Carpet Repair and Reinstallation Technician flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Delamination

Separation of the secondary backing from the face yarn caused by adhesive failure from age, heat, or moisture; it feels soft and bubbly underfoot and sounds dull when tapped.

Shading versus fading

Shading is pile reversal that changes light reflection and moves with traffic; fading is true color loss from sunlight or chemicals and stays in one place.

Seam peaking

A raised ridge along a seam, caused by a seam cut too wide, tape bridging, or heat-set tape applied without sealing; it is visible and can be felt with a finger.

Calcium chloride test

A moisture test on concrete that measures emission in pounds per 1000 square feet per 24 hours; results must fall at or below the adhesive maker's limit, commonly 3 lb.

Sprout versus snag

A sprout is a single tuft standing above the pile; a snag is a loop pulled up in loop-pile carpet. Both are clipped level or re-knotted, never pulled back through.

Pile crush assessment

Comparing tuft height in a traffic lane against an untrafficked area such as under a closet door or along a baseboard edge to judge matting severity.

Face weight

Ounces of face yarn per square yard of carpet; it excludes primary backing, secondary backing, and adhesive, so it is always less than total weight.

Gauge and stitch rate

Gauge is needle spacing in fractions of an inch; stitch rate is stitches per inch. Finer gauge and higher stitch rate both raise tuft density and crush resistance.

Loop versus cut pile

Loop pile keeps yarn uncut and resists crushing, common in berbers; cut pile includes plush, saxony, textured, and frieze and shows footprints and shading more readily.

Primary backing

The woven polypropylene or polyester fabric into which tufts are inserted; it holds the yarn and is bonded to the secondary backing by latex adhesive.

Secondary backing

Action backing, jute, or attached cushion laminated under the primary backing; it adds dimensional stability and is the layer the stretch is anchored to.

Solution-dyed fiber

Color is added to the polymer before the filament is formed, so the color runs through the fiber and resists bleach, fading, and spot-cleaning color loss.

Fiber performance comparison

Nylon leads on resilience and abrasion; polyester resists stains but crushes; olefin resists moisture but is heat-sensitive; wool resists soil but is sensitive to high pH.

Attached-cushion carpet

Carpet with cushion laminated to the back; it needs a cushion-friendly stretcher tail and is often installed by double glue rather than conventional stretch-in.

Power stretcher pin bite

Stretcher head pins must penetrate into the secondary backing, not just grip the face yarn, or the stretch will slip out after the tool is released.

Knee kicker limits

A knee kicker is for short runs and seam adjustments; runs longer than about 3 feet should be power stretched to avoid uneven tension along the run.

Seaming iron temperature

Set by the heat-bond tape manufacturer's specification, typically in the 300 to 400 F range; verify with a surface thermometer before the first seam.

Tack strip orientation

Tack strip is set with pins angled toward the wall, about 1/4 to 3/8 inch from the wall, and fastened at every stud or at the manufacturer's spacing.

Carpet PPE

Knee pads, cut-resistant gloves for hook-blade work, and a respirator when removing moldy or dusty carpet; solvent seam sealers also require ventilation and flame control.

Hook blade condition

Blades must be changed often; a dull hook blade tears backing and frays seam edges, which shows through the seam after it is bonded and rolled.

Seam repair sequence

Open the seam, remove old tape and residue, re-stretch both sides, insert new heat-bond tape, seal the edges, then roll while warm.

Plug patch procedure

Cut a plug from a matching dye lot, match pile direction, use a template cut, and bond with seam sealer plus heat-bond tape or an adhesive disc.

Pile direction check

Run a hand across the carpet to find the lay; a patch must match the surrounding lay or it will read as a different color under the same light.

Burn repair steps

Clip charred yarn, clean the cavity, insert donor yarn or a plug from a closet or return, then trim level with sharp scissors rather than a dull blade.

Delamination repair

Inject latex or carpet adhesive with a syringe, then apply weight or roller pressure; large areas are re-bonded with hot-melt or contact adhesive under a weighted board.

Stair nose repair

Release the tack strip, re-stretch the carpet over the nose, and re-tack; a loose stair nose is a trip hazard and must be fixed, not just tacked at the riser.

Water damage categories

Category 1 water may be dried in place with extraction and air movers; category 2 and 3 water require removing carpet and cushion when backing is contaminated.

Stretch-in sequence

Anchor one end on tack strip, power stretch from the opposite end, then stretch the sides; stretch length first, then width, to avoid trapping slack.

Stretcher tail block

A block placed between the stretcher tail and the wall or door frame to protect the surface while the head advances the stretch in small increments.

Tension field check

Lay a 3-foot straightedge across the pile and press; the carpet should not ripple or lift when walked on, indicating adequate stretch tension.

Heat-bond seaming

Trim both edges on the same row, center heat-bond tape under the seam, seal the edges, then iron in overlapping passes with the seam roller following.

Double-glue installation

Adhesive is spread on the floor and carpet is laid into it, with cushion attached or glued separately; used where stretch-in is impractical or for commercial glue-down.