, inappropriate maintenance or consumer ignorance or neglect. When these types of problems are found it usually results in a consumer and sometimes salesperson that feels they have been taken for a ride. Educating the consumer at the time of purchase can usually prevent these problems.

How Cushion Contributes to Ugly Out

Installing New Carpet over Old Cushion

It is common for an inspector to investigate an installation and find poor performing carpet installed over the old cushion. While this old cushion may have looked pretty good to the installer or salesperson that talked them out of a new one, it has often lost much of its resilience. Was the salesman so unskilled that he or she was unable to explain the need for a proper cushion? Was the installer just too lazy to take up and install a new cushion? While the knowledgeable inspector might not know the motive for installing a new carpet over and old cushion, they certainly can tell when the cushion is bad. When a cushion is bad they will report that fact in their findings. A manufacturer may reduce coverage or refuse to warrant a carpet that is installed over an old pad.

Installing Carpet over Improperly Specified New Cushion

Just as with carpet installed over an old cushion, a carpet installed over a new improperly specified cushion will exhibit premature wear. The Carpet and Rug Institute, Carpet Cushion Council, FHA, and most carpet manufacturers have recommended standards for carpet cushion. Every individual that is selling carpet needs to know and follow these standards. Just as with used cushion a manufacturer may reduce coverage or refuse to warrant a carpet that is installed over a cushion that does not meet their standards. The Installer also needs to be aware of cushion standards for they are often blamed for restretching problems that are actually due to improperly specified carpet cushion.

Improperly Specified Carpet

Carpet that is not properly specified will ugly out regardless of what it is installed over. Most everyone has heard the statement “a good quality cushion will make an inexpensive carpet last longer.” While there is a certain amount of truth to this statement, the best of cushion can only do so much for a poor quality carpet. A carpet that is constructed with a loosely plied yarn and sparse in construction might do fine in a spare bedroom but it is not designed for the traffic of an active family. Inexpensive plush is not going to hold up on stairs regardless of how good the cushion is. By the same token, the finest piece of carpet is not going to hold up when installed over a cushion of improper thickness or density.

Carpet color is another important specification option. A light or pastel color will perform poorly in a high traffic area. A carpet installed in an executive office is unlikely to perform in an automobile showroom or restaurant. A white colored carpet may look great in a few places but in an area with a lot of traffic, household pets or the potential of tracked in soil it is going to ugly out quickly.

The Importance of Maintenance

Can You Over Clean a Carpet?

Dirt is a real problem and it is important for the salesperson to instill to the end user the importance of correct maintenance. With some consumers this will be an impossible task as there are individuals that just don’t take care for their belongings. Some consumers neglect their carpet due to shear ignorance and unfortunately a well-meaning uneducated salesperson or installer may have educated them.

A consumer may have been advised not to vacuum their carpet too much as this will wear it out, when in fact the more dirt you keep out of the carpet the better it will perform. The consumer may have been advised that cleaning will make a carpet get dirty quicker. A carpet that is never cleaned will not resoil at all, for the dirt has to first be removed before it can get dirty again.

It is sometimes true that a carpet will soil quicker after cleaning. A major cleaning problem is the use of an inferior cleaning product or too much of a good cleaning product. Many individuals have the notion that if a little cleaning chemical will do a good job a lot will do a better job. When an inferior product or too much of a good product is used the carpet will dirty quicker as excess chemical residue will be left on the fiber.

The do-it-yourself Cleaner

The do-it-yourself cleaners will often use too much or an inappropriate cleaner. I have seen situations where the consumer has found a product that worked wonders on the patio carpet or the concrete so they used it on the carpet. Some do-it-yourself cleaners tend to over wet the carpet or to use home machines with abrasive brushes. The wrong chemical or procedure will cause the yarn to untwist and mat together and when this happens the problem belongs to them and not the manufacturer.

The fly-by-night Cleaner

Another major cause of carpet soiling quickly is the so-called “professional” or “fly by night” cleaning operator. These individuals will often use strong cleaning chemicals to increase speed. This group of cleaning companies also tend to use inexpensive, inferior cleaning chemicals and strong preconditioner’s that are not properly rinsed from the carpet, and the sticky residue is left behind to attract new soil.

