The Commercial Carpet Installation Nightmare By  Steven Rockfeld I was commissioned by a large commercial carpet manufacturer to inspect a level-loop broadloom installed on 3 floors of offices located at their headquarters in New York City.  The complaint from the manufacturer was “The carpet is falling apart”. The corporation purchased the carpet directly from the manufacturer with the installation contract sent out for bids. The carpet was a 26 oz. level loop, with the urethane enhancer backing system.  The carpet was to be cemented directly to the above grade concrete surface. The purchasing agent has no experience with selecting a carpet installation company who awarded the contract to the lowest bidder, his first mistake. At the time of installation the 3 floors were completely empty.  Not one piece of furniture. The carpet was delivered and the installation was completed in 3 days.  The furniture was delivered which consisted of desks, privacy walls, file cabinets, computers, faxes, and a complete communication system.  Within the first week of use, the seam edges began to ravel, pull and snag. The inspection was set with the person in charge of the corporation purchasing division who requested a  representative from the installation company be present at the inspection.  We began the inspection on the 12th floor where I noticed that wherever there was a seam the carpet was raveling and fraying.  I questioned the installer and asked what kind of seam sealer he used.  He looked at me like I had two heads and could not respond to this simple and basic installation related question.  He had no clue what I was talking about.  I asked him if he was familiar with CRI 104, the Carpet and Rug Institute’s commercial installation guidelines, to which he answered “No: I then asked him how he cut the seams, he replied that he “Always double cuts the seams”.  I then asked what kind of adhesive he used and he replied “The cheapest he could find”.  My next question was if he rolled the carpet after it was glued. I bet you guessed it, he said “No”. I obtained the manufacturers installation specifications which were included in each roll of carpet shipped to the job site. Industry Standards dictate that manufactures guidelines supersede the CRI 104 due to proprietary backings and structural differences requiring different adhesives, acclimation and adhesive trowel sizes.  The manufacturer guidelines were specific and stated: -  All seams must be row cut.  That is done by taking a row runner, which opens the row, followed by cushion back cutter to cut the backing. Row Cutting stops the installer from cutting through the loops that creates fraying and edge fuzzing.  - Seam sealer must be applied to the cut edges of the seams. This will prevent fraying and edge raveling of the seams.  - The guidelines also stated a premium multi-purpose adhesive must be used and the carpet rolled with a 35 lb roller.  My inspection found no seam sealer placement on the cut edges of the seams, inadequate adhesive quality, and the carpet was not rolled with weighted roller to set the carpet backing into the adhesive. All of these installer errors are basic requirements of commercial carpet installations and not secrets or known only to a few. I can tell you the installer was not happy with my report and the only fix acceptable to the end user was a complete replacement. This installation site was now in full use with furniture, cubicles and communication wires. This will be an expensive error caused by a purchasing agent accepting low bidder. The moral of the story is to find a reputable installer, or commission a Certified Inspector to monitor the installation. The few dollars paid to monitor an installation would have saved this Corporation thousands of dollars and hours of lost time. To find monitors to protect your investment go to www.FloorReports.com