Article Number : 2329 |
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| Date | 8/22/2007 1:29:19 PM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | http://www.floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=2329 |
| Abstract | Several months ago I wrote a column titled “Loose Carpet,” which garnered one of the largest responses I’ve had writing this column for almost 14 years. It seems the article struck a nerve in the retail community. Loose carpet affects everyone, and there is a reason it exists... |
| Article | Several months ago I wrote a column titled “Loose Carpet,” which garnered one of the largest responses I’ve had writing this column for almost 14 years. It seems the article struck a nerve in the retail community. Loose carpet affects everyone, and there is a reason it exists. One way of lowering the price of carpet is, lessening the investment in the primary and secondary backings and the latex which binds them together. Using cheaper and less dimensionally stable backing materials can shave a few cents off the cost of making broadloom. The result is a product which is compromised, since the more open weave in the secondary backing and higher filler loads in the latex will not hold the carpet tight when a stretch method is applied. In fact, using a power stretcher may make matters worse, since this will pull the material out and actually elasticize the broadloom. The carpet will continue to grow and the result will be buckles and wrinkles. This condition is exacerbated by heat and humidity, which will cause the carpet to expand and contract, creating more wrinkles, depending on the yarn system and tufting technique. And, if you clean the product with a lot of water when it is loose, it will get even looser. All this results from trying to increase profits at the sake of cheapening the product. To deny this is ludicrous, since it is easy to see the changes in the carpet. All that white stuff falling out in your hands is filler in the latex. You didn’t used to see that years ago, did you? Is there a fix for all this? Yes. One of the most surprising products to accomplish this is Shaw Industries’ SoftBac. This product was developed to prevent scuffing of walls, since the back of conventional carpet is like a cheese grater, scraping installers’ knuckles and damaging woodwork and walls in the consumers’ homes. Shaw wanted to make carpet more consumer friendly in that respect. What it achieved is a product which is easier to work with and more pliable in hot and cold conditions, has greater overall structural integrity, as well as excellent dimensional stability. POSITIVE ASPECTS OF SOFTBAC SoftBac virtually eliminated buckling. Installed properly, the product will stay tight, even if not power stretched, which all carpet should be. If you were pressed to determine what was so dramatically different, the answer would be somewhat difficult to pinpoint. Suffice it to say, the technology is not revolutionary, but the process of manufacture and the physical aspects of its construction delivered more than expected. Shaw was cautious in its discovery because it wanted to be certain what it had found, a product with more positive structural characteristics than planned, was not just a fluke. It tested, questioned, and tested some more, but the product didn’t change. One major benefit was the backing’s extraordinary dimensional stability. I have yet to hear wrinkling or buckling complaints about SoftBac; and I questioned about this product in at least two lengthy conversations with Shaw’s technical people. Never being one to just accept what I’m told, I queried to the point of badgering about the product and its dimensional characteristics. The answer was, “Lew, we made absolutely sure this product was well researched, studied, tested, and verified, and then we questioned it again. It exceeds our expectations to the point of us actually downplaying its performance.” In this column, we often talk about problems which cost the industry, especially the retailer, money; but, on occasion, product introductions wind up doing more than we all expect. You’ll have to prove it to yourself if you’re a skeptic. Look for this backing system to make its way into more residential products and cross over into the commercial market. There are other new backings out there which will do this, as well, but information about them has been kept close to the vest. When there is an opportunity to share that information with you, we will let you know. Until then, know there is a running product line which will help eliminate buckles and wrinkles, installs well, and performs beyond what was expected by the manufacturer. This is not an endorsement, just a fact. You see, the mills can make problems go away if they want to. |