More than half of all the flooring in the United States is carpet. When choosing new flooring, whether it be hardwood flooring or carpet, over 80% of people choose their flooring based on the way it looks and feels while 63% choose primarily based on durability. A study done recently by Empire Today showed that flooring renovations are the second most common home renovation project. Perhaps you are considering carpet companies and looking to replace your carpet. If so, how can you tell when carpet companies have done a good job putting in new carpet? Any flooring is a tremendous investment so you want to be sure it’s done right.
Look at the Edges
The first thing you should look at is the places where the carpet edges the walls or stairs. The stairs should have a smooth and even edge. The carpet should go around railings without significant gaps. The carpet should be glued to the stairs to make sure that it holds tightly. Check that any carpet companies you’ve hired haven’t missed this important first step.Make Sure There Are No Wrinkles
There shouldn’t be any wrinkles, folds, or loose ends anywhere along your floor. You want to make sure that you see no ripples or spots that look warped. Sometimes there may be a small wrinkle in the padding underneath that goes away if you step on it. If it doesn’t, the carpet job was not done well.
There Should Be No Divets
This requires getting down on the floor and looking at your new carpet from the side. As you peer along it, you should see no divots or buckles anywhere all the way to the end and the wall. Flip over and look at your carpet in every direction in this way. It should be smooth and level from end to end. Bear in mind that some problems in the subflooring can cause unavoidable warping or buckling of the carpet, but reputable carpet companies will inform you of that at the time they lay the carpet down. If they never mentioned it, chances are they haven’t done a good job installing your carpet.
Look For Fraying
You should see no frays anywhere along the seams of the carpet. The seams are where the carpet meets baseboards, doorways, other flooring, or at the walls. Most reputable carpet companies will secure these edge parts with extra tacks or carpet tape in order to make sure that you have no unraveling at your corners. If you see anything like that, call the carpet company immediately and demand that they come back and do it correctly.
Your carpet is a tremendous investment that does a lot to improve the value of your home. Poorly installed carpet can do a lot to decrease the value of your home, though, so make sure that you hire reputable carpet companies to do the work and then double check when they’re finished to make sure everything was installed correctly.
