Although we clean carpets, we aren’t involved with carpet installation. However, when providing a cleaning estimate, new customers often ask questions about buckles and ripples in their carpets. There are a variety of reasons but a common one is improper installation. There are other ongoing reasons such as age, traffic and furniture movement.
For carpet being newly installed:
The installer should power stretch the carpet. However, sometimes a knee kicker is used secondarily. The proper tension will limit carpet movement and premature ripples
The selection of padding is critical to minimize premature stretching and the resulting buckles. A high quality dense padding is a great investment as it supports the carpet and extends its life if carpet longevity is an important concern. Inexpensive padding compresses easily and causes the carpet to flex more easily and ultimately stretch. The appropriate density and thickness is required by the carpet manufacturer to maintain your warranty. This is an important issue to discuss when purchasing.
Common post-installation issues:
Dragging heavy furniture stresses the carpet and can affect the tension if the carpet starts to move from the underlying wooden strips around the wall perimeter that hold the carpet in place.
Heavy furniture such as large armoires or four poster beds exert tremendous pressure on carpets. Over time, a buckle can appear around the furniture or it’s legs and the pressure will radiate outward resulting in further buckles. This also happens with bound carpeting that is not wall to wall.
Carpet Age is a factor as constant traffic and wear slowly weaken the carpet and as part of its life cycle will result in the construction of the carpet ultimately deteriorating and weakening.
Repairing carpet buckles can be done through re-stretching the carpet and trimming the excess material by a professional carpet installer. However, if the carpet has deteriorated where it can’t be repaired or it’s realistically reached its useful life, replacement might be a better option.