After Market Chemical Applications

The consumer, cleaner or other service applying a product to the face of the carpet can potentially cause it to fail and mat. Manufacturers of the fiber used in a carpet state in their warranty that it will be voided if a product that they do not approve has been used. These products include many soil and stain protectors, insecticides, deodorizers and other types of chemicals.

Manufacturers Require Routine Professional Cleaning

Most fiber manufacturers require that a qualified professional cleaner professionally clean a carpet every 18 to 24 months and more often under heavy use. Failure to comply is cause for a company to void all or part of a warranty. Some manufacturers may still warrant a product but decline the warranty until the carpet has been professionally cleaned and inspected.

A quality carpet cleaning will not leave excess sticky residue. While on the surface the cost appears higher, a qualified professional cleaner will remove soil and extend the appearance of the carpet. My wife and I live in the country in the beautiful but wet state of Oregon. Our home has lots of carpet. We also have dogs and my wife has a husband “me” that sometimes forgets to take off his shoes when he comes in from walking the pastures or hiking the hills. Our carpet gets vacuumed regularly, and about every six months a qualified professional cleans the high traffic areas. When we lived in the city and had lawns, patios, decks, and sidewalks, the cleaning frequency was less. At every home we have ever owned, our guests have frequently asked if our carpet is new or how we keep it looking so good. I believe it to be five reasons, which are:

1. Select a quality carpet in a color that is appropriate for its environment.
2. Install the carpet over a quality, properly specified cushion.
3. Pay the extra expense of a qualified installer.
4. Vacuum the carpet frequently.
5. Clean the carpet routinely using qualified professionals.

Following these basic rules have allowed us to replace the carpet when we got tired of it and not because it has worn out or uglied out.

Layout and Seam Placement

The knowledge of a few basics of measurement and layout are a must for the sales representative, installer, consumer or other individual that is measuring rooms for the installation of a new carpet. It is equally important for the inspector, for you will be called upon to determine the amount of yardage required for a defective installation, confirm that the amount of yardage purchased was the amount installed, and in some situations you will need to confirm that the seams were properly located. The following is one method of measurement and layout and not the only way.

Measuring and Diagramming Procedures

Tools and supplies

• Graph paper to layout (draw) the diagram on. For a standard installations 1/4 inch grids. On larger installations you may prefer to use 1/8 or 1/16-inch grids.
• Pencil – preferably a #2.
• Ruler to assist with the drawing of accurate lines.
• Yardage Guide or pocket calculator to determined the amount of floor covering.
• Tape measures should include a 25-foot or longer retracting tape measure and for larger installations a 100-foot steel or steel reinforced cloth tape. If you chose to use a cloth tape measure remember to check it regularly for accuracy as they can stretch. An electronic measuring device can be used but requires a great deal of practice and careful use for exact calculations.
• Awl for holding one end of the tape measure in place.)
• White chalk for marking areas.

Important Measuring and Calculating Points

While bidding an installation often requires that the calculations be made from a blueprint, whenever possible do your layout of the actual room where the product is to be installed as changes often take place between the time a blueprint is drawn and the room is completed.

Before starting the layout drawing it is helpful to know the width that the floor covering is available in or in the case of an already installed floor covering, the width installed. Most carpets are 12′ wide (some carpet is manufactured in 13′6″ or 15′ width).

With a carpet style that has a design the pattern will repeat at regular intervals. You will need to know the type and size of the pattern match. The pattern should be matched so that the design will be uniform no matter which direction the installation is viewed from.

Some carpets have a sculptured pattern that is produced during the tufting or weaving process and a second pattern that is printed on. With this style of carpet the printed and sculptured patter may not line up. In this situation you may only be able to match one of the patterns and it is generally advisable to match or monkey-match the printed pattern.

