Installation Errors with Urine
This report was done for a consumer who did not pay the contractor for the work done. The contractor loss in court in trying to collect his money.Their best defense was that the consumer had destroyed the carpet with animal accidents.
THE CARPETFIBER/ ID METHOD: Nylon-
COLOR: Off White
CONSTRUCTION: Tufted Cut Loop
STYLE: Saxony Plush
SQUARE YARDAGE: 52.8 + 74.67
BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tufted
PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene
SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene
THE INSTALLATION
TYPE OF SITE: Residential
DATE INSTALLED: 4/5/95
METHOD: Stretch-In
CUSHION: 1/2 Inch Rebond 5.5 Lb./Sq.Ft.
SUBFLOOR: Concrete
AREA INSTALLED: Livingroom, Diningroom, Den, Two Bedrooms, Hallway, And Two Bathrooms.
USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: No
ADULTS: 1 CHILDREN: 0 PETS: 1
TYPE OF PET(s): Dog
TEMPERATURE: 74.7°F - 23.7° C
RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 60%
VACUUM TYPE: Upright
FREQUENCY: Weekly
DO THEY SMOKE? No
ENTRY MATS: Yes
CONDITION of THE CARPET: Fair
SOIL: None Noticeable
HEATING TYPE: Central Force Air Gas
COOLING TYPE: Central - Electric
HOME SPOTTING AGENTS: ReSolveŽ
CLEANING: Never Been Cleaned
REASON FOR COMMISSION
The claimant reports that the workmanship concerning the installation of the carpet did not look right.
THE REPORT
Geographical Background Information
The carpet in question is in the home of the claimant at the address given in this report. This free standing house is located in a common interest development off Highway 101 on the southern edge of Ventura County.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR
The carpet in this home was replaced after water from a rain came through the ceiling and leaked on to the old carpet. The claimant called a cleaning company to perform restoration services on that same day. According to the claimant, the insurance company, that they wanted only ACME General Contractors to perform restoration services. Big Johns billed the insurance company for the services performed on their invoice.
ACME General Contractor Floor Coverings replaced all the carpet in this house, with an agreement by the claimant to pay for the non-affected areas at her own expense. After the installation was completed, this homeowner noticed that most of the seams did not have the same quality appearance as her old carpet. Also, the baseboards were poorly anchored to the wall and there were some holes in the wall near the back door.
According to the claimant, one attempt had been made to fix the carpet in question. Numerous inspections have been made by the installer and the insurance company. A letter from ACME General Contractor Floor Covering, dated October 5, 1995, addressed to the claimant’s attorney acknowledged the claimant’s problems, but also claimed that, "the dog has totally ruined the new carpet with urine spots". Reportedly, a judgment has been placed by ACME General Contractor Floor Covering on the claimant’s home for $6000.
According to ACME General Contractor Floor Covering the information on the carpet manufacturer and installation were furnished on 10/18/95. According to Mary, a repair on the seams was made on April 18, 1995.
DETAIL PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION BY THE INSPECTOR
Upon entering the home, this inspector noticed a seam running the width of the living room. This seam was jagged and had a spot near the wall that had missing yarns.
The dining room had a small strip of carpet that was used as a "fill-in" into the arch way. There was only one row of tackless strip used in this seam as seen in picture numbers one, two and three.
In the master’s-bedroom there was a three inch cut made to accommodate an antenna wire that ran under the carpet. The seam going into the attached bathroom was also jagged.
Coming out of the master’s-bedroom into the hallway, there were two seams in close proximity to one another as seen in the diagram.
In the bathroom attached to the hallway, the carpet behind the toilet was not attached at the seam as seen in photograph numbers five and six. In this same location, staples were used to anchor the carpet into the tackless strip
FIELD TESTING
A pile direction test was done using a plain piece of paper and an ordinary pencil. The pencil is rolled on the paper while it is laying on the carpet. As it is rolled the paper begins to move. This movement confirms the pile direction of the carpet. The results of this test revealed that the carpet ran the width of the house.
A carpet stretch test was performed. The test involved a professional opinion by the inspector to determine whether a power stretcher was used on the installation. The industry standard is drum tight. After pulling the carpet up by the face yarns and letting it pop-back into place, it was determined that the carpet was power stretched.
An ultra-violet light was shone throughout the installation. The result of this test revealed that there was no reflection of seaming adhesive in the seams.
A carpet awl was used to probe the carpet in question. The result of this test revealed that numerous other sections of the carpet had staples to hold in the carpet onto the tackless strip.
