Carpet Seam -- Berber Carpet
Whenever you carpet a large area you will have carpet seems -- Berber carpet or not. A good installer knows how to do a "seamless" job in carpet seaming. Because Berber ravels when handled wrong, seaming is a critical aspect of your carpet installation. Choose your installer carefully to ensure your Berber investment is protected.
Carpet installation plays a very important part in how your carpet looks and how it withstands the traffic that walks across it. That is why you will want to make sure that any carpet that you purchase is installed correctly or you may soon have problems that you will have to deal with. Berber carpeting is a very popular choice for homeowners and with this particular kind of carpeting, proper installation is essential. What are some of the things that you need to watch for in installing your Berber carpet?
The issue of the carpet seam for Berber carpeting is important. Ensuring the carpet seams are done correctly will help keep the carpeting from raveling. The seams need to be properly sealed to keep them intact and this process can take awhile, which is why some installers will not take the time to install them properly. Installers who says Berber carpet doesn't need to be seamed are wrong. All carpeting -- no matter what type -- need to be seamed where two pieces come together or they are susceptible to raveling and other damage.
Seams are not something that you necessarily want, but in larger rooms, they can't be avoided because it's impossible to find a wide enough piece of carpeting. A good installer will be able to put the seams in a place where they won't be as visible or have to withstand as much traffic, but either way, it's important that they be sealed. Sealing the carpet seams of Berber carpeting will keep them from being pulled up when you run furniture over them or from tripping over them when they become loose.
Stretching Berber carpet is also an important step in installation. If it isn't stretched fully, the Berber carpet can ripple or buckle. This rippling and buckling not only shortens the life of the carpet, but also is a safety hazard because of the potential for being tripped over. The rippling and buckling is worsened by humidity, traffic, and moving furniture around. This problem can be alleviated simply by an installer stretching the carpeting fully with a power stretcher. Ask your installer how they stretch carpet to make sure that it is done correctly.
Even the highest quality Berber carpet can be damaged simply by not being installed correctly. This can cause it to wear unevenly and look shoddy and cheap. Choosing a reputable carpet installer is worth any extra cost so your carpet investment lasts longer. Ask the carpeting store where you buy your Berber carpet for their best installers. Consider asking the installer questions about how they install the carpeting to make sure you like their approach. If you have any concerns about the installation process, be sure to speak up before hiring the installer. By staying on top of the installation process, you will be able to make sure that you are getting the maximum value for your money and time.
Carpet seams in your Berber carpet are inevitable if you are doing wall-to-wall carpet. But quality seams aren't a given, unless you take an active role in your installation decisions.
In addition to the good tips in this article it is also noteworthy to mention cross seams in berber.
Not all rooms can be seamed in one piece. Most are done in several pieces. When 2 or more pieces are seamed together along a wall, there must be a seam running perpendicular to the natural grain of the carpet. These seams become much more visible than the ones running with the grain of the carpet. This is normal and you must be prepared for this.
Remember -No seam is entirely invisible- Just like in your clothing. Some materials hide seams better than others. Take this into consideration when shopping for carpet and ask your sales person what carpets will be less likely to show a seam.
mwe056 at December 13, 2007 7:01 PMWould appreciate your comments, pro and con, concerning our product that prevents berber raveling in transition areas.
Henry at December 26, 2008 7:42 AMwww.safetstrip.com
Thank You!
Henry
Hi Henry,
The Flooring Lady at December 27, 2008 12:43 PMYour product sounds like a wonderful alternative to regular tack strips. The biggest problems that are going to arise is when they are not used properly - which of course would be the installers fault.
After reading your information on seams--I agree with you but I have a little knowledge about the installation of carpet but I'm not blind or stupid. I just had berber carpet installed in my basement less than 24 hrs ago. I have bubbles on my steps, miscut edges on the steps, loose carpet on the steps, bubbles in several spots (along the seams) & 3 VERY visible seams! The people are trying to tell me that once the carpet is walked on, once it adjust to the enviornment & comes to life--the seams will go away! I do not believe that! I have paid them $1,000 & still owe them $2,600 because I stopped payment on the check after I saw the carpet. I explained to the lady that I would give her $1,000 more but after that I would not give her anymore until my problem has been corrected. Are these people telling the truth about the carpet needing more time to rise or come to life? If I see the seams now which like I said are very visible, will they go away? What are my options here? Thank you!
Sheena at February 10, 2009 11:56 AMHi Sheena,
The Flooring Lady at February 19, 2009 7:41 AMI too have Berber carpeting and when it was installed there were no visible seams or bubbles. The bubbles are from not being stretched correctly, there could be a couple reasons for the seams showing so much though. It could be the direction the carpet was cut, how it was cut (gotta make sure those loops aren't cut!), etc. You didn't mention what position the lady you talked to holds within the company, but I would try to talk to the owner and even invite him/her over for an inspection. You could also contact the BBB to see if there have been any problems with this company and perhaps even file a complaint if it appears that the company is not going to be cooperative. Granted, this may not get you anywhere, but then again, it just might. You can also get a hold of your Attorney General if the company is unwilling to make this right.
I just had berber carpet installed in my basement rec room (13'x22'). I was told that the seam would be put along the wall where the couches are so they aren't in a traffic area.
David at April 29, 2009 12:57 PMThe installers did not remove the couches from the room, just moving to one area and working in the other. As such, they installed the seam in the middle of the room at halfway in the 22' length (laying the carpet with two pieces width-wise rather than the full length with a full length seam at about 1' from the wall). The seam was sealed properly and looks okay. It is noticable, as with any seam, but not eye-catchingly-so. My concern is the wear and longevity. Will this seam become more apparent over time since it is in the middle of the room and traffic area? Am I unreasonable to expect them to come back and reinstall the carpet with the seam as they told me? Thanks for your help!
Hi David,
I don't think you'd be unreasonable to expect the installers to lay your carpet how they said they were going to install it. Hopefully, they'll honor what they told you, though I suspect that it was probably not put in writing.
As far as wear and longevity, only time will tell. If the installer is a very good one and really knows his stuff, you might actually be ok.
Be sure to read up on how to care for this type of carpeting properly so that you can avoid common problems associated with Berber carpeting from cropping up.
The Flooring Lady at April 30, 2009 11:47 AMI had berber carpet installed in my basement a few months ago, but had a water leak and had to have it pulled up to remove the wet pad. My original installer said the seams will be very visible upon reinstallation. Is there any way to minimize or hide the seams? The carpet is a light beige color.
April at August 29, 2009 3:45 PMApril,
I don't know why the seam would be visible upon re-installation. I would ask the installer to go into a bit more depth as to why and perhaps get a second opinion.
You might want to seriously reconsider installing the carpet due to mold issues.
The Flooring Lady at August 31, 2009 2:31 PMThank you for the warning. How would I know if the carpet contains mold (I spent $4K on it three months earlier so I don't want to throw it away if at all possible)?
By way of background,I had the pad removed approximately 6-8 hours after getting wet. We then rolled most of the carpet and placed on chairs to dry. The piece that was not elevated was floated with air movers, and I also ran dehumidifiers.
Thank you again for your input.
April at September 4, 2009 8:53 AM