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Carpet Inspector Education

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certified carpet inspector education

Carpet Inspector Education Becoming Certified

Carpet inspector education is far too basic and far to easy. To become a truly Qualified and Certified Carpet Inspector is not easy! In fact, very few individuals ever continue their carpet inspector education to that point.

Carpet inspector education required to gain Certification is a short 3 to 5 day class. The student learns how to identify the more common carpet problems, the basics of carpet inspection, basic report writing and what the carpet industry expects of them. If they pass the test and pay the fees they become a Certified Carpet Inspector.

Most newly certified inspectors soon learn that becoming a successful carpet inspector is much more difficult than they expected. It is not just about the carpet but also, industry standards, structural concerns, maintenance and more.  Many are taken in by the ads they read for an inspection school. These ads have them believing that they would become an instant success. After performing a few inspections, they throw in the towel and move on to a different line of work. The few carpet inspectors that find success in the industry, realized that becoming Certified was but a single step towards becoming a successful qualified expert.

A commonality among Certified Carpet Inspectors that are Qualified Experts is that they are educated, have a strong industry background and are knowledgeable in several phases of the carpet industry. The successful Certified Inspector continues to expand their knowledge through experience and continued education. These inspectors become an asset and not a liability to the consumer and the industry.  

Carpet Inspector Education for the Expert

Education for the qualified and certified carpet inspector is on going. Inspectors such as Terry and Kevin Weinheimer, started out with a solid industry background, continue to keep abreast of ongoing changes in the carpet industry, have performed hundreds if not thousands of carpet inspections and continue their carpet inspector education through floor covering associations, manufacturers and schools. In fact, Terry Weinheimer and Kevin Weinheimer are not only Certified Experts, they are the experts that wrote Carpet Inspectors Handbook, a book that has been used industry wide by professional inspectors and experts in the carpet industry. For both the consumer and the industry Terry and Kevin operate the carpetswalltowall.com website where they share carpet information.

The qualified carpet inspector must become a professional student who regularly participates in seminars and courses that enables them to become a better inspector. As a student, the carpet inspector will continuously gather and study trade publications, text books, technical bulletins, newsletters, supplier information and any other floor covering related information that they find in print or on the Internet.

The qualified carpet inspector must have or develop the ability to constantly perform research no matter how knowledgeable they may already be. The carpet industry is ever-changing, and contrary to what some may believe you cannot know everything—but a qualified carpet inspector such as Terry Weinheimer or Kevin Weinheimer of the Weinheimer Group, will know how to find the answer. To contact Terry or Kevin, give them a phone call at 800.621.3427.

Carpet Warranty Limitations

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Carpet Warranty Limitations Residential Carpet

read the carpet warranty limitations

There is a variety of Carpet Warranty Limitations in nearly every carpet warranty. Some of these restrictions are weasel-like (escape) clauses though most are sensible.  Sensible or not, a wise consumer should review and understand them prior to making their purchase.

Carpet Warranty Standard Limitations

Following is a list of Standard Warranty limitations:

  • Only first quality carpet covered (No irregulars or seconds).
  • Fiber manufacturers only cover carpets that use their yarn system and meet their performance specifications.
  • Residential carpets not covered when used for commercial application.
  • Rental units: Often excluded.
  • Damage from abnormal use such as water damage, plumbing, storm or flood, damage from smoke or fire, damage from improper cleaning methods or materials, and from improper maintenance.
  • Carpet appearance not covered unless specifically listed in the warranty. Appearance includes but is not limited to changes from wear, matting, crushing, shading, loss of texture, tears, pulls, cuts, pilling, shedding, fuzzing, pets, burns, furniture indentations, improper installation, defective carpet manufacture, improper cleaning materials or methods.
  • Repairs or replacements are limited to the affected area of the carpet.
  • Required replacement is limited to the affected area of the carpet, which will mean the room where the defect or problem exists and only extending to a point such as the nearest wall, doorway or entrance. If the identical carpet is not available the replacement is limited to a carpet of comparable cost, quality and sometimes color.
  • The fiber or carpet manufacturer will only pay for the carpet. Some will pay for the removal of the old carpet and installation of the new carpet. Generally excluded on a replacement are moving or replacing equipment, furnishings, partitions, etc.
  • To qualify for repair or replacement, the consumer may be asked to provide the original sales receipt or other documentation showing proof of purchase and installation dates. This information must be acceptable to the manufacturer.
  • Some warranties are not transferred and some warranties are transferable only in owner-occupied residences.
  • Many warranties are prorated over a specific period of time with only the carpet covered and the installation, pad and maintenance cost excluded.

Commercial Warranties will cover similar carpet warranty limitations to those of residential warranties and should be studied carefully by all involved.

