My carpet is bubbled or wrinkled. Why do I need to have it re-stretched or repaired?
On a scale of 1 to 5, how disruptive is the carpet repair?
How long does it take?
Re-stretching and Repairing Delaminated Carpet in Denver
- Buckles, bubbles, wrinkles and loose carpet: These can all be repaired by re-stretching the carpet properly into the room. How disruptive is this? On our scale of 1-5, one being least and five being the most, a lot depends on where the bubbles or buckles are located and the amount and size of furniture in the room and the pattern in the carpet. For example, if the bubble is in a doorway, the disruption is minimal, (1-2), and the time required is usually an hour or two. Unfortunately this problem is common here in Denver, but happily, this is an area of carpet that tends to be easy to repair. Place the same bubble in a location such as large family room with an entertainment center, sectional sofa and/or a piano, and re-stretching becomes a little more challenging, (3-4), and time consuming, around half a day. We know life in Denver is busy, so we will make these types of carpet repairs with as little disturbance to your home and life as possible. All options will be considered and presented to you during your free inspection, before any work begins, and we will always work within the perimeters you set.
Another question about bubbles and wrinkles in the carpet is:
Although they are unsightly, I can hide them under furniture and rugs.
Why is it important to have my carpet re-stretched?
Most residential grade carpet is constructed with two backings sandwiching the base of the carpet fibers and glued together, or laminated, for stability. After manufacturing is complete, the carpet is fastened tightly in a roll that works with the directional fibers in the backings and fibers to secure the laminated backings together. Once the carpet is unrolled, it becomes vulnerable to delamination from positional stress. Bubbles in the carpet indicate that the carpet backings are no longer being held together by being tightly stretched into place on the floor. Poorly stretched or bubbled, the carpet backings will now pull apart from each other (delaminate). This process is accelerated by friction and force each time someone in the home walks across it. At first, this isn’t evident on the surface yarns, but occurs underneath, on the backing. Small bubbles or wrinkles appearing in areas experiencing greater stress, for example where foot traffic makes a sharp turn, may indicate the beginning of delamination.
An extreme example of this is below. The woven area visible is the upper backing. The gray material is the lower or primary backing, composed of latex in this instance. When the carpet was turned over, the separation of the two layers and subsequent damage were apparent.
Although this carpet also had water damage, had it initially been installed properly, and dried immediately after saturation, delamination would not have occurred, and the original carpet could have been dried and reinstalled, saving the client the cost of new carpet. Delamination as extensive as this cannot be repaired
- Delamination. Most delamination is not this bad. However it is important not to let it go. Repairing carpet that has delaminated can be anywhere from 2-5 on our scale. Again, it depends on the size and location of the delamination. These repairs can sometimes be made on the surface, but in the majority of these cases, a proper repair will require that the carpet be disengaged from the tack strip and be repaired from the underside. In this process, both layers of backing will be glued back together, and then reinforced with an additional layer of backing where the delamination occurred. A very large delamination requiring larger amounts of glue must be dried completely so the adhesive will hold before the carpet can be properly reinstalled. Our dry Denver climate completes this process overnight, allowing the carpet repair and reinstallation to be completed the next day. A smaller area of delamination, such as in a corner, or a doorway transitioning to hard flooring, can be repaired in one to two hours.
In every case, from the quick and simple to the major repairs, we never lose focus on the fact that this is your home. We will take the time to fully explain the problem, the options available, and fully answer your questions. We appreciate the value you place on quality of life here in Denver, and we will perform your carpet repairs in the manner that you choose.
We hope we have answered some of your questions about how and why bubbles in your carpet should be taken care of. Since carpeting in the home is the third-largest investment most homeowners will make, knowing how to take care of it is an important safeguard for your investment.