This is an issue that continues to baffle dealers everywhere, so let’s revisit it. First of all, shading is common in all cut-pile carpets. It can be compared to the shading on a velvet or suede furniture fabric. The surface of the broadloom can be swept in various directions, altering the light reflection causing shading or highlighting of the material. The shinier the fiber, the more shading there will be. New, more lustrous fibers, very metallic in nature, can accentuate shading. These types of carpets are designed to look this way, giving them a very rich appearance.

Shading is not a defect in the broadloom; it is an inherent characteristic of the material, and just like suede or velvet, it is a normal and common element of the product. If shading is an undesirable characteristic, the consumer should be directed to a product that will not shade. Remember, however, all carpets can and will shade to varying degrees because they are vertically oriented textile materials subject to reflection of light.

Pooling and watermarking are a different issue. This condition is actually the vertical re-orientation of the face yarn. It occurs in denser, more expensive broadloom most frequently—in and out of traffic lanes. It is a condition that can be prevented if the nap of the carpet is set—if the broadloom surface is laid down in one direction. This is not commonly done. Some manufacturers do this as a common practice, and all carpet with an attached cushion back gets the nap set in one direction by the very nature of preparing the broadloom for backing application.

You will never see a carpet with an attached polyurethane cushion backing with pooling or watermarking. However, most broadloom manufacturers are not aware of this. It would behoove them to set the nap in all cut-pile carpets to prevent pooling and watermarking, but there is nothing that mandates this.

Pooling and watermarking can take years to manifest themselves, but they can also appear within weeks of installation. These conditions are called this because the broadloom surface looks like someone spilled water on it. When the carpet is brushed in one direction the nap stands up, and from the opposite direction, it lays down. It will also look lighter or darker from different vantage points when this is done. The edges of the affected area are also “harder” because the yarn is actually re-configured or distorted.

This is not, nor has it ever been considered to be, a manufacturing defect. Even though we know how to prevent it, we don’t know what causes it. However, if it occurs shortly after installation, say up to about three months, the manufacturer may accommodate a replacement as a courtesy.

It is up to you to direct the consumer to a different style broadloom because in two out of three replacements with the same product pooling and watermarking will re-occur. Pooling and watermarking are nothing new; it is exhibited in Chinese rugs that are thousands of years old.

The condition is most visible on solid-colored cut-pile carpets, but less so on busy, multi-colored patterned goods. It makes no difference if the carpet is tufted or woven; both are susceptible to the shading, pooling and pile reversal.

These conditions are more apt to surprise and upset a residential customer than a commercial customer. The big commercial customer has likely seen these conditions more than once; consumers who buy infrequently have not. If you need more information or help on this or any other flooring subject, call us.