Vast volumes of broad loom carpet and carpet tiles are manufactured every day. Imagine the immense weight on the lower cases of carpet tiles or rolls of carpet at the bottom of the
storage stacks of pallets in the warehouse. Naturally the bottom dwellers of the storage experience will get compacted (crushed) by the weight above. When installing carpet tiles, installers mix the contents of different cases to ensure that any slight color variations will blend into the overall appearance of the entire installation.
This mixing of carpet tiles from different cases means that carpet tiles from bottom cases (more compacted or crushed) are randomly mixed with carpet tiles from cases stored at the top (less
compacted or crushed). This results in an extreme checker board pattern installation which many customers find unsatisfactory. Immediate gratification is the rule. The customer just invested in an expensive asset and is not a happy camper.
Let’s fix it.
I have been the go-to person to resolve these types of issues for manufacturers such as InterFlor, Shaw, Milliken and numerous others and carpet distributors and installation companies for over 30 years. The resolution to this problem is simple which is why I can do it, and it always works. The newly installed carpet is stiff, and the crushed pile has been set in by weight rather than by
heat, which can take place when the carpet spends too long in a trailer in excessive heat. If that is the case replacing the carpet is the answer. The crush would be heat set permanently.
So, using a rotary floor machine with a shampoo tank the carpet is scrubbed with a red floor buffing pad, don’t start it dry and keep it wet. Because the rotary scrubbing (which acts as the
pre-spray) you only need a good portable extractor for the rinse step meaning that you can take this solution to the highest floor of the tallest skyscraper. Try this in an out of the way area to ensure that the fibers are not damaged by this process a problem which I personally have never once experienced.
In the solution tank use an emulsifier like Matrix Finish First and regular, available at any grocery store, fabric softener. The water should be as hot as the tap water from the janitor’s closet sink. Follow the rotary scrub with a Hot Water Extraction after the fabric softener solution has set for 15 to 20 minutes. The rinse should be done with just plain hot water or you can add an all fiber rinse. The wand markings will totally obliterate the crushing and deliver a “WOW – that looks great” momment and you will be the professional that saved the day.