Carpet Installation & Maintenance

November 14, 2021

Installation Methods

There are several types of installation methods for carpeting, depending on the carpet type. Within the different types of carpeting (wall-to-wall, carpet tiles) you can have the carpeting lay in order to create a pattern. Wall-to-wall carpeting can be installed by stretch-in, glue-down, and free-lay techniques. Before any of these installation methods can be used there are site preparations that must be done beforehand. The first step is to remove any old carpeting and padding, if there are dips or cracks in the subfloor a layer of concrete may need to be applied to ensure a smooth application. Having a dry slab is crucial, especially for glue-down installations, if the slab is holding a lot of moisture a moisture barrier may need to be used to prevent mold or mildew. Stretch-in installations involve stretching roll goods and fastening them over pin-holding strips that have been secured to the perimeter of the space.

The plywood or metal strips are known as tackless strips, and have rows of rust resistant metal pins that protrude at a 60 degree angle. Depending on the space more or less row of pins will be installed for instance, in high traffic commercial spaces 3 rows would be appropriate. When it comes to seam and pattern matching, the parallel edges of the floorcovering must be carefully aligned and trimmed to fit tightly. Once the seaming is completed, the carpet is stretched to about 1-1.5% its length and width and anchored over the pins in the wooden strips. A power stretcher is used to place uniform stretch over the carpet surface (as pictured to the left) and a knee kicker is used to grip and anchor the edges over the pin. Glue-down installation involves securing the floorcovering structures to the floor with an adhesive. If the carpeting does not have a cushion being placed below it is referred to as direct glue-down, if there is a cushion it is referred to as double glue-down. The same process occurs for both methods. For roll goods the layout and seam placement must be carefully planned as well as the floor measurements should be precise. If the carpet is too big ripples and buckles will occur, if the carpeting is too small seam separation will occur. For carpet modules the space should be carefully looked at to determine a starting point where the cut size of the perimeter modules. Once the point is picked a grid begins and adhesive is applied over the space. A releasable adhesive is generally used for carpet modules, this adhesive can repeatedly lifted and rebonded into position. This allows easy replacement of the modules or easy access to service trenches below. Free-lay installation is an option for carpet modules if flexibility is desired in the space. However, this cannot be used in areas with heavy rolling traffic, this would cause a snowplow effect on the carpet. The tiles must have impeccable dimensional stability for free-lay use, usually achieved by a heavy secondary backing. Carpet tiles can be laid and arranged in many different ways depending on the desired look. Monolithic installation has all tiles facing the same direction so one solid look is achieved. Ashlar installation has all tiles running in the same direction but, every other row has a drop stagger about 50 cm. Brick installation has all columns running the same direction but the rows are staggered diagonally 50 cm. Quarter turn installation is alternating clockwise turned 50 cm. These are just the four most common types, there are many others as seen in the graphic below.

For all carpeting types seam placement is crucial not only to the look but to how well the carpet holds up over time. Whenever possible seams should run lengthwise, parallel with the pile lay. Crosswise seams interrupt the pile lay and cause the seams to be more pronounced. Seams should never run perpendicular to doorways, they may run across the opening. Seaming diagrams, seen below, should always be used and reviewed by the designer prior to installation to ensure this is correct placement.

Carpet Maintenance

Proper maintenance and care is the most important step in ensuring your carpeting will last for years. Planned maintenance is key, this helps to keep the soiling of the carpeting to a minimum and keeps the carpet from becoming ugly. Vacuuming and cleaning will help not only to keep soils and stains out of carpeting it will also help with air quality in a space if contaminants are regularly cleaned. Walk-off mats are generally used in order to help minimize the amount of soil that gets tracked into the space and settles into the carpet. Vacuuming schedules vary depending on the traffic levels a space sees, if there is heavy traffic five to seven passes of the sweeper should occur every day or two. In areas with lower traffic levels three passes of the sweeper can occur every seven to ten days. A cleaning chart is shown below to show the variations of cleaning depending on traffic levels within a space.