I just have a question about carpet installation and seams. The wife and I just got new carpet installed in our house. The installation was a horror story in and of itself. But that is all over and done with now. The problem now is that we have several seams in our livingroom that are very visible. What I would like to know is how normal that is?
Is it reasonable to expect that any seams would be nearly invisible?
Thanks in advance.
Our new carpet looked so bad when they were done that we called to complain. The seams were horrible and it even seemed like the color and texture didn’t match where pieces were seamed on the stairs. We called the store, and they told us it would get better in a few days, which I blew off as total BS. It was Friday evening though, and their main office wasn’t open until Monday.
I’ll be damned if it didn’t look great by Sunday afternoon. 
I hope your’s gets better, but if it doesn’t by all means complain. Long and loud. A competent installer will make the seams almost invisible.
We’ve actually had it for nearly two months and they are not looking better. We have had the installer out four times now for it. Which is why I want to make sure we are being reasonable.
I am glad yours turned out better.
Thanks.
It’s not normal at all to have seams stand out. It’s a piss poor installation. As with the other post…gripe long and loud.
Do not stop until you get satisfaction.
There are two things that could cause the seam to be noticible. Poor installation and different carpet runs.
Two rolls of carpet could have the same code number and if you looked at them separately, they might look identical but when placed together they might not. Our living room-dining room is that way. From the living room it is invisible but from the dining area–if you look carefully–the seam is quite insivible and the carpets look subtlely different. I don’t know why this is the case but it is.
It’s called dye lots.
It’s very hard to keep the same excact shade between runs when they make the carpet.
It’s best when carpets are seamed that that they come from the same run.
A well-done carpet seam should be nearly invisible. Also, when done wrong, I can’t imagine how one would fix the problem besides taking up the carpet and re-installing the entire room with fresh carpet, re-doing the seams in the process. What did the installer do when he/she came back to your house?
In resonse to Reeder and aahala it was all off of one roll so there shouldn’t be an issue with differing dye lots, I think it is piss poor installation.
The first time he came out he cut the carpet at the seam and trimmed off some of the excess that was causing it to mound. He then redid the seam. The next couple of times he was out to fix it I don’t really know what he did. I saw him pull it up and re-lay it, but I did not see him redo the seam. I also saw him tractor it. In each of the cases it looked better for a day or two until we vacuumed. Once we vacuumed the seams were all right back and in some cases worse.
Thank you all. You have affirmed our decision to keep griping until it is done right. From the begining the install has been a nightmare.
I’m thinking he has the pile laid wrong.
Carpet has what they call pile. It stands up and lays down in a certain direction.
If they aren’t the same it will stand out like a sore thumb.
Stroke the carpet on each side of the seam.
Are they the same?
I guess “pile” means what I’d call “grain”. When the carpet guy decides to lay two pieces perpendicular to one another. Everything has to be laid out in the same direction or else it’'ll look…wrong.
Not only that, but the carpet must run in the same direction if there is a seam. That is to say one run is laid down in one direction, the next run cannot be reversed (180 degrees). This makes the “sweep” wrong. This is for cut-pile carpeting only, berber is different.
The way to check is to brush the seam with the palm of your hand in one direction… the color of the two pieces should be the same. If not, use the palm of your hand again and brush the carpet again in the other direction. If the colors appear different they will seem to swap sides as you brush in one direction and then the other.
Also the carpet must be the right kind for your application. Recently we installed carpet in a church office. They supplied the carpet to be put down (stretched) on a wood floor. The carpet was designed, intended and manufactured to be glued down on concrete. This carpet has a wax backing and is impossible to stretch. It also tends to roll itself up because of the wax. It will NOT lay down by itself over time. The seam was very visible. The designer complained and I told her “I told you this would happen before the carpet was ever unrolled.” She said, “But we got it so cheap!” I said, “Yeah pine, cones and dirt are cheap too but they don’t make much of a coconut pie do they?”
Stupid designers and smart ass contractors are not a good mix.
:eek:
Thanks all. I definitely intend to keep pursuing this until it is done right. Which it sounds like involves all new carpet.
I did try to check the “sweep” of the carpet and it did stay the same color on both sides, and as near as I can tell the pile is correct. After looking at it closely it looks like it was just cut wrong and the two parts don’t quite meet evenly.
Thanks again!