Have you ever seen wrinkling, rippling or buckling on your carpet and wondered how it got there?

Well, there are several reasons why this can occur….

1) IMPROPER INSTALLATION: 
A common cause of carpet buckling is poor installation. If your carpet was not properly stretched-in during the fitting process, this could be a contributory factor.

A tool called a power-stretcher should be used for the installation of large areas of carpeting. Unfortunately, a common shortcut adopted by some fitters is to use a knee-kicker instead. Using just a knee-kicker is much faster and will usually create enough tension to at least get the carpeting to lay flat. However, although your carpet may look great initially, long-term it could be prone to buckling.

The temperature and humidity on the day of the installation may also be a contributory factor. If the carpet is being installed in an area where the conditions are significantly different to where it was previously stored (for example, the carpet was stored in an unheated warehouse and is being installed in a heated home), it should be allowed to acclimatise prior to installation to reduce the possibility of buckling.

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2) INCORRECT UNDERLAY:                     
Sometimes carpet rippling will occur because the underlay is not dense enough to adequately support the carpet. This can allow too much flexibility, causing it to buckle. Underlay should always be discussed with your retailer when purchasing your carpet.

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3) HUMIDITY: 
Buckling can occur when the humidity in your home rises, for example when you are doing the washing or cooking. What’s actually happening is that latex materials used in the backing of the carpet are absorbing moisture. This causes the latex to expand, resulting in buckling if there is not sufficient tension on the carpet. You may have noticed that there are prominent ripples in your carpet on humid days, which then disappear when the humidity returns to normal.

For the same reasons, moisture created during a carpet cleaning process can also cause buckling. However, the good news is that once the carpet is fully dry the ripples will usually settle down again.

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4) DELAMINATION:
Delamination occurs when the latex materials, used in the backing of the carpet, break down. This can cause the secondary backing to detach from the primary backing, resulting in a buckling and rippling effect on the carpet’s surface. This will occur if the latex is too sparse and/or too hard/brittle (often due to a defect in its mixing or application during the manufacturing process).

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PUTTING THE SITUATION RIGHT:
With adequate ventilation and an ambient temperature within the affected areas, many cases of buckling will disappear within twenty-four hours.

However, if you experience persistent rippling/buckling, don’t panic. You probably won’t need to replace your carpet. There are people out there who will be able to advise you and/or perform a re-stretch for you, removing the buckles and returning your carpet to its natural state as a flat, attractive floor covering.