Drawing Your Layout

• Using a pencil and graph paper, layout the room sizes accurately showing placement of all doors and the correct relationship of all rooms to the other.
• You may find the lay out easiest when each square on the graph paper represents one foot. On larger installations you will need to use smaller grids and/or use a multiple for each grid such as one grid square equals two feet. (The multiple should be noted on your paper to remind you when doing your lay out or calculating the yardage).
• Start with an outside wall that is common to joining rooms.
• Start with the longest adjacent wall or dimension in an installation so that you can tell right away if you are going to run out of space on the paper and need to use a smaller grid or multiples of grids.
• Remember to measure into the doorway where the seam will be made. When carpet is installed in joining rooms, the seams are generally constructed so they will be under the door when it is closed.
• If you have both a baseboard and a quarter round, measure up to the baseboard or you may end up short.
• On long measurements you will find it helpful to anchor the end of the tape measure with an awl.
• After taking a measurement, either free hand (with a steady hand) or using a rule draws the line of the wall that the measurement represents. Be sure to take note of the placement of your first line so that the entire layout will accurately flow on your paper

Figuring Your Cuts

• Add three inches to each cut.
• Figure all main cuts so that the carpet nap lays in the same direction in all connecting rooms. Be sure to pay special consideration to the placement of the seams in relationship to the traffic pattern.
• Seams should be kept to a minimum and away from areas subjected to pivoting traffic and should not run perpendicular to the openings in doorways.
• Whenever possible, the main traffic should run along instead of across the seam.
• To reduce seam visibility it is preferable to have major seams run into instead of across the main light source.
• Figure all fills and other partial cuts from a single piece in order to avoid unnecessary seaming.
• Adequately identify all cuts on the diagram to avoid leaving out or duplicating the amount of material required for the job.
• Double-check your mathematics to avoid shortages and overages.
• An accurate layout and measurements will allow you to determine the amount of material required for a proper installation. In the case of a new installation it will make the installation go smoother.

If the Material has a Pattern

• If the material has a pattern match you must compute the yardage to allow for making the match. If you require two or more lengths of carpet that are to be seamed side by side, you need not figure a match on the first cut but must figure it on each subsequent cuts. As an example, your first cut is 20′6″ long and the carpet has a set-match of 3′ (lengthwise repeat) you will need to figure your cut at the next highest multiple of the repeat, which in this case would be 21′. 7 x 3′ = 21′
• If the pattern is a drop-match, you can estimate the multiples of the repeat plus 1/2, 1/4, or whatever the multiple of the drop-match is.

Vocabulary

• Pattern Match Lining up patterned carpet in such a way that the design element is continued across seams, making the finished installation appear uniform and cohesive Patterns must be matched in the same way as they appear on the carpet itself, either in a set match or drop match.
• Repeat indicates the distance between identical design elements in sheet goods. The most widely used is an 18″ repeat, with range from 3′ to 54″. Common are 9″, 12″, 13 1/2″, 27″, and 54″ repeats (9″ and 12″ repeats usually found in small block or tile designs).
• Drop Match: Each corresponding pattern element drops down a certain distance, such as a quarter or half pattern repeat in length, instead of simply repeating horizontally across the width as in set match. A quarter repeat is referred to as a quarter drop-match and a half repeat a half drop-match, etc.
• Set Match: In a set-match the design is positioned or set, side-by-side so that it is located on a straight line across the width of the carpet.
• Set Match (In relation too resilient): Geometric sheet goods with the pattern design matching straight across the sheet from edge to edge.
• Monkey Matching: Monkey matching is a type of pattern matching where the overprint pattern must be matched and the tufting pattern allowed to fall wherever it may be.

By Terry Weinheimer, The Weinheimer Group LLC

Manufacturing

• Latent Problems are those that become apparent only after the floor covering has been installed for a period of time.

• Visual Problems are those that are readily visible and should be seen prior to or at the time of installation.

Consumer

• Normal appearance change for the carpet style, care and usage.
• Improper maintenance.
• Animal Damage
• Abuse

Installation

• Installation error
• Improper installation of carpet or cushion
• Improper installation products
• Not following the proper inspection and claims procedures.

