« Berber Carpet vs Wood Flooring | Main | Nylon Berber Carpet »
Berber Carpet Problems
Berber carpet problems are most common with the cheaper fibers used to make the Berber-style carpeting. Olefin and PET fibers have the worst track record and reputation for Berber carpet. Some problems with Berber carpet can be reduced, and maybe even avoided, with careful and frequent care and cleaning. Keep high heels and long pet toenails away from Berber carpet. Clean stains immediately. And consider wool or nylon fiber for your Berber carpet.
What is the most popular choice for carpeting today? Berber carpet. This carpeting is installed in new homes more often than any other carpeting on the market. It is important, however, that you learn more about Berber carpeting to ensure that you are getting the best value for your money and so you do not run across many of the common Berber carpet problems. Berber is the style of the weave of carpet, rather than the fiber, so it is important that you choose the right fiber of Berber carpet for your home.
Fibers are the most important part of any carpet. Several different fibers are used in making Berber carpet. Choosing quality fiber for your carpet can help you avoid having many of the problems associated with Berber carpet. Wool and nylon Berber is highly recommended for many reasons over the olefin, PET (recycled pop bottles) and other kinds of Berber carpeting. If you buy quality wool or nylon Berber carpet now you could be saving yourself money and heartache in the long run because they are more durable than other fibers. What are some problems with Berber carpet that is not 100% nylon or wool that consumers talk about?
One of the most common problems with Berber carpet, especially the non-wool or non-nylon fibers carpets, is the difficulty in removing stains and keeping the carpet clean from normal wear and tear. It also has a tendency to turn grayish, yellowish, or brownish after cleaning. It may look beautiful and appealing on the roll, but if it is not 100% wool or nylon Berber carpeting then you will probably not be satisfied with it in the long run.
Another common problem that occurs in olefin Berber carpeting is attributed to its low flashpoint. This means that it has a low tolerance for things like furniture being drug across it. Sometimes something as simple as scooting your couch or ottoman can cause scorch or melt marks on this inferior carpeting. Scorch marks are impossible to remove from anything, including carpeting. And once melted, there's nothing that can be done to resurrect it.
Berber carpet problems can also include raveling. This can occur if you have pets that get their nails caught in the loops or if a high heel catches a loop of the Berber carpeting. Once you have a loop that has come out of the carpet backing, you are likely to have the entire carpet unravel.
Another thing that can be a problem with Berber carpet is the feel of it. The 100% nylon or wool carpeting will feel soft to the touch, but the other kinds may feel scratchy, rough and hard. If you have children who crawl around on the floor, this can be a huge sticking point with you. Inferior Berber carpeting fibers can also be crushed more readily and will not regain their shape. This usually occurs when furniture is put on the carpeting and left for a while, but can also occur with normal traffic, especially on stairs. Frequent cleaning will reduce the crushing problem, but it's still only a matter of time before the inferior fibers lose their life and oomph.
Learning about the problems that can occur with Berber carpet will enable you to make a more informed decision about this investment in your home. Most problems can be attributed to the inferior olefin or PET fibers, though, so if you choose quality 100% nylon or wool Berber carpet then the problems should be few and far between.
Comments
Hi Julie,
Questions about repairing berber has been answered many times throughout the site. Use the search box (located at the upper right-hand corner of the page) and type in berber snag....you'll find the info you need.
Depending on how badly the other snag is, it may not need to be patched - again, "how to" will be addressed in those search results.
I agree with you, I don't see how you can be responsible for the frayed edges when it was already frayed when you moved in. Hopefully the landlord made note of this on a checklist when you moved in.
Wishing you the best of luck!
The Flooring Lady at July 1, 2008 12:52 AM
I'd contact your landlord right now to both let them know the installation was substandard and has frayed, which is normal for Berber with the way they installed it, and to ask them to fix it before it gets worse. You don't deserve to live with that. -Former Landlord
Anonymous at July 1, 2008 09:19 AM
Hi,
I have remnants of Mohawk wool berber. It is perfect for my apartment but my question is if it can be bound with tape?
