A. GENERAL:
Regardless of installation method direct glue, double adhesion,
or stretch in over separate cushion the floor
must be smooth and free of dust, debris,
incompatible adhesives, wax, oil, excessive alkalinity and vapor
emission or other
contaminants or conditions that might interfere
with adhesion or create a problem with the cushion or the carpet
being
properly installed. BlueRidge Commercial Carpet
has detailed guidelines for these items. It is strongly
recommended that
these be obtained and strictly followed if
continued warranty coverage is desired.
B. PATTERNED CARPET:
Regardless of installation method, sufficient additional carpet
must be allowed to insure that the
area can be covered and pattern match achieved at
all seams. Cuts must be sequenced by pattern elongation working
from the
most elongated to the least elongated. It is the
responsibility of the installation contractor to obtain these
measurements and
sequence accordingly. Both end to end and side to
side seams must be trimmed to insure a full pattern repeat where
edges are
joined. On "tufted in"
patterns, both
sides must
be row cut to
achieve this on side seams. On printed patterns,
carpet must
be trimmed along
complementary pattern points without regard to tufting rows.
Regardless of trimming method, seam
edges MUST be sealed using an
approved method and sealing agent. Both thermoplastic and liquid
sealing agents are
acceptable. To achieve a good match at each seam,
it may be necessary to stretch the less elongated side to match
the more
elongated side. If carpet has been properly
sequenced, this generally requires only a knee kicker to adjust.
It may be
necessary to use a pole type power stretcher with
a "dead man" or a "crab" or "mini" stretcher to apply this
stretch. For best
results, it is recommended that the matching
process be started close to the middle of the seam. As seams are
assembled, it is
also the responsibility of the installation
contractor to determine the bow and skew present in the material
and to apply the
appropriate stretch to insure that all pattern
lines are visually straight and square to the area being carpeted.
C. STRETCH IN
INSTALLATION:
Cushion must conform to BlueRidge guidelines for the selected type
of installation. To
insure against wrinkles, all carpet MUST be stretched at least 1%
in both length and width directions. The use of a
mechanical stretching device NOT just a knee
kicker is mandatory. Seams should be trimmed, prepared and
sealed as
required for the carpet type being installed. If a
heated seaming iron is used it MUST be in good repair and have a
functional
heat shield to insure carpet edges are not damaged
due to excessive heat. Thermoplastic seaming methods are available
that
utilize RF technology to melt the thermoplastic.
These are acceptable methods.
D. DIRECT AND DOUBLE
STICK INSTALLATIONS:
Strict adherence to the recommendations of the manufacturer of the
double adhesion system being used is required.
This would include adhesive selection both floor to cushion and
cushion to
carpet -, trowel notch size and spread rates as
well as seaming recommendations. In all double adhesion
installations Blue
Ridge Commercial Carpets strongly recommends that
seams be sealed and that they be joined with one of the
thermoplastic
seaming tapes such as Orcon K-80 - designed
specifically for this purpose.
E.
ADHESIVE/SEALER RECOMMENDATIONS:
MANUFACTURER PROD. # APPLICATION END USE
AAT 280, 275, 181 ALL 280 for non patterned, 275
for patterned, 181 seam sealer
BOSTIK (DAP) D920, D990 ALL D920 for non
patterned, D990 for patterned
MAPEI 220, Mach6, 8200 ALL Mach6 for non
patterned, ECO 220-patterned, 8200 -sealer
PARABOND 4099, DS902, 4263 ALL 4099 all
applications DS902 Double Stick, 4263 - sealer
W.F. TAYLOR 2055, 2075 ALL 2055- patterned and non
patterned, 2075 - sealer
THERMOPLASTIC SEAM SEALING IS AVAILABLE FROM :
Beno J. Gundlach and Orcon Corporation
Barring specific recommendations from these
manufacturers, direct cement applications should use a 1/8" x 1/8"
x 1/8" "V"
notched trowel with a coverage rate of 10 to 12
square yards per gallon. Double stick carpet to cushion
applications should
use a 1/8" x 1/8" x 3/16" "U" notch with a
coverage rate not to exceed 8 square yards per gallon. Always
check with these
manufacturers for specific guidelines on trowel
notch size and coverage rates for different backings and
application methods.
For Further Information on the above contact:
BlueRidge Ind. Inc., Technical Service Department, 706-276-2001