This is one of those situations a dealer calls you on that almost sound unbelievably absurd but that is actually amazing true.

Here’s the truly amazing story. This dealer had installed a commercial carpet in a bank three years ago over a rebond pad using the laminated method of installation, that is, glueing the cushion to the floor and the carpet to the cushion. The installation had been intact without any sign of a problem for the entire time. One day a couple of weeks ago, however, the dealer gets a call to please come and look at the carpet because it has wrinkles all over it. When the dealer gets to the bank he is told that a large inside front window pane, of a double paned window, had shattered to pieces. At that same time the bank personell noticed that the carpet had also experienced a dramatic and amazing unbelievable event; it had wrinkled all over. The dealer having no idea why this should happen or how it could happen, called to try to find an answer to this freak occurrence.

To find the answer we have to understand what could have caused the window to shatter and how there could be a connection with the carpet coming loose from the pad and wrinkling. This event occurred on a weekend. The weather at the time was hot and humid. The air handling system in the bank is on a controlled system that will cut back the conditioned air supply (hot or cold) when optimum service is not required and come back up to set service levels when the space is occupied - a common energy conservation practice.

For the window to shatter there had to be a major air pressure change. This change could have occurred regularly. The inside window pane would most likely have had to have a weakness or small unnoticed fracture to shatter. As the air pressure changes the window would have been sucked or pushed on. When the window shattered it created a major shift in air pressure that would have to have created a vacuum type effect. The carpet would have been affected by the major air pressure change by being influenced itself with a swift and forceful vacuuming effect from the changing air pressure. It is also likely that the adhesive was aged enough that it was not as tenaciously adhered as it was originally. Adhesive will and does age and as it does it weakens. However it can still hold what is it bonding as long as it is not compromised by an influence that will cause it to fail rapidly. In this case the rapid and severe air pressure change would have been just the catalyst that would pulled the carpet away from the pad. Not only would this have broken the adhesion to the cushion but the heat and humidity would have wrinkled the loosened carpet. At any rate, this was a catastophic event and chain reaction from the window shattering and the air pressure changing. This conclusion is not only plausible but if you understand the science of the installation system, adhesive performance and what may occur with a laminated installation over rebond pad over time, it makes perfect and irrefutable sense.

Does the dealer have any responsibility for the current carpet conditions and is this his fault or could it be interpreted as being his fault? The answer is no. There was no failure or sign of failure of the installation at any time before the window shattered. The carpet wrinkled was just as freak an event and the window shattering and had the influence that made the window shatter not occurred you wouldn’t be reading this now.

The banks insurance will be imposed upon to pay for both the loss of the window and the repair or replacement of the carpet. If the carpet can be repaired this would consist of re-glueing it to the cushion. If this can’t be done without damaging the carpet, and that may be the case, the entire carpet will have to be replaced - none of which will be the dealers responsibility. A sudden surge of force caused both materials to fail. This could not have been foreseen nor was there any indication or sign of a potential or looming failure of the window or the carpet installation exhibited prior to the event which caused it.