A Recent Happening

The discussion to either repair the carpet or replace the  carpet is one that I often have.  I want the best for my clients and truthfully I will recommend changing the carpet if that is the best decision.

It’s easy to get into the mentality that the more money you throw at a problem, the more likely you will get the desired result.  So sometimes a client will choose to spend quite a bit more money on changing the carpet with the intentions of just ending the problem.  Which is fine, that is their right.

But a recent happening gave me pause.  Two years ago, I was called to a property where the owners had expanded their family and had bought a bigger home.  They had decided to rent out their first home, but needed to get the carpet in order before they could rent it out.  So I was called to give an estimate and admittedly it was not an easy repair, so the quote reflected this fact.  (what a nice way to say it was an expensive repair, haha)  The client considered their options and decided on spending about five times more money and replacing the carpet.  I don’t blame anyone for this decision, when you fall out love with a carpet, you can really be frustrated.

So I was onto my next project not giving this much thought.

But fast forward two years….

The new carpet unfortunately had developed rippling issues.  I do not wish this frustration on my worst enemy.  I too was of the mindset, if you change the carpet the problem automatically goes away.  But unfortunately this is the new reality. Even new carpets have problems and as the saying goes, sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.

So two years later, we had to repair the new carpet anyways.

Now I am not making the claim, that every new carpet is going to have troubles.   (Although I have heard clients inform me that they were told they would have to get the carpet re-stretched in the future.)  But it is definitely something a person has to take into account when making the best decision for their situation.

I want every person to make the best decision.   One thing I know for sure,  if you need your carpet fixed or repaired, we’re here to help.

A Special Mention- Kraus Floors

From time to time, there are moments that restore your faith in humanity.

No matter the industry, there will likely be times when you have to make use of the warranty, and when you do encounter a problem you hope that the company will stand behind their product. It it is not a surprise that rippling carpet is a reality in the industry. If you buy an expensive carpet or a value deal, there is the possibility that you may have issues. Now I have been to homes where there is an obvious manufacturing flaw and even after documenting the issue, some manufacturers find some loophole to void the warranty. (ie. requiring a professional carpet cleaning receipt every 18 months after installation)

So after seeing this happen a number of times, it had somewhat jaded me to carpet manufacturers. But recently I have had the pleasure of seeing one manufacturer stand behind their product with pride. That company is Kraus Floors. What a pleasure to deal with! The home owners were ecstatic that even when they had an issue needing resolution, that Kraus Floors took care of them.

I use to say that all manufacturers were pretty much the same. I don’t say that any more. If you are looking to buy new carpets for your home I highly recommend Kraus carpets. They are a company with integrity.

A note on defective underlays

There has been a history of defective underlays over the years.  For the most part, these underlays have been discovered and production of these underlays have been stopped. But I still do find some of these underlays that were installed years ago.  The main problem was the top of the line rubber underlays would pack out in the main traffic areas and unfortunately there is no repair for these carpets and underlay, other than just changing the underlay.  (which is an expensive ordeal)

 

Anyways, we have started seeing a new defective underlay.

underlay

This is a black Eco Foam carpet underlay.  (The only store I have seen selling this particular underlay is Home Depot, and of note, Home Depot is good at standing behind their products)

As you can see the underlay starts to ripple underneath the carpet.  The carpet actually starts to lift and some very non-typical ripples form. Unfortunately these types of underlay issues are nearly impossible to fix without changing the underlay.  So please beware of the black Eco Foam carpet underlay!

 

 

Homestars 2015 Best of Calgary Awards Winner!!!

homestarsaward

It is not everyday that carpet repair companies receive awards, but we are proud to say that we are the recent recipients of the Homestars 2015 Best of Calgary award.

For those of you not aware of Homestars.com, it is an excellent resource for finding skilled trades in your city.  It is a website that allows clients to post reviews of recent experiences with a company.  Therefore you find out exactly what another homeowners experience was.  Finally a way to learn things the easy way instead of taking a shot in the dark.  The Homestars website is very fair and honest and in the event of a dispute it will side with the homeowner.  If a company gets a bad review they will not take it down.

We take a great deal of pride in our repair and re-stretching work so we were quite happy to provide an opportunity for our clients to tell others what they thought.  Please take the time to see what others have to say about or repair and re-stretching work. Please click the blue Homestars- Read our Reviews to the right of this box.

Are all carpet cleaners the same?

