Still the biggest problems in the carpet industry, complained about by dealers are short rolls, side match shade variation, loose carpet and poor quality. These are the same problems we’ve been faced with for years and though they are frustrating let’s try to shed some light on why they exist, for the umteenth time.

Short rolls - when the carpet is finished and goes through the final inspection point it is rolled up and at that time it is automatically measured. The equipment or an operator notes the size measured and cuts the material. Several things can happen at this point. The most obvious would be the cutting equipment is not properly calibrated and as a result the carpet is cut short. If the equipment is not fully automated there may be operator error in measuring. The carpet may also still be warm and when it gets wrapped in plastic it can feasibly change in size - to be short it would have to shrink. You would hate to think that someone intentionally shorted you on the product. To overcome this problem you should order the cut length you need “fat.” That is, order a little extra so you won’t be that 3, 6 or 9 inches short. 33 years ago when my brother got me into this business they used to write that up as a JIC - Just In Case. No customer is going to complain or object that you want to be on the safe side and order just a little more than not have enough to finish their job - just in case. I have always measured anything we’ve gotten involved with “fat” and we’ve never been short of material, you can do the same thing.

Side Match Shade Variation - this is not a new problem. Since the time beck dyeing went into use side to side shade variation has been a concern. With beck dyeing however the dye house has the opportunity to level the dye on the carpet in the beck before removing it. A relatively new problem over the last 15 years or so has persisted and gotten worse as the industry continues to automate and advance technologically. The use of the continuous dye range dyes carpet as it moves under a manifold that sprays dye onto it. Since the carpet is dyed in a split second the shade can vary for any number of reasons from end to end and side to side. If the dye temperature changes two degrees or the speed of the carpet slows or increases, the shade will vary. This is not noticed until the carpet is installed. You should know the carpets you sell and which ones give you problems. To combat the shade variations you can drop the product, carefully layout the job so your fill for a room will come from the next cut off the roll, order the product in a wider width if available or alter your layout of the job to minimize the potential problem. With so much solid colored residential, and some commercial, carpet being dyed this way, it is not always easy to avoid this problem. Sometimes you just have to say a prayer. If you do experience this problem it can very often be corrected in the field, without compromising the carpet at all, with a feather dyeing process that will blend the shade variation at the seam.

Loose Carpet - this would be buckles or wrinkles in a residential stretch in installation for the most part. It can occur elsewhere in other types of installations but this is where most of the concerns are. First the carpet must be acclimated to the installation environment so it will relax. It almost never is and as a result it will relax after it is installed. As a result it will most often grow and buckles or wrinkles form. The pad could be too thick allowing for too much vertical flexing and lateral movement which will cause the carpet too loosen up. The tackstrip could be too far from the wall, which will prevent the carpet from being fastened tightly and result in it loosening up. The carpet may not have been power stretched, which can cause it to loosen up. The carpet could be dimensionally unstable and loosen up. Do the opposite of what causes the problem to avoid loose carpet. You can also buy carpet with dimensionally stable backings such as SoftBac or SmartBac. The easiest thing to do is use a high density, low profile pad and power stretch the carpet in. The carpet will lay flat and engage the tackstrip pins fully making loose carpet less likely to occur. It may cost a few bucks more but it will avoid a lot of headaches.

Poor Quality - speed equals problems. The faster the carpet is made, the lower the costs to make it go, the lower the quality will be. You created the problem. You can’t pay less for carpet and expect to get more, it defies the law of economics. You control this issue. All the concerns you have can be eliminated or avoided.

If you have a problem we have a new service where you’ll get an honest answer. We’ll tell you what we need to determine what the problem is for a nominal fee and you won’t have to get jerked around by anybody. And, as always, you can always call to discuss a concern for free. Call or E-mail me to see if we can help you, like we have so many others.