Carpet bowing skewing and other pattern alignment issues are one of the most difficult task a carpet installer will face. Pattern distortion that is manufacturer related such as bow and skew, usually occurs during the finishing, or backing application process. While less common, carpet bowing and skewing can also occur during tufting or weaving.
Carpet Bowing Skewing and Pattern Alignment Issues
Carpet bowing skewing are difficult issues requiring a skilled installer. When it comes to a cut pile carpet without a pattern, many residential installers perform a remarkable installation. Residential carpet installers that do not work with patterned carpet on a regular basis will usually find working with patterns challenging. When faced with pattern issues of carpet bowing, skewing and pattern alignment these installers are often at a loss.
The Weinheimer group is a nationally known inspection company. It has been their observation that carpet installers that specialize in the installation of commercial carpet are generally more skilled at working with pattern carpet bowing, skewing and pattern alignment issues. Terry Weinheimer states, “We have observed that commercial carpet installers are often better at improving a patterned carpets seamability.”
Additional time will usually be required when working with a product that has pattern alignment issues. The seller of the product should allow for this extra time when making the sale.
When a product has severe carpet bowing, skewing or other issues the manufacturer will often make reimbursement for the additional time to correct. Usually the manufacturer will need to be advised of the issues in advance of or during the installation and not at a later date.
While an experienced carpet installer will bring the pattern into alignment perfection is not always possible. Even with tight tolerances, seams may be visible and, if the walls are not square, the carpet pattern may appear to run off rather than run parallel with the wall or to the adjacent seam.
Set and Drop Patterns
Set Pattern Match
Drop Pattern Match
Set Carpet Match Pattern, the figure of the pattern design matches straight across the width (side-to-side). Drop Carpet Match Pattern, the figure of the pattern design matches in the middle of the design.
Pattern Matching Tolerance
During the pattern matching of a carpet the installer should always follow the manufacturing guidelines for the product they are working with. It is important for the carpet installer to be aware that not all carpet manufacturers tolerances are the same.
Pattern Bow
Pattern Bowing: The pattern will sag at the center. Viewing the carpet across the width, the pattern distortion is seen as wavy or crooked lines of pattern. This condition can occur in both pattern and non-patterned carpets. Industry tolerance for pattern bowing is commonly 1-inch in 12-feet. Not all manufacturers have the same tolerance. As an example, Masland is 3/4-inch in 12 feet while Shaw is 1.5-inch in 12 feet.
Common Cause – Bowing usually occurs when carpet is not perfectly straight as it is being manufactured.
Pattern Skewed
Pattern Skewing (Bias): With skewing the pattern is out of square with portions of the tufted or printed pattern deviating from a straight line. There is not an industry tolerance of pattern skew, most manufactures seem to be at 1.5-inch in 12 feet though you will find others as much as 2-inches in 12-feet. Check manufactures guidelines for the carpet being installed.
Common Cause – This condition occurs when the carpet face yarn is bonded to the secondary backing in such a way that the face yarn is not square with that backing. The skew is noticeable as the pattern on one side of the roll is not in line with the pattern on the opposite side.
Pattern Elongation
Pattern Elongation (run-off): With pattern elongation the patterns size may vary in length or width from one match to the other. The pattern appears as if it is growing along one side of the seam or shrinking on the other. The industry tolerance is routinely 1-inch in 10-feet or 1.5-inches in 15-feet. Check manufactures guidelines for the carpet being installed.
Common Cause – Pattern Elongation (pattern run-off) is the result of a lack of equal tension across the product during manufacturing or at the time the secondary backing is applied.
Trueness of Edge
Trueness of Edge (Edge Deviation Bow in Length): With a lengthwise bow in the pattern, the pattern does not appear in a straight lengthwise line. This can be measured between common pattern points along carpet edge at or very close to edge to be trimmed for seaming. The recommended tolerance is 1/2-inch in 12-feet. May differ per manufacturer.
Common Cause – The pattern is not aligned on the tenter hooks during the application of backing or the sizing process.
Carpet Manufacturers Warning and Technical Assistance
Most if not all carpet manufacturers make warning such as the following in their installation guidelines:
- Attention: Before you start, read this bulletin and other applicable literature pertaining to the installation of this carpet. Any topics not specifically covered in this bulletin should be directed to the Technical Services Center.
- Before starting installation inspect for: Concealed damage, Manufacturing defects and Shipping errors (example: wrong color, style, etc.)
- Warranties specifically exclude claims involving carpet which has been cut and installed with visible manufacturing defects.
For the installation of carpet, manufacturers often refer carpet installers to the installation guidelines of the CRI – Carpet and Rug Institute. Even with these manufactures they will usually have additional installation guidelines for some of their products. The manufactures guidelines on Pete’s article for a stretch-in carpet and a glue-down carpet may refer to different tolerances so again a carpet installer must be familiar with the installation guidelines for the product being installed.
Carpet is a textile product and manufacturers establish tolerances for their products. Most manufacturers consider their tolerances to be within normal limits for the product and do not consider them to be manufacturing defects.
Should you have need for a pattern carpet inspection you may wish to contact Terry Weinheimer or Kevin Weinheimer at the Weinheimer Group
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I’ve never been much of a handyman, so I don’t think I would be very good at carpentry. I really like the drop pattern match design that you’ve shown on this article. If I ever needed a rug for my kitchen, I would get one that looked like that.
Alex Jennings |
Great information about bow, skew, etc. Keep up the great work.
