Lately, it seems that every carpet conversation I get involved in develops into a discussion on pile reversal. For those of you still among the uninitiated, pile reversal is a condition that looks like someone spilled water on the carpet.

Pile reversal, also known as "pooling" or "watermarking," can manifest itself in a new roll of carpet or in carpet that has been down for several months. It generally occurs within the first several months of installation and use. Afflicted are carpets of higher density and quality, although I've seen it in the base-grade goods as well.

EFFECT OF COLOR

The color of the carpet will also affect the degree to which pile reversal is visible. Darker colors will display changes in the pile more readily and visibly than lighter colors. Solid colors will show more than busy, obscuring patterns. I recently looked at offices in a high-rise building where the areas in complaint were a darker color. The perimeter offices, carpeted with the exact same product in a white shade, were not being complained about at all, but they were afflicted with the same malady.

Quite simply, pile reversal is a vertical reorientation of the surface yarns of a carpet, causing a change in the reflection of light due to the direction of pile lay. Normal shading is also created in the same way, relative to changes in light reflecting off the yarn.

Pile reversal can occur in any type of carpet or rug, and can take many forms. It can look like a large water spill or small dots, which look as though someone dribbled on the carpet surface. On a recent trip to Dalton College, I found reversal in a hemp mat at the door way to the student center. While watching a baseball game on television, I noticed pile reversal on the playing field in the artificial turf. No, that's not water you're looking at on the diamond or outfield-it's pile reversal.

Traffic has no bearing on this condition. I live alone and am rarely home, yet I have pile reversal in the traffic lane going into my bedroom. It occurred within five months of installation, and it spread. The carpet is a silver-gray cut pile saxony. No shoes are worn in the house, and I vacuum in several directions regularly. Everything was done by the book with the installation as well. A high density, low profile pad was used, and the carpet was power stretched drum tight.

CONTRACT CLAIMS

There seems to be a marked increase in the number of claims on pile reversal, particularly in contract application. The Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI) has just published a very good book on the subject of pile reversal and shading. It contains information everyone in the industry should have on the subject.

It's interesting to note that this condition existed hundreds of years ago in Oriental rugs that were hand tied. No dense high-quality carpet or rug is immune to this condition, whether it is hand or machine made. So we must ask one of the primary questions, "Is this a manufacturing defect?"

NOT A DEFECT

There's absolutely no evidence to support that it is. Pile reversal does not even occur in a pattern relative to any construction of the goods in which it is found. It crosses over colors, seams, patterns, yarn blends, and subfloor surfaces. It can be inside, outside, high in a building, or below ground. No one has been able to make it happen, so it's impossible to determine the cause.

The best thing for the industry to do at this point is to inform the end user through labeling and product information, that pile reversal can and will occur. This will serve as notice to help alleviate costly claims and litigation, especially for disclosure, both of which cost time, money, and lost sales. We may not be able to stop pile reversal, but if we develop a rational approach to addressing it, everyone, manufacturers in particular can avoid the costly wars that result when pile reversal occurs.