Thanks
Richard at July 30, 2008 01:59 PM
Yes, it can, but you need to make sure there are no loose threads. Kind of like following the instructions for patching, but you're putting long edges together rather than a patch. Use the search function in the upper right hand corner for posts that refer to patching berber carpets.
The Flooring Lady at July 30, 2008 08:35 PM
iv been fitting carpets for over 30 years but recently iv had problems with fraying edges on stairs, mainly with cavlier carpets and coir types, its not that i dont know how to fit them they just seem more fragile than normal, even though our shop recomends them for stairs the rep who came out to check them has said its not a fitting error or a carpet fault, but the area in which they were fitted. its strange how all the rooms and landing are perfect however the straight stairs are falling to bits with gaps appearing at the sides iv even tried curling the edges over in an attempt to stop this, which never worked. yet if i fit a cheepy carpet of the same design no probs wots going on can you helpsigned a puzzled floor layer
john thompson at August 8, 2008 06:01 AM
Hi John,
Nope can't say I can help there. I sounds like that maybe it's a case of NOT getting what you pay for. Have you ever talked to the manufacturer and told them of your experiences? If it's as big as a problem as it appears to be, I would urge your shop to simply stop selling that type of carpet. Yes, the rep is going to say that it's no fault of the carpet - that's his job. What else is he going to say? The carpeting isn't worth a durn on stairs? Hardly. You know something is wrong with it's integrity if you don't have these sort of problems with a 'cheepy' carpet.
The Flooring Lady at August 8, 2008 12:33 PM
OK I really need some assistance if you can help me out. Recently we just moved out of an apartment we were in for four months. We had two dogs and they were allowed to be there per the lease. The owners of the place that allow dogs had burber carpet in one room and also on the front porch. As a result of our dogs playing, some of the burber came loose and began to unravel. There is two spots in the one room that are each about one square foot where the burber unraveled. Reading through it seems to me that this is a common problem with the burber. Is this a common problem with cheap burber? Thank you so much for any help as things are getting messy as the landlord wants us to replace the burber in the back room and on the front porch. They are trying to charge us $1000.00 for the repair to each. Obviously they look at this as damage, but it seems that this is a normal problem when allowing pets. Thanks for any time and help. I appreciate it!!
Jake at September 10, 2008 04:25 PM
Hi Jake, Yes, this is a common problem with Berber carpeting (doesn't matter whether it's cheap or expensive), but it is also one that doesn't have to happen. It's always recommended to keep dog's toenails neatly trimmed so that snags don't happen, as well as not wearing high heels on the carpeting - which I'm going to assume that you don't. ;~)
Unfortunately, I think if I were a landlord, I'd view it as damage too. If the landlord has some extra pieces of the original carpet, the damaged pieces might be able to be taken out and patched with spare pieces. It'd be worth a try, but may be rather noticeable. If you're curious enough, you can do a search in the upper right hand corner for berber patch - you can read up on how it's done.
The Flooring Lady at September 10, 2008 09:56 PM
would like to know if there is a way to lift the pile after taking heavy furniture off the area. couch has left pockets would like to move my furniture
judith at October 10, 2008 03:04 PM
Do you know what material your Berber is? Just wondering if it's a natural fiber like wool or if it's synthetic (nylon, PET, olefin).
I think what you are experiencing are the problems of Olefin, a petroleum-based product that has a low melting point. That means when you scoot furniture across it, those places melt and leave preferment marks, does the same where furniture sits on it. And yet another reason to go with natural-fiber carpets. Low quality carpet padding will further aggrivate the problem.
There's not a whole lot you can do. You can always try using steam (like a steam iron or clothing steamer) and something pointy like a kebob skewer to lift the loops, this works better on natural fibers.
The Flooring Lady at October 11, 2008 09:57 AM
