In this series of articles floor covering expert Terry Weinheimer of the Weinheimer Group LLC will discuss the selection of carpet, resilient, laminate, hardwood and other floor covering materials.

Next to a house or an automobile, floor covering is one of the largest purchases that many homeowners will ever make. Like an automobile or residence floor covering can be a purchase of joy or one of pain. A floor covering that is properly specified for the location, in which it is to be used, will add to the beauty of its environment. A properly selected floor covering will also add value, comfort and pleasure to any home or business. At the same time, a floor covering that is selected with little or no thought as to its environment is likely to result in a major disappointment.

Floor covering is both an important and a valuable element of a property design. Floor covering can offer both the desired aesthetics and required performance qualities, when care is taken in its selection. With the huge variety of fibers, styles and colors available an individual can find a product in the correct price range that will provide years of enjoyment and function.

Should an improperly selected floor covering be it sheet vinyl, laminated wood, carpet, hardwood or any other product fail, the unhappy consumer often places blame on the dealer they purchased it from. In turn, the dealer will likely blame the problem on the floor-covering manufacturer. If the floor covering is carpet, the carpet manufacturer might blame the problem on the fiber manufacturer who in turn places the blame back on the retailer, consumer or another individual or inanity. This can be one big viscous circle with everyone being blamed and no one taking responsibility.

As a consumer you should expect the sales representative to educate you and steer you in the right direction instead of going along with you to make the easy sale. Unfortunately many companies fail to educate their sales representatives so that they understand how products differ and therefore a consumer must be prepared when making a purchase.

The author sees it as a responsibility of those marketing a floor covering product to understand color, construction, performance and installation, and to pass this information on to the end user. The consumer needs to understand that by spending just a little more money, (often only a few extra dollars more a month) on the purchase, it will save them many dollars and a lot of grief over the life of the carpet. Unfortunately, for a consumer the word is caveat emptor (buyer beware).

The author has spent over twenty-five years as a floor covering consultant and inspector. In this roll he has analyzed thousands of installations to determine what has caused the products premature failure or loss in appearance. Regularly it is found that the performance exhibited by a product is consistent with the characteristics of its construction. What this usually means is that the product has failed as it was not properly specified or selected for the environment in which it was to be used. Often the cause of the failure is a result of the floor covering being improperly cared for due to lack of knowledge or neglect. Improper selection and care are avoidable situations that may require a little study on the part of the end-user.

Selecting the correct floor covering for your installation needs to be done with a lot of thought and a little planning so that you will experience the satisfying performance and enjoyment that you deserve. As you may have experienced with a past purchase, a floor covering that is absolutely perfect for one residence or even a single room may be a disaster in another. With this in mind you should carefully decide whether you want the same product and color throughout or a different floor covering treatment in different rooms or areas of the installation. Unfortunately many buyers and sellers of floor products only look at the product with two elements in mind aesthetics and price. Aesthetics includes such things as color, style, pattern, texture, luster, and feel. Price is often based upon how cheaply can we buy it?

In the next article we will discuss aesthetics and price.

Floor Covering 101: Aesthetics and Price

Aesthetics and price while being two of the more important elements are but part of the selection process. In addition to aesthetics a properly selected product will be chosen for its appearance retention characteristics which includes its ability to withstand wear and its soil-hiding ability. With a hard floor you will look at addition characteristics such as its resistance to moisture, scratches and gouges. With a carpet you are interested in additional factors such as it resistance to matting and crushing.

To get the correct product you must understand the environment in which it is to be installed, the look you would like to achieve, how much you are willing to spend, the care it will receive and how long you expect it to last. Not all floor covering products or carpet fibers and constructions have the same performance characteristics so you will need to understand these when making your selections for the various rooms in you’re home.

Another major problem many end-users face in the selection of floor covering is the tendency to be able to select it on an unemotional basis. It is common for many consumers to select a product on emotion because it is fashionable, makes them feel good and they believe it to be at a price that will work within the budget. “And besides, they saw it advertised on television and it looked like it never got dirty and it also has a ten year warranty”.

In the next article Terry Weinheimer will discuss soil-hiding considerations

A

Abrasive Wear – This is generally defined as the actual loss of face fibers through foot traffic. While wear is often a complaint, today’s synthetic carpets are almost impossible to wear out so this seldom becomes an actual claims factor.

Atmospheric soil/dirt: – As it relates to carpet, it is the dust, pollen, smoke, cooking vapors and other air-transported materials that will settle on any floor.

B

Bleeding – A change of color that occurs when the carpet dyes are exposed to water.

Bow – An arc like distortion of a carpet pattern. Bowing develops when the speed of the tenter is running too fast, resulting in the carpet dragging on the inside rollers while the carpet is drying.

Buckling & Puckering (Ripples)(Wrinkles) – Referred to by many names and seen on stretching complaints. A carpet after extended use may ripple or develop ridges. This problem may be due to one or more of the following: (1) High humidity that results in dampness between the carpet and floor. (2) A cushion that is soft or of low-density, allowing distortion of the carpet under foot. (3) Inadequate stretching of the carpet at the time of the originally installed. (4) Too soft or too stiff of a back or other dimensional stability problem that prevents the carpet from holding a stretch. A proper power restretching by qualified installers should correct an in adequate stretch (3). With (1), (2) and (4) the correction may only be temporary.

