Installations Errors Report made HumorousThis report was done for a consumerPROBLEM REPORTED: Buckling PROBLEM FOUND: Installations Errors PERSONS PRESENT: Inspector & Claimant
THE CARPET FIBER: Nylon ID METHOD: Chemical FIBER COLOR: Blue CONSTRUCTION: Conventional Tuft YARN STYLE: Saxony BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tuft PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene
INSTALLATION STATISTICS TYPE LOCATION: Residential METHOD: Stretch-In CUSHION: 7/16" Bonded 3.5 Lb./Cu. Ft. SUBFLOOR: Concrete Slab AREA INSTALLED: Livingroom, Hallway, & 3 Bedrooms USE & MAINTENANCE STATISTICS AT THE TIME OF THE INSPECTION LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: See Report ADULTS: 2 - CHILDREN: 0 - PET(S): 0 DO THEY SMOKE? No SPOTTING AGENTS: Just Water TEMPERATURE: 79.8°F - 26.5° C RH 43% VACUUM TYPE: Upright VACUUM FREQUENCY: Weekly & More ENTRY-MATS: Yes SOIL: None Noticed HEATING TYPE: Forced Air Gas COOLING TYPE: Central - Electric CLEANING: Professional METHOD: Truckmount Steam TYPE OF CHEMICAL: Not Reported TREATMENTS APPLIED: None Reported
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS REPORT Determine if the installation complies with the contract and industry standards. Site Conditions and Geographical Information This is the second purchaser of this freestanding, single-story house built sometime in the early 1990s. The home is in a residential community with other similar houses in the flat lands of the Santa Ana River Basin and a few miles north of the I-91 Freeway in Riverside County. The furnishings were orderly and the condition of the dwelling appeared to be good.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR According to the commissioner, this carpet was purchased as part of moving in process. Their floorcovering selection was based upon their desires to make this the only carpet needed for their duration in this home. The dealer made a 100 percent guarantee that both the quality of the carpet and installation would meet their objectives. His selection of cushion was reportedly a five-pound per cubic foot density, seven-sixteenths thick, rebond pad. On the day of the installation, which was one day prior to the day of the actual move in, and was also the commissioner's 35th wedding anniversary, and of the day of another wedding engagement, the installers reportedly showed up six hours late. Upon returning from the wedding engagement, the commissioner found excessive debris from the installation that took three hours to clean up. Upon removing the debris, they discovered that the carpet was laying loose and/or was unattached to the tackless strip. In addition, carpet in the bathrooms, which was part of the original contract, was not installed. In the first of approximately 12 repair trips, 'Z-Bar' was installed where the carpet made transitions to other non-carpeted areas. Additional carpet was ordered for the bathrooms, but toilets were damaged during the installation, of which one required reinstallation by a professional plumber. Other furnishings such as baseboards and linoleum were also damaged. Installers ripped the carpet in two different places and had to patch it. Later it was discovered one of the patches was not done with hot melt tape. The commissioner requested an independent field investigation, but the request was not honored by the dealer. The commissioner also requested the manufacturer's warrant information and after calling the carpet mill, they were informed that they had no warranty, due to a failure to meet cushion specifications set by Mohawk, which was for six-pound density.
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR Upon examining one of the patches made in the livingroom, a spot where yarns were missing was noted, reference picture number one. The edge of the carpet was not attached to the tackless strip around the toilet in the main bathroom, but around the perimeter of the bathroom; the carpet appeared to have been glued to the tackless strip. The carpet was easily lifted up off the tackless strip in the livingroom, hallway, and other rooms. The holes made by the tackless-strip-nails did not indicate that proper power stretching had been done. The cushion was measured at 7/16th-inch thickness. A remnant of the carpet was examined and the latex did not appear to be sparse or brittle. The carpet appeared to be free from manufacturing defects.
ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING An ultra-violet light was shone to find evidence that seaming adhesive on cut edges was present and it was not found. A one-foot square section of the carpet cushion removed from the installation was weighed on a digital gram scale accurate to 0.1 grams. This section of cushion weight 2.02 ounces or 0.12625 pounds resulting in a per cubic foot density of 3.46 pounds.
THE ISSUES The questions that I have been asked to address are as follows: 1. Were the industry standards for the installation followed? 2. Does the installation meet the specifications given by the dealer? 3. What additional work is necessary to insure the usefulness of this carpet?
GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE 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 and their publications include standards for residential and commercial installations, areas of responsibility for manufacturers, dealers, and installers, and a manual for making claims with a carpet producer. The accepted standard for this installation would be the CRI105-1995. The CRI105 also make provisions for the manufacturer's installation specifications, which can take precedence over the CRI105. The DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING FEDERAL HOUSING COMMISSIONER has sets the standards for minimum cushion thickness and density.
INDUSTRY STANDARDS & DEFINITIONS According to the DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING FEDERAL HOUSING COMMISSIONER the standards for minimum cushion thickness and density for Bonded the standard is: · For CLASS 1 carpet which is defined as 'Light and Moderate Traffic (such as living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, recreational rooms and corridors" the standard is 0.375 or 3/8 inches thickness and five pounds per cubic foot density. · For CLASS 2 carpet which is defined as "Heavy Duty Traffic (for heavy traffic use at all levels, but specifically for public areas such as lobbies and corridors in multi-family facilities recreational rooms and corridors" the standard is 0.375 i.e. 3/8 inches thickness and 6.5 pounds per cubic foot. · The Carpet Cushion Council also recommends Class 2 for stairs and hallways." According to the Mohawk Carpet their the standards for minimum cushion thickness and density for Bonded the standard is 7/16th inch thickness and six pounds per cubic foot density. According to the CRI105, it says this: 7. PLANNING ~ 7.4 Moldings - The customer should be allowed to have a choice of the type of molding to be used. 7.5 Seam Locations - The customer should be shown the proposed layout, which contains all of the seams. The location of the seams should be explained and an agreement obtained before any work starts. If a piece of carpet is to be given a quarter turn, the customer should be informed and a written agreement obtained. 7.6 Scrap Materials - The customer should be made aware of carpet scraps and allowed to decide what should be done with them. 9. STRETCH-IN UTILIZING TACKLESS STRIP This method requires fastening the carpet under tension on tackless strip around the perimeter of the area to be carpeted. A separate cushion shall be used. 9.1 Selection of Separate Cushion - Contact the carpet manufacturer to obtain cushion requirements in order to prevent problems resulting from improper cushion selection and the possible voiding of applicable warranties. Inappropriate choice of cushion may result in accelerated loss of appearance retention, wrinkling, buckling, and the separation of the carpet backing or seams. Cushion thickness should not exceed 7/16 inch (11 mm). 9.4 Installation of Tackless Strip - ~ The tackless strip must be securely fastened to maintain the proper stretch provided by power stretching. Two nails (fastening points) are required for the smallest pieces of tackless strip. 9.8 Edge Securing - Once the edges are trimmed, seam adhesive must be applied to both trimmed edges. Allow the seam adhesive to dry thoroughly before seaming. Improperly sealed edges can lead to seam delamination or loss of face yarns, with unsightly results. ~ 9.10 Hot Melt Tape - A fabric seaming tape precoated with a thermoplastic adhesive is centered beneath the seam. Heat from an electric iron melts the adhesive, laminating the carpet backing to the tape. A grooved iron is recommended for better penetration of the adhesive. Proper iron temperature is essential, with special care taken for carpet with synthetic backing or synthetic pile yarns. Consult tape manufacturer's recommendation for heat settings. Always run the iron in the direction of the pile. A heat shield for the iron is required. A metal surface should not be used to weight the seam behind the iron, as metal traps the heat. Wood should be used for this purpose. ~ 9.14 Power Stretching - Following seaming, carpet must be power stretched and firmly hooked onto the tackless strip at the starting walls in the surrounding area. The use of a power stretcher is mandatory. According the CARPET AND RUG INSTITUTES manual called AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY, it says this about the dealer responsibility - 4. Provide installers with complete manufacturer's installation instruction, to include shop drawings diagramming the location of all carpet panels, seams, edge moldings and other pertinent information: 5. Provide end user and installer with complete dealer claim policy and procedure: 11. Provide carpet cushion that is adequate for the traffic classification to which the installation will be subjected as specified in 14. Acknowledge and respond to complaints within 15 working days of notification.
THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS From the background information and observations, numerous errors have been made with respect to the standards, some have been corrected. They are as follows: 1. Arrangement should have been made by the installers to remove the debris from the job after the installation, reference CRI105 section 7.6. 2. Molding should have been installed on the first installation, reference CRI105, section 7.4 and CRI AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY under DEALERS number 4. 3. The manufacturer's specifications for carpet cushion should have been properly selected by the dealer for this installation, reference CRI105, section 9.1 and CRI AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY under DEALERS number 11. 4. Tension from power stretching should have been what held the carpet onto the tackless strip, reference CRI105 section 9.4. 5. Tests indicate that the edges of the carpet were not secured with seaming adhesive, reference CRI105 section 9.8. 6. The patches should have been adjoined with the rest of the carpet with hot melt tape, reference CRI105 section 9.10. 7. The dealer should have notified the manufacturer regarding the claimant's request for an inspection. The current condition of the installation still fails to comply with the industry standards with respect to proper power stretching, reference CRI105, section 9.14, and the manufacturer's cushion requirements. When a power stretcher has been properly used, the holes made by the tackless strip nails are elliptical and the carpet is very difficult to lift off the tackless strip. Holes in this case were round except where the carpet may have been glued to the tackless strip in the bathroom. The carpet was easily lifted up from other corners of the installation. · The ultraviolet light test indicates that seam sealer was not present and this can lead to pulled yarns and fraying of the carpet's edge. However, these problems were not found at the time of the inspection. · The bald spot in the livingroom near the patch would likely be the result of improper use of a knee kicker. This problem could be fixed by a process known as reburling. According to the weight test done on the carpet cushion, it failed to meet the specifications made in the contract. From a professional opinion, this is a three & a half pound density cushion. If five-pound cushion had been used, then it would have been debatable if it meets the minimum UM72 requirement for light duty use, but fails to meet the specification given by the manufacturer. Errors over 10 percent on this test would be unlikely, but if deemed necessary, independent laboratory testing could be performed. Failure to comply with CRI105 manufacturer's cushion specification can adversely affect the future performance of carpet. This is so because both correct cushion and proper power stretching affect the backing system and the faceyarns. The backing system is made of a mixture of latex; clay, oil, filler, and water sandwiched between a woven primary and secondary backings. It is the chemical mixture of latex, clay, oil, filler, and water that will deteriorate and will lead to buckling and/or ripples followed by separation of the secondary backing and finally the death of the carpet. In addition, incorrect cushion and improper power stretching will cause yarns to crush more easily, loss their twist, and then mat. Crushing and matting will result in a considerable loss of appearance. Therefore, the longevity of the carpet's usefulness has been jeopardized because of the errors made. To regain some longevity, an eight pound bonded carpet cushion is recommended as a replacement. Old cushion is not normally salvageable. Replacement of the cushion will require re-installation in which proper power stretching, seam sealing, and other issues involving the CRI105 can be done. The warranty issue is beyond the scope of the report.
CONCLUSION 1. From a professional opinion based upon testing and standards, the installation in question failed to meet industry standards with respect to power stretching and proper cushion density. 2. From a professional opinion based upon testing and standards, the installation in question failed to comply with the dealer's verbal contract with respect to cushion specification. 3. From a professional opinion, the installation problems can be corrected with replacement of the cushion and re-installation of the carpet according to industry standards. |