So at Calgary Carpet Restretch, we do not clean carpets, we restretch them. But most people are unaware of is how important carpet cleaning is to the maintenance of their carpet.  In fact most people are unaware that the majority of carpet manufacturers void a carpets warranty if a person does not have proof of a professional cleaning every 18 months.  That in itself illustrates the importance of getting your carpets cleaned regularly and properly.  Unfortunately though not all carpet cleaning companies do the same quality of work.

Here is a picture from one of our recent job sites that we wanted to share:

photo

I’m sure you can see  the strange pattern in the carpet on the picture.  Here the carpet cleaner accidentally made a clean spot and then apparently decided to not finish the rest of the living room.  Throughout the house was more evidence of a very inconsistent cleaning.  This fortunately is not the average experience for those getting their carpets cleaned.  Obviously not all cleaning companies care or do as good a job as others.  We think referrals from friends or family are usually the best but this day and age you can generally find reviews online that are accurate and can point you in the right direction.  We prefer smaller owner/operator type companies that provide real service and care about getting referrals and repeat business.   We work in conjunction with many cleaning companies in Calgary and would be happy to recommend a good cleaner to you.  (Curious if you should get your carpets cleaned before or after the restretch, check out the second question in our frequently asked questions section-     http://calgarycarpetrestretch.com/faq/  )  Happy cleaning!

 

What is “seam peaking” and why should I care?

Seam peaking is a challenge that every carpet installer deals with on a fairly regular basis and it occurs even more often when carpet is being re-stretched.  Well thanks for that information! But What is seam peaking?  Are you some kind of politician? Answer the question!

The short of it, is that seam peaking makes seams become more visible after they are stretched.  A really good explanation is given by The Carpet and Rug Institute of Georgia.  (Georgia is where a large portion of North American carpet manufacturing occurs)  In 2008 they released a technical bulletin which you can read for yourself at —->   http://www.carpet-rug.org/documents/technical_bulletins/2008_Peaked_Seams_in_Stretch-In_Carpet_Installation.p

It even has a nice illustration to explain things. But if you don’t

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A Word on Carpet Patches

We often get asked if we do carpet repairs like carpet patches.  And the simple answer is yes we do.  But we would like to make our clients aware of a few things in regards to carpet patches so that they know what is possible and what is not possible.  Well why do we say that? The unfortunate problem with patches is that we want patches to be completely invisible. In some instances, it is possible to get an almost invisible patch. But this is unfortunately not always the case.

Irons and carpet don't mix!
Irons and carpet don’t mix!

 

Why would it be that some patches are more visible than others?  There are a few reasons.  Firstly, the older the carpet is, the more visible the patch will likely be.Continue reading

What is a Power Stretcher?

A power stretcher is a tool used in stretching carpet either for a new installation or a carpet repair.  Simply stated the large arm is pressed down which in turn extends the head away from the power stretching body. The head of the power stretcher has teeth that grips the carpet and transfers the stretching force.

 

My knees would like to buy you a drink power stretcher.

 

 

In the picture you can see the silver stretching tubes, these are set up behindContinue reading

Why Does Carpet Ripple?

If we lived in a perfect world, perhaps things like flat tires, mosquitoes, and rippled carpet  wouldn’t exist.

Carpet is no fan of moisture!
Carpet is no fan of moisture!

So although we can’t help you with flat tires and mosquitoes, the good news is at Calgary Carpet Restretch we can help you with carpet repair.  (Umm actually,  I do know a good tire shop, and spray repellent does keep the bugs away…)  But why oh why does carpet ripple?

You might think automatically the ripples were simply the result of a bad carpet installation.  This very well might be the case. As the fact is we do a lot of carpet repair in many newer houses and condos that were built during the height of the Calgary boom in 2008.  Likely you don’t need to be reminded that Calgary attracted many less than skilled tradesman in Continue reading

To Repair or Not to Repair?

Oftentimes homeowners face a dilemma, should I repair my carpet or should I replace it? The fact is when you’ve been looking at ugly carpet with ripples in it for a long time, it may seem like the only real way to fix the problem is to change it.  Then you start thinking about the thousands of dollars it’s going to cost and worrying about where all your furniture is going to go.  The replacement solution starts to feel like more of a problem than the ripples themselves!  Should you just live with the rippled carpet, you obviously can’t change a carpet every four or five year!?  That is just not possible.

Now the good news! Those ripples that you have been looking at, likely for too long, can be repaired.  I can’t tell you how many times we’ve completed re-stretching someone’s carpet and they say, “We should have done this years ago!”  And it is true, homeowners keep looking at the ripples,for years, just not knowing that a carpet re-stretching service is available.  In fact it’s a very simple, cost effective, painless procedure.
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