There are several factors which can cause delamination, which is when a carpet’s backing comes loose, and we’ll touch on several of them here. Relative to the manufacture, there are two major issues.

The first is the use of too much filler in the latex. Filler is an extender which makes the material you have last longer, like putting more sand in the concrete to give you more bulk and material. There are standards for the amount of filler that should be used in the backing latex, but when times are tough and profits short, corners get cut.

The second point, which can also be created in manufacture is the laminant strength of the backing. This is the tenacity with which it adheres to the backing of the carpet. It also has to do with latex, but also with the marriage of the secondary backing to the primary backing, and the time and temperature in the finishing range.

SEAL EDGES

In the installation process, the biggest cause of delamination is not sealing the cut or seamed edges. Where installation is the culprit, the delamination will almost always be at the seam. The cut edge leaves loose fingers of the secondary backing dangling, just looking for the opportunity to further separate from the backing.

Today, there is no excuse for the seams not being sealed. Orcon Corporation has introduced a new seam sealer called FastLock. It comes in its own applicator bottle to deliver the sealer to exactly the right location, and requires very little skill to use. It sets up very fast, dries clear, and has little odor.

Not stretching the carpet tightly with a power stretcher will also cause problems. This is particularly so in the summer months when a loose carpet will want to expand, causing buckles and ripples. This can weaken the backing and cause it to separate.

A soft, squishy, and thick pad can also create delamination by allowing too much vertical flexing and breakdown of the backing. The constant flexing can weaken the laminate strength and damage the carpet.

BACTERIA BREAKDOWN

Rolling wheels can cause delamination through vertical and lateral action. If the pad is soft, and wheelchairs or other rolling devices regularly traverse the same path, the backing can be compromised.

Water can also weaken the backing, particularly if the carpet sits in it for a period of time. Clean water will have less of an effect than dirty water, where bacteria can attack the latex and break it down.

Spills of certain chemicals and cleaning agents can compromise the backing of the carpet. Solvents, strong cleaners, or other caustic vicious agents can destroy latex, weaken and expand synthetics. Most of these types of delamination problems will be in small areas, such as a spill from a kerosene space heater.

One of the strongest offenders of backing is urine. Most often from the dog or cat, but it can be from humans, especially it’s in a nursing home. Urine can completely destroy latex. The first thing is to check for the odor. Next you can feel it, it will have an oily type drag on the carpet. The use of a black light will make urine fluorescent. When the carpet is pulled up there will be obvious stains on the backing. The pad and floor can also be affected.

WARM WEATHER

The only thing to do in this case is to trash the carpet and pad, sand the floor (if wood), deodorize, and disinfect the floor, seal it, and then start over. With warm weather, the presence of urine is more easily detectable in carpet. Also, you’ll be faced with more buckling problems due to expansion from humidity, particularly if it’s nylon.

Several factors can cause delamination, some of which we’ve mentioned here, and more often than not, they aren’t manufacturing related. The carpet never lies, it will always tell you what’s wrong as long as you know how to interpret what it’s saying. If you know even a few of the things that can cause delamination, you can prevent problems and loss of profit now and in the future.