|
|
Delamination on Double StickThis is a great 'BS' report done for the mill at a hotel where pasteurizer migration was the likely culprit.THE CARPETFIBER/ ID METHOD: Nylon-Chemical FIBER HUE: Multi-Color - Patterns CONSTRUCTION: Tufted Cut Pile YARN STYLE: Velvet Plush SQUARE YARDAGE: 521 BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tufted PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene THE INSTALLATION LOCATION TYPE: Commercial TYPE OF BUSINESS: Hotel DATE INSTALLED: Mid 1995 METHOD: Double Glue Down CUSHION: 5/32 Inch Urethane #10 Double-Loc SUBFLOOR: Concrete AREA INSTALLED: Lobbies And Hallways & Restaurant USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: None Reported TEMPERATURE: 74°F - 23.3° C RH 60% VACUUM/FREQUENCY: Not Reported ENTRY-MATS? Yes SOIL: Not Applicable HEATING TYPE: Not Reported COOLING TYPE: Not Reported CLEANING: See Report REASON FOR COMMISSION The carpet has reportedly a wear problem. THE REPORT Site Conditions and Geographical Information The carpets were installed in a 13 story building located on the southern edge of Orange County, One and a half miles from the Pacific Ocean. The condition and maintenance of the facility was good. BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR Problems with buckling were noted a few months after the installation. Repairs were attempted by the installer and in-house repairs were done by John using Glock’s LIQUID NAILS FOR PROJECTS, manufactured by GLIDDEN of Cleveland, Ohio. Recently the problems have become unmanageable. The cushion used was double stick pad GREAT INSTALLATIONS Inc supplied. The pad while the glue used was Henry’s 251. Approximately six months ago it began to buckle so the carpet was cut and re-glued. Much improvement was made in the lobby. The hallway carpet had suffered delamination and was not repairable. DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR On the second level the inspector’s attention was directed to a section of the parking garage where excess rolls of pad and carpet had been stored. Samples from all three patterns were taken and a roll of INTERLOCK FX cushion was still in its original plastic. In the main lobby on the street level from the doors coming in from Ventura Boulevard, buckling was noted in the trafficked areas. Some of this buckling was circular and some was in the form of ridges that ran the length of the carpet. Also, some buckling in the trafficked areas was noted in the restaurant west of the lobby. On the fourth floor, in front of the room called THE HAPPY PLACE, there was a tear in the carpet in the trafficked area. There was no seam sealer noted on the frayed edge of the section of the carpet that ended in the elevator lobby. Minor bubbling was noted in front of the elevators. On the fifth floor in front of the CokeŽ machine the carpet was delaminated. The backing was brittle and there was a white powdery substance on top of the cushion. Buckling and ridges were noted in the hallway running the width of the carpet. On the sixth floor in front of the CokeŽ machine repairs were noted that had reportedly been done with the LIQUID NAILS. There was no buckling noted in the hallway. On the seventh floor slight buckling was noted in front of the elevators. No other problems were noted on this floor. On the eighth floor buckling was noted in front of the elevator where the CokeŽ machine was located and in front of room 802. On the Pent-House floor which was the thirteenth floor, buckling was noted on the east end of the hallway and in front of the elevator. ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING Numerous moisture tests were performed using a Delmhorst Moisture Sensor. This test would indicate the presence of moisture locked-up in salt compounds from urine and detergents. The results of these tests showed no moisture throughout the installation. THE ISSUE OF THIS REPORT The question that I have been asked to address is what is the cause of the wrinkles in the carpet in all the locations? GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE Wrinkle of this kind can be the result of: 1. improper specification 2. poor maintenance 3. improper installation 4. manufacturing problems
The rules, standards, and or guidelines for each of these processes are available upon request. Some of these materials may have to be obtained from the architects or the manufacturer of the various flooring materials. INDUSTRY STANDARDS & DEFINITIONS CRI is The Carpet and Rug Institute of Dalton, Georgia. It is a national trade association representing the carpet and rug industry. Their membership makes-up 95% of all the carpet made in the United States. Their publications include standards for residential and commercial installation, areas of responsibility for manufacturers, dealers, and installers, and a manual for making claims with a carpet producer. THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS Specification of this Double Stick Installation Method has been very popular in the past few years and it is continuing to be installed in numerous facilities. However as an installation system it has not gone without problems. Reports have shown that when continuous heavy rolling carts has been concentrated in a certain traffic pattern, this causes the breakdown of the backing systems. The result is a release of the carpet from the cushion. Wrong maintenance or failure to follow the Cleaning Standards, whether in systems or chemicals, can very quickly cause a release of the adhesive between the carpet and the cushion. The pH of cleaning solutions can be too alkaline while adhesive remains around nine on the scale. Improper Installation or the failure to follow the Carpet and Rug Institute Guide Commercial Installation Standard 104 could also cause the problems observed. Failure to follow the manufacturer installation procedures for trowel and adhesive size could also lead to these failures. The CRI guidelines are very definitive regarding acclimatization of the carpet. The reason is that the chemical nature of synthetic fibers expands when stored in an area where there is going to be a dramatic difference in temperature from the stored area. This change in temperature will cause the carpet to expand or grow as it is referred to in industry jargon. The carpet will expand in both pile stitch row and the gauge, (length and width). The carpet cushion used in a double stick installation may also be critical to the performance of the installation. If there is an inherent problem in the cushion such as unusual amounts of ash moisture or the oily nonvolatile liquid known as a plasticizer in the cushion could lead to a failure. This is known as plasticizer migration where the plasticizer or product that keeps the material flexible will move from where there are large amounts of plasticizer to areas of smaller amounts. This migration will cause the carpet to become stiff, brittle and sometimes turn the adhesive to a powder. An example of this in this installation was noted in photograph number four on the fifth-floor. Finally, the carpet has developed wrinkles running along the length of the carpet. These raised areas indicate that a carpet is growing in the length. An unrecovered extension using either the British Standard or Aachen teat methods are recommended to determine whether the carpet has really maintained its dimension stability. CONCLUSION There are many other items and issues to be addressed to determine the exact cause of these documented problems. This can only be done with a complete laboratory examination of the carpet, cushions adhesive plus a review of the qualification of all the technicians that installed the carpet. |