Burns – Most carpets will burn. Small burns such as those from a cigarette can often be improved by brushing off the charred fiber or trimming it with scissors. If the burned spot is deep, it will require reburling or an insert.

C

Changes of backing material by the manufacturer in not the basis for a claim.

Color Breakdown – Incorrect dyeing methods or defective dyes causing a color change over a period of time.

Color Change – It is normal for carpet to change color with use. Under certain conditions, color retention is affected by the presence of sunlight, humidity, heat, and oxides and other gasses in the environment. Color appearance can change in traffic areas and as a result of improper maintenance.

Corn Rowing – Rows sometimes appear in certain styles of carpet in high traffic areas. It is considered a maintenance related condition and can be caused by soiling, pile crushing in traffic patterns or by repeated vacuuming that is always in the same direction. To minimize corn rowing a carpet can be brushed with a grooming tool, vacuumed with a unit having a beater bar and frequently changing the direction of the vacuum strokes.

Crocking – Dye rubs off of the carpet due to not enough steaming during setting or not enough working time to wash out all set dyes and chemicals.

Crushing (furniture indentations) – These develop under the weight of furniture legs. These indentations can often be lifted with a coin but may require steaming with a steam iron or travel steamer. When a back is very stiff or very soft, or the cushion under a carpet collapses you may not be able to remove the total indentation.

Crushing (See Pile Crushing)

D E

Delamination – Is the separation of the primary and secondary backing and is due to a manufacturing, specification, installation or site-related cause. No claim for delamination at seams will be honored where lamination tests on the overall carpet meet accepted industry standards. No claims will be honored where improper padding has been utilized.

Dirty Back – Occurs when unwrapped carpet comes in contact with dirt or grime. This would not mean the carpet was defective.

Discolored or Stained Nap – This can happen when a wet carpet is put into dirty floats and wet yarn absorbs dirt of rust.

Dye Bands – Dye bands generally run lengthwise and can be cause by stops during continuous dyeing or by and uneven application of dye either too heavy or too light during continuous dyeing. (Also see rope marks.)

Dye Spots – These are randomly located spots that are caused by a heavier than normal concentration of dye of the same color or a different color.

Dye Streaks – Dye streaks generally run lengthwise and can be caused by uneven dye application, something rubbing on the carpet or from a crease that develops during the dyeing process. Clogged nozzle on dye equipment and not giving enough dispersion.

F

Fading – All carpets will slowly lose some color due to both natural and artificial forces in the environment. Fading can be delayed by (1) Frequently vacuuming to removing dirt. (2) Routinely changing air filters in the heating and air conditioning systems. (3) Keeping temperature and humidity from getting too high. (4) Reducing a carpet exposure to direct sunlight through the use of window coverings.

Filtration Soiling – Where air is forced through the carpet, under doors, along steps by air movement, soil will be deposited in streaks or spots. Professional cleaning may temporarily correct this, but the condition will reoccur until the airflow is corrected.

Footprints – Most deep cut pile carpet will show shoe or foot impressions. For those that find this objectionable, a carpet of lower pile and denser construction can help minimize this condition. Textured saxony and frieze constructions are ideal for minimizing the appearance of footprints.

Fused Nap – Melted tips of tufts on nap that can be caused by excessive dryer heat.

Fuzzed fibers can be carefully clipped with scissors or sheared by a company providing correction services.

Fuzzing (Bearding) – A hairy or beard like appearance on the carpet surface that develops when fibers work loose from the yarn bundle under foot traffic. It is frequently an indication of the need for increased vacuuming thoroughness or frequency. Fuzzing may be attributed to one or more of the following: (1) Embedded dirt and grit cutting the fibers but leaving them still bound at one end. (2) Poor latex penetration of the yarn bundle. (3) Poor spinning of the yarn. Poor twisting and heatsetting. (Also see shedding)

Some traffic patterns that develop on a carpet are the result of soil abrasion. When granular soil is not thoroughly removed from a carpet through frequent in depth vacuuming it will scratch the fiber so that a permanent change is made in the way that light is reflected from the pile. When the carpet is thoroughly cleaned the soil is removed but the abraded areas are permanent so the appearance of a color change remains.

Common Identifying Characteristics

• The traffic areas appear dull, dark, or even yellow or gray in front of furniture and in traffic lanes.
• Outside of the traffic lanes the pile is still standing erect and it appears brighter.
• When an inspection light is used in the traffic areas the color appears much closer to that of the non-traffic areas.
• The tips of the pile have taken on a course or rough feel in the traffic areas.
• The pile tips in the traffic areas have a frayed appearance.

On many of these installations the consumer will state that they vacuum frequently. In truth they may be vacuuming several times per week but in reality the vacuuming is not thorough or the machine they are using is in bad condition or totally inefficient.

Soiling and soil abrasion are site related conditions and not a manufacturing defect.