Article is modified from Carpet Inspectors Handbook by Terry and Kevin Weinheimer

More on Carpet Warranties

Carpet Warranties
No Mat/No Crush Warranty
Texture Retention Warranty
Stain Warranty
Wear Warranty
Carpet Warranty Limitations

No Mat/No Crush Warranty

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No Mat/No Crush Warranty

no mat/no crush warranty

A major complaint with carpet is matting and crushing. To address this concern, some manufacturers such as Shaw offer a No Mat/No Crush warranty on some of their carpet products. This is basically another appearance retention warranty.  While most all carpets are covered by a wear warranty the problem is really not wear as synthetic fibers do not wear out, they “ugly out.” The ugly out is often matting and crushing as the carpets yarn looses its resiliency.

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Carpet Texture Retention Warranty

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Carpet Texture Retention Warranty Basics

carpet texture retention warranty cri reference scale

The carpet texture retention warranty usually covers excessive loss of texture from foot traffic resulting in tuft bursting, opening or loss of twist which cannot be corrected. Under the terms of the carpet texture retention warranty the manufacturer will often have a certified carpet inspector rate the carpet using the CRI texture retention rating scale. These standardized rating scales have a range, 5 = No change, 4 = Slight change, 3 = Noticeable change, 2 = Considerable change, 1 = Severe change (A grading with a decimal indicates that the appearance fell between two grading scales. The accepted change under the terms of the carpet texture retention warranty will often be 3.0 to 3.5. It is considered a normal characteristic for the texture of any carpet to change over time. Texture retention is the ability of carpet’s tufts to retain their visible shape, as measured by the degree of bursting, opening, or untwisting of the tufts at the surface of the carpet.

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Carpet Stain Warranty

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The Carpet Stain Warranty and Soil Warranty

carpet stain resist warranty

As with other carpet warranties the carpet stain warranty may be for a certain number of years such as 5, 10 or 20 or it may be a “lifetime” warranty for the life of the carpet.

  1. Stain resist products are designed for and generally warranted to resist stains from common food and beverages when installed in owner-occupied residences.
  2. Soil resist products are designed for and generally warranted to resist abnormal color changes from normal foot traffic on carpets that are used for indoor residential use, and the carpet cannot be corrected.

Stain Resist Warranties for olefin and polyester will often be more liberal than those on nylon due to the differences in fiber characteristics.

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Carpet Wear Warranty

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Carpet Wear Warranty and Abrasive Wear Resistance

carpet wear warramtyThe carpet wear warranty almost always refers to wear in the terms of abrasive wear. Carpet wear  is described as the actual loss of the carpet face fiber through normal abrasion (foot traffic). A carpet wear warranty will cover periods from 5, 10, or more years and some are for lifetime. Carpet wear warranties cover against becoming abrasively worn through normal abrasion. Standard percentages used to establish the amount of wear required to be considered excessive wear range between 10% and 15%. [Read more…]

Carpet Warranties

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Carpet Warranties Are Diverse and Confusing

carpet warrantiesCarpet warranties are diverse and often confusing to the consumer and professional alike. A fiber manufacturer may imply through a photo in an ad that a carpet will perform in a way that it may not. A salesperson may give the consumer an expressed or implied warranty by stating or inferring that a product will perform in a certain way. Fiber manufacturers, carpet manufacturers, and many dealers offer limited product performance warranties.

Express: To represent in words or to give or convey a true impression of.
Imply: To involve or indicate by inference, association, or necessary consequence rather than by direct statement.

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FHA Carpet Pad Standards HUD UM 72

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Hud pad FHA carpet cushion standards

FHA Carpet Cushion Standards HUD UM 72

FHA Carpet Pad Standards are listed under HUD UM 72 Carpet Cushion Standards and HUD Capet Standards UM 42 for carpet and carpet with attached cushion. FHA carpet pad standards were established by the Fair Housing Administration in response to an absence of industry-wide standards for controlling the quality of low-to-medium-grade carpeting and carpet cushion. HUD FHA carpet cushion standards and UM 72  and UM 42 carpet standards have continued as the industry-wide HUD FHA carpet pad standards and the FHA HUD carpet standards.

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FHA HUD Carpet Standards HUD UM 44

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FHA HUD carpet standards

FHA – HUD Carpet Standards UM 44d

FHA HUD Carpet Standards UM 44, serve as quality control guidelines and performance criteria requirements for new carpet production.  HUD Carpet Standards HUD UM 44 and cushion standards HUD UM72, set minimum requirements and test methods for carpet products to be acceptable under FHA/HUD programs. NVLAP – National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program developed the HUD program for testing carpet products. [Read more…]

Carpet Seams Showing the Cause

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carpet seams showing pattern not matchedCarpet seams showing is often the difference between and ordinary carpet installation and a masterpiece. While invisible carpet seams are not always possible, it is the goal of many great installers to construct invisible seams. While this is an admirable goal, invisible seams should never be promised. In fact it is advisable for the sales person to tell the consumer in advance of the installation that the seams cannot be guaranteed invisible. [Read more…]

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