THE ISSUE OF THIS REPORT
The question that I have been asked to address is: was the carpet in question installed in compliance with industry standards and practices?
CONDITIONS THAT CAN CAUSE THE PROBLEM
Industry Standards used for residential installations are:
1. the CRI105 by the Carpet and Rug Institute of Dalton Georgia.
2. the manufacturer’s installation instruction
INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND PRACTICES
Concerning the planning the CRI105 says this on page 10:
7.0 PLANNING
If agreed upon decisions are made by the consumer carpet dealer and installer prior to installation, many problems and customer dissatisfaction can be overcome. The customer should be a part of the planning stage.
7.5 Seam Locations - The customer should be shown the proposed layout, which contains all of the seams. The locations 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. Concerning the layout of the carpet the CRI105 says this on page 11:
8.0 LAYOUT
A scale drawing of the areas be carpeted is required to determine yardages, yardage per dye lot, edge treatments, cushions, adhesives, moldings, and other accessories and to identify proper location of seams.
For new homes and apartment buildings, architectural drawings should be provided that indicate the areas to be carpeted. Room designations or apartment numbers plus a finish schedule of carpet styles, patterns, colors and installation methods to be used for each area should be included. For existing buildings, new measurements and shop drawings shall be made.
Concerning the Unprotected Edges of the carpet the CRI105 says this on page 13:
8.4 Unprotected Edges - At the transition of carpet to other floorcovering materials, the carpet must be protected with appropriate molding.
Concerning the layout of the carpet the CRI105 says this on page 13:
9.2 Layout and Material - Carpet is to be laid out with consideration to traffic patterns and seam placement. To assure uniformity of the application, all materials shall be on the job site prior to the beginning of the installation.
Concerning Installation of tackless Strip the CRI105 says this page 13:
9.4 Installation of tackless Strip -
ˇ Carpet should NOT by stapled to the tackless strip
ˇ Avoid placing tackless strip across door openings or door sills where possible.
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.
THE INSPECTORS' ANALYSIS
Odd appearances after carpet installation are sure to be related to lack of adherence to the CARPET AND RUG INSTITUTE STANDARDS. This carpet is no exception.
1. There was no plan discussed or drawing made to discuss seam locations as required in section 7.5.
2. The seam locations in the livingroom, dining-room entrance and hallway are not in compliance with section 9.2 with respect to consideration of traffic patterns. All of these seam are likely to fail prematurely.
3. Using staples on the tackless strip is a clear violation of section 9.4 and can lead to tears in the carpet.
4. The dining room is 12 feet wide just like the width of the carpet. However, laying this way requires a strip of carpet to be placed on one side or the other. The worst possible scenario is the way the carpet is laid now. This is especially bad when the claimants’’ age and health may not allow for an easy recovery in the event of a tripping accident due to a broken seam. Therefore, there is no excuse for not doing the following:
ˇ Either the carpet should be quarter turned and run the length of the house as required by the standards
ˇ or the strip should be on the other side of the room
ˇ in addition, the carpet should have molding on the carpet going into the dining-room as required by the Standards in section 8.4 or two rows of tackless strips.
5. The jagged edges at the carpet’s edge are due to frequently changing the cutting tools’ blades.
The first seam in the livingroom and the extra seam in the hallway are excessive. They are also in heavily trafficked areas.
A highly skilled installation technician, such as a Journeyman with four years experience is usually needed to fix the seams. Not having seaming adhesive to hold primary and secondary backings together will cause a failure prematurely. The lack of a seaming adhesive is a serious problem. The CRI105 requires all carpet seams to have seaming adhesive or be sewn. This example shows what this problem is all about.
THE LACK OF SEAMING ADHESIVE IS ILLUSTRATED BY THIS ILLUSTRATION
An array of commercial and consumer products could address urine problems associated with this carpet. Permanent distortion affecting the dimensional stability of the carpet often takes years to develop.
CONCLUSION
The carpet in question is not in compliance with the CRI105 with respect to seams, layout, and planning based upon the observations and tests made.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The reparability of this carpet would require eliminating seams in heavy trafficked areas as well as re-doing most of the other seams. Eliminating high trafficked seams would require additional carpet. Additional carpet would likely not match the same shade as the carpet laid. Therefore, the most practical remedy in this case would be to replace the carpet and start over with new carpet and an installation that is in compliance with the CRI105 INSTALLATION STANDARDS. In addition to this, repairing jagged seams, often makes a new seam that is worse looking than the first.
This inspector recommends a product called ‘Anti-Icky-Poo’ for treatment of the pet accidents. This product is offers low toxicity to humans and pets and eliminates urine through biological processes.