Thank you Clayton, appreciate the fact that you found the article on carpet bow and skew. It is always good to hear this from one of the best floor covering inspectors in Canada.
Terry
I feel the carpet manufactures should do something about bowing of carpet . Iam installer for 40 yrs and is only getting worse . If unr purchasing 1st quality carpet than it should be made right . Technology now a days should not be a issue . Otherwise they need to lower there prices if it can’t be made right. All I can say thanks for the power stretcher and knowledge.
Larry
I too am bothered by the degree of bowing seen with carpet. On the other hand, manufacturers are continuing to look for better ways of production that do include reduction of bowing and yet they have not solved the problem. It is good there are installers like you that have the knowledge and equipment to work with bowed carpet. Unfortunately our industry in further behind in developing good installer than they are in developing carpet without bow. Many installers don’t even own a power stretcher. The industry needs to train installers to do quality work and to pay them good wages for that quality work.
Terry
I know this is an old article, but i feel inclined to leave a comment for your information none the less. Working with commercial carpets for over 15 years i have seen a constant and pronounced decline in the quality of patterned material being produced. It is rather disheartening to know that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try perfection is simply not possible. The sorry excuses that are given for their failure and the amount of blame they like to place on the installation process is frustrating. There are still good installers in this industry, from time to time i like to consider myself one, however our job is becoming harder all the time. Keep fighting the good fight and thank you for the information.
Mark,
Excellent comment. You are absolutely correct, there are many great carpet installers.
Terry
Am the owner of a flooring installation company and though I know your intentions are good they come from a fairy tale land that doesn’t exist, a gradual sag down the middle of the carpet would be like a vacation from reality, most of the worst bowing occurs a foot off the edge where the seam goes and then takes ten more turns before it gets 12 feet to the other side. Bottom line is that it should be outlawed to try and put any straight patterns across width, needs to stay busy in that direction and anything straight should always be in the length. The conditions that carpet reaches an installer in and manufacturer problems are two entirely different things but when combined with shipping, storage and climate change issues the job becomes 50 times harder than anything you are talking about on here, or just plain impossible.
Jon
Thank you for writing, we always appreciate hearing from carpet installers. Having once owned and operated a flooring installation company, myself, I understand your concerns.
What we have shared in this article is not our expectations, they are the expectations of the carpet manufacturing industry and that of professional carpet installation organizations. These expectations cannot always be met to perfection.
You make a good point about some of the bowing that is seen and the difficulty in correcting it. We agree, that at times the expectations placed upon the installer seem high, especially with the poor-quality control of some carpet manufacturers and the unwillingness of many in the industry to pay the carpet installer fairly for installing patterned carpet and correcting problems in bow and skew.
We also find that many installers are not equipped with the proper tools and knowledge to correct even the simplest of bows and skews. We encourage installers to better educate themselves through organizations such as CFI.
Terry
I understand that your intentions are good and didn’t mean to go in about your diagrams on the site, I was having a bad pattern match day myself and was looking at the diagrams wishing it were that simple, my point was that the way it’s manufactured and the way it reaches an installer are two entirely different things. After being stored and moved around incorrectly combined with the manufacturer defects and even further with poor jobsite conditions it’s enough to make me want to just run away sometimes but it’s what I love so the fight continues. Sincerely….the driven mad installer
Jon, We love hearing from installers. You guys and gals have a difficult job out there. Many of the carpets products your have to work with are of poor quality. Way to many retailers way undercharge for labor, resulting in installers being underpaid for the extra work they often need to put into a project. Please keep on posting and sharing your thoughts with us. This helps others and makes us try to do a better job also.
Terry
Nice article, very helpful!
Thank you
the trade is not worth being in anymore ,compared to other trades,we get paid like we work at wallmart! its the worse trade ever,and you wonder why young people dont want to get in this trade???? the trade is a joke ,and the money you make, for the work u do is an even bigger joke!!!! i installed for 30 yrs,and im soooo glad im done ,i cant even tell you
Tom, I must agree with you that manyu installers are not getting paid a fair wage. Day-in and Day-out, our company goes on inspections where the installer has taken many short cuts leading to a carpet complaint. Unfortunately this often falls on the installer even though they took the short cuts as that was the only way they would get the job done in a reasonable amount of time. I put the blame on the retailers that are unwilling to charge what a job is worth to do it correctly. I also put the blame on the consumer that is looking for the cheapest price not only for the carpet but also for the labor. We cut cut carpet complaints in half or even less if installers were paid at a fair rate for we would then have more quality installers instead of a whole lot of carpet butchers calling themselves installers. About all I can YELL is WAKE UP DEALERS AND PAY A FAIR PRICE FOR GOOD INSTALLERS. WAKE UP CONSUMER STOP LOOKING FOR THE CHEAPEST PRICE FOR YOU ARE GETTING WHAT YOUR WILLING TO PAY FOR.
Terry
Please may I ask your advice .
I have a Wilton tartan carpet in my hallway & snug it’s been down coming up 12 months it was a big expense for me I loved the pattern but it never looks straight the lines are always wiggly .
Spoke with my retailer & asked if it needed adjusting in the fit but he says it’s the pile & to sweep it over with a brush after hovering this isn’t effective still not straight & gets worse as it’s walked on .Ive never had this problem with other patterns please please could you advise .Thank you
If I understand your question correctly the actual pattern is not straight. Unfortunately there are multiple potential causes of this and without seeing the actual installation I can be of little help. The usual cause of what you describe are as follows: Pattern not properly stretched during installation (fitting). Carpet backing that is too soft or what you are seeing is the actual design.