Side Match From Pile Compression
This report was done for the carpet mill and the faceyarn was shaded on one panel.
THE CARPET
FIBER/ ID METHOD: Nylon-Chemical
FIBER HUE: Beige
CONSTRUCTION: Tufted Cut Loop
YARN STYLE: Saxony
SQUARE YARDAGE: 131.33
BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tufted
PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene
SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene
THE INSTALLATION
TYPE OF SITE: Residential
DATE INSTALLED: 10/9/96
METHOD: Stretch-In
CUSHION: 1/2 Inch Rebond
SUBFLOOR: Concrete
AREA INSTALLED: Living-Room, Dining-Room, Hall-way, & 3 Bedrooms.
USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: Not Determined
TEMPERATURE: 74.9°F - 23.8° C
RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 61%
ADULTS: 2 - CHILDREN: 2 - PET(S): 0
DO THEY SMOKE? Not Determined
SPOTTING AGENTS: Water
VACUUM TYPE: Upright
FREQUENCY: Every Other Day
ENTRY MATS: Yes
CONDITION of THE CARPET: See Report
SOIL: None Noticed
HEATING TYPE: Central Force Air Gas
COOLING TYPE: Central - Electric
CLEANING: Never Been Cleaned
REASON FOR COMMISSION
The carpet’s hue reportedly does not match at the seam.
THE REPORT
Site Conditions and Geographical Information
The carpets were located in the claimant’s free standing single story house. This house was located in a residential neighborhood in Ventura County. The house was well maintained and was occupied by the owner’s daughter, son-in-law and grandchild who are supposed to take title soon.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR
The carpet was already installed when the occupants moved in. Immediately, they noticed an unsightly seam that appeared to be dark on one side and light on the other. This seam ran from the living-room to the dining-room. At this point, the claimant began to suspect that something was wrong with the seam or the layout of the carpet.
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR
When first entering the living-room from the front-door, the carpet appeared to be darker on the side with windows and lighter on the side with the fireplace. When viewed from the other side of the room there was no difference but the seam was obvious. The carpet was pulled up close to the top of the drawing, near the front door and there was only one roll of tackless strip in the transition from the tile area to the carpet. There were no oblong stretches noted in the secondary backing to indicate that a power stretcher had been used. The seaming tape was measured at six inches wide.
Walking on the carpet in sock ‘n feet, the inspector felt voids under the carpet near the seam.
ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING
A Pile Direction Test was done using a piece of paper and a pencil. The pile direction of the carpet was confirmed as running the same direction on both sides of the seam.
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 was not drum tight.
An ultra-violet light was shone to find evidence that seaming adhesive was used on cut edges. None was found.
THE ISSUE OF THIS REPORT
The question that I have been asked to address is: what has caused the carpet to have a shade difference?
GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE
Sidematch Problems Can Occur When:
1. there is a difference in pile direction
2. there is a difference in texture
3. there is a difference in pile height
4. there is a difference in lighting condition
5. there is a difference in shade
TEXT FROM THE CRI105
Concerning edge securing the CRI105 says this:
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.
Concerning power-stretching, the CRI105 says:
9.14 Power Stretching - Following seaming, carpet must be power stretched and firmly hooked onto the tackless strip at the starting walls in surrounding area. The use of a power stretcher is mandatory.
THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS
The high intensity light indicates that the side-match was not a hue difference and the pile direction testing ruled out quarter or semi-turning the carpet as being culprits. Also, the inspector observed no differences in the texture.
The unique aspect of this sidematch is that the lighted side is the dark side and the problem was not visible from the opposite direction. This unique circumstance then leads to only one possibility and that is pile compression. If the carpet was lower on the window side, then it would be darker. If the observer viewed the carpet in the same direction of the light, then the problem would not notable. A possible cause of the ‘lower’ or crushed pile would be if the dark side were closer to the center of the roll, then it would likely suffer more crushing. If this is the case, then steaming the carpet with a JIFFY STEAMER’ or similar devise would correct the problem.
CONCLUSION
The carpet in question has a side match problem due to pile compression based upon the analysis on light.