Specification

• Improper selection or specification of carpet and cushion.
• Improper installation products
• Not following the proper inspection and claims procedures.

The Carpet and Rug Institute Carpet Claims Manual, states on page 5, Guideline 4, “No claims will be considered on carpet, which has been installed with visible defects. Dealers are responsible for checking all merchandise for correct style, color, dye lot, and any other visible defects before cutting and installing.”

Some carpet leaves the manufacturer with visual defects that are so blatant that it is obvious that proper inspection procedure was not being followed.

A lot of carpet also leaves the manufacturer with defects that are difficult to see until the carpet is rolled out in lighting conditions different then those of the production line. Visual manufacturing defects belong to the manufacturer prior to installation of the carpet.

When a carpet is installed with a visible defect, the dealer and/or the installer can be held responsible for the repair or replacement of the carpet. Do not make a manufacturer problem yours!

Manufacturers want to know about problems so that a prompt correction can be made at a reasonable cost. When a defective carpet is installed it becomes much more expensive to correct or replace at the later date. The dealer and installer must follow the proper procedure for reporting problems unless they wish to own them as their own.

Dealer and Installer Protection

Dealer and installer protection comes through the careful inspection of the product before it is installed and stopping an installation until the manufacturer is notified when a defect is found. Unfortunately many dealers are placing this responsibility upon the installer alone without properly informing, training and compensating them. Nonetheless, any installer that installs a carpet with visible defects may be inheriting some one else’s problem.

What if the carpet was cut before the problem was found?

Even though the CRI claims manual states that “No claims will be considered on carpet, which has been installed with visible defects.” manufacturers do understand that problems such as sidematch may not show up until after the product is cut. If this occurs the installer must immediately pick up the phone and call the dealer so that the manufacturer can be contacted. This gives the manufacturer the opportunity to furnish a full or partial replacement on a rapid basis and it protects both the installer and the dealer.

What happens if the installer decides on his own to install a defective product?

Too often during inspections the consumer states, “the installer pointed out the problem but went ahead with the job so that a days work would not be lost”. The installer may not have lost that days work, but just might have to work many extra days in the future to pay for the replacement carpet.

What about Correcting the Problem Before Installing?

If the installer can work around the problem area or make a proper correction to the defective area the installation can continue. This keeps the installer from loosing a day’s work and saves the expense of replacement. Many manufacturers will reimburse the installer a reasonable fee for the time they spend correcting a manufacturer defect to save the carpet. To assure payment for the correction it is always a good idea to save the defective area and contact the manufacturer first unless standing arrangements have been worked out in advance.

The Wise Installer and Dealer

Another common statement heard from consumers during an inspection is, “the installer saw a problem and called the dealer and the dealer instructed the installer to go ahead with the installation”. This was a wise installer, by following the proper procedure the problem was transferred to the dealer and if the dealer was wise, authorization to proceed was obtained from the manufacturer, placing the problem where it originally belonged.

You Need to Protect Yourself

The Carpet and Rug Institute, Carpet Claims Manual sets out a policy for handling claims. Carpet manufacturers subscribe to the standards sit fourth in this manual. Every individual involved in the marketing, installing or servicing of carpet should order a copy from CRI if they haven’t already done so. At the same time they need to order copies of the Standards for Installation of “Commercial” and “Residential” floor coverings which are known as CRI 104 and CRI 105. The Carpet and Rug Institute can be contacted in Dalton, Georgia at 706-278-3176.

Manufacturer Inserts

Inserts are placed in rolls of carpet that are intended to warn the dealer and installer. The inserts not only protect the manufacturer but also assist the installer by providing a notice that can be shown to the consumer when a problem is found. These inserts make statements such as:

Specifications are derived from averages resulting from normal manufacturing tolerances in yarn, fiber, temperature, and humidity and may vary within normal industry tolerances. Performance is not affected by such variances. Variance may be up to seven percent, plus or minus. Quality control test to accept or reject goods must be performed prior to cutting and installation.

In future articles we will discuss identification of visual defects and installation problems. We will also suggest ways in which many problems may be corrected to the consumer’s satisfaction.