Carpet Repair and Reinstallation Technician cheat sheet

Delamination shows as a soft, bubbly feel underfoot and a dull thud when tapped; secondary backing separates from face yarn where latex adhesive has failed from age, heat, or moisture.

Shading versus fading: shading is pile reversal that changes light reflection and moves with foot traffic; fading is a true color loss from sunlight, chemical exposure, or bleach and stays fixed.

Wrinkles and ripples run perpendicular to the direction of stretch; ridges that run parallel to a wall usually indicate insufficient power stretching rather than a manufacturing defect.

Moisture testing: a calcium chloride test or in-situ relative humidity probe on concrete should read at or below the adhesive manufacturer's limit, commonly 3 lb/1000 sq ft/24 hr or 75-80% RH.

Seam peaking appears as a raised ridge along the seam line and points to a seam cut too wide, tape bridging, or heat-set tape applied without proper seam sealing.

Sprouting is a single tuft protruding above the pile; snagging is a loop pulled up in loop-pile carpet; both are repaired by clipping level or re-knotting, never by pulling the yarn back through.

Urine and pet contamination is diagnosed by blacklight inspection and odor mapping; delaminated backing and subfloor penetration determine whether spot treatment or full replacement is warranted.

Pile crush in traffic lanes is assessed by comparing tuft height at the lane against an untrafficked area such as under a closet door or along a baseboard edge.

Face weight is ounces of yarn per square yard of face; total weight adds primary backing, secondary backing, and adhesive, so total weight always exceeds face weight.

Tuft density relates to gauge and stitch rate: finer gauge (smaller fraction of an inch between needles) and higher stitch rate both raise density and improve crush resistance.

Pile height and density trade off: a taller pile at the same face weight is less dense and mats faster under the same traffic load.

Loop pile resists crushing and is common in berbers; cut pile (plush, textured, saxony, frieze) shows footprints and shading more but feels softer.

Primary backing (woven polypropylene or polyester) holds tufts; secondary backing (action backing, jute, or attached cushion) adds dimensional stability and is what the stretch is anchored to.

Solution-dyed fibers carry color through the filament and resist bleach and fading; yarn-dyed and piece-dyed fibers are more vulnerable to spot-cleaning color loss.

Nylon leads on resilience and abrasion resistance; polyester resists stains but crushes more; olefin (polypropylene) is moisture-resistant but heat-sensitive; wool is naturally soil-resistant but sensitive to high pH.

Attached-cushion carpet requires a different stretch technique and usually a power stretcher with a cushion-friendly tail; double-glue installation is common in commercial attached-cushion work.

Power stretcher: tail length and pin placement set the stretch; pins must bite into the secondary backing, not just the face, or the stretch will slip out.

Knee kicker is for short runs and seam adjustments only; runs longer than about 3 feet should be power stretched to avoid over-stretching near the kicker and under-stretching far from it.

Seam tools include a row finder, seam cutter, top cutter, seam roller, and seaming iron; iron temperature is set by tape manufacturer specification, typically in the 300-400 F range for heat-bond tape.

Stair tool, tack strip (with the correct pin angle toward the wall), and a stair jig or tube are required for a proper stair stretch; carpet on stairs must be stretched over the nose, not just tacked.

Personal protective equipment for carpet work: knee pads, cut-resistant gloves when using hook blades, and a respirator when removing old carpet with mold or heavy dust.

Utility knife blades must be changed often; a dull hook blade tears backing and causes frayed seam edges that show through after seaming.

Moisture and adhesive products require ventilation; solvent-based seam sealers and contact adhesives are flammable and need open flame and pilot-light control.

Tool calibration checks: verify stretcher head and tail pins are straight and sharp, and confirm the seaming iron's thermostat with a surface thermometer before the first seam.

Seam repair sequence: open the seam, remove old tape and adhesive residue, re-stretch both sides, insert new heat-bond tape, seal edges, then roll the seam with a seam roller while warm.

Plug or patch repair: cut a plug from matching dye lot, orient the pile direction identically, use a cookie-cutter or template cut, and bond with seam sealer plus heat-bond tape or adhesive disc.

Pile direction matters in every repair: run your hand across the carpet to find the lay; the patch must match the surrounding lay or it will read as a different color.

Burn repair: clip charred yarn, clean the cavity, insert donor yarn or a plug from a closet or return, then trim level with sharp scissors, never with a dull blade.

Delamination repair uses a syringe or injector with latex or carpet adhesive, followed by weight or roller pressure; large areas are re-bonded with a hot-melt or contact adhesive and a weighted board.

Stair repairs require releasing the tack strip, re-stretching over the nose, and re-tacking; a loose stair nose is a trip hazard and must be repaired, not just re-tacked at the riser.

Wrinkle removal: power stretch from both ends toward the center, or from the longest wall, and re-trim excess at the wall; localized ripples can be relieved by re-stretching rather than by cutting.

Water-damaged carpet: category 1 water may be dried in place with extraction and air movers; category 2 and 3 water (gray and black) require removal of carpet and cushion if the backing is contaminated.

Tack strip is set with the pin angle facing the wall, roughly 1/4 to 3/8 inch from the wall, and the strip is nailed or stapled at every stud or at manufacturer-specified spacing.

Stretch-in sequence: anchor one end on tack strip, power stretch from the opposite end, then stretch the sides; stretch the length first, then the width, to avoid trapping slack.

Power stretcher tail is placed against a wall or door frame with a tail block to protect the wall; the head is set with pins into the backing and the stretch is advanced in small increments.

Carpet must be stretched with enough tension that it does not ripple when walked on; a common field check is that a 3-foot straightedge laid across the pile shows no lift when pressed.

Seaming: trim both edges on the same row, apply heat-bond tape centered under the seam, seal the edges with seam sealer, and iron in overlapping passes while the seam roller follows.

Stairs: install tack strip on the tread and riser, stretch over the nose, and staple or tack under the nose; a stair tool or tube is used to drive carpet into the crotch of the stair.

Transition strips and thresholds are installed after the stretch and trim; the carpet edge is tucked under the trim, not stapled over it, to avoid a visible row of fasteners.

Double-glue installation: adhesive is spread on the floor and the carpet is laid into it with cushion either attached or glued separately; this method is used where stretch-in is impractical or for commercial glue-down.

Trim and finish: cut carpet against the baseboard with a wall trimmer, tuck the edge under the base or into the tack strip, then install base shoe or quarter round to cover the cut line.