Common Carpeting Problems in Commercial Flooring
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Commercial carpet needs to be durable, functional and attractive. It should provide comfort, warmth, and noise reduction as well as create an appealing environment for your business. That is a lot to ask from one carpet! So what happens when problems arise and carpet failure occurs?
Problems happen for many reasons, but it’s important to know how to recognize and remediate issues when they arise. Take immediate action when any of these common problems occur to prevent permanent damage.
Common Carpeting Problems
- Buckling occurs when synthetic backing under a carpet is exposed to moisture from wet cleaning or shampooing. Once the carpet is dry the ripples should disappear. If not, the carpet needs to be re-stretched. If the carpet is installed glue direct, the bubbles could be from delamination of the carpet’s primary backing to the secondary backing. This can occur from age or from furniture damage.
- Shrinkage usually occurs with natural backings such as jute or natural fibers such as wool when they are exposed to excess water. Remove excess water by using an extractor after shampooing. Avoid excessive wetting during future cleaning.
- Shedding is when small balls of fluff are left on the surface of the carpet. Gently vacuum to remove the excess bits of carpet. Some shedding is normal after installation but should be addressed if it occurs several months later. Occasionally carpet seems have some shedding issues that can be addressed using carpet shears or electric shears.
- Matting is caused by heavy foot traffic resulting in the untwisting of carpet fibers. Fully investigate the problem to rule out other more serious causes. Often soiled or dirty carpeting causes this. Pile lifting and using Hot water extraction method is the most common remedy for improving the appearance of matted or crushed carpet. Some fibers such as polypropelene will not improve with the use of a pile lifter.
- Draught marking and filtration soiling appears as spots and dark marks around the edges of a room, near doors and air vents. Airflow causes airborne dirt particles to settle on the surface of the rug. An imbalance in the ventilation system is the most usual cause of this problem.
- Wicking occurs when trapped soil or liquid moves to the tips of the carpet fibers as it dries after cleaning. Cleaning only the surface does not remove the spill from below. It sometimes takes several cleaning attempts before the carpet is cleaned when wicking occurs.
- Fading results from constant exposure to sunlight. Colors fade from the sunlight especially darker richer colors like reds and burgundy.
- Rapid re-soiling is when dirt is attracted to the fibers prematurely after cleaning. Using the wrong cleaning products or too high of a concentration of the right cleaning product could be the cause.
- Brown tips are caused by high pH cleaners, so consider swapping for a lower pH alternative.
- Static electricity is caused by cold temperatures and low humidity. Apply a shock suppressant to the surface of the carpet to reduce static.
Some common carpeting problems are easily fixed and prevented from reoccurring. Remember to check the warranty and save all instructions. Report problems immediately to the installer and manufacturer to take corrective action and fix the problems if necessary.
Contact us today for more information about commercial carpet.
