Facts About Carpet Buckling

Ripples and buckles in carpet are incredibly frustrating! Not to mention that they are a hazard to those that live in your house. They seemingly show up out of nowhere too. Why is that? What are the root causes of buckling and is there anything you can do to prevent them from developing? Let’s find out.

Poor Installation

One major culprit behind carpet buckling is improper installation. If your carpet was not installed correctly in the beginning, problems are bound to creep up not long after. Carpet needs to be pulled as taut as possible and secured firmly to the tack strips along your wall. If the technician who installed your carpet used knee kickers, this may be the reason why your carpet is not stretched properly from wall to wall. Knee kickers rely on the strength of the technician. Power stretchers are machines that are widely understood to provide more long-lasting results in comparison.

Saturated Carpet

Carpet that has been saturated at some point due to leaks or even from a steam cleaning can develop wrinkles shortly thereafter. This is because your carpet fibers and padding soak up that extra moisture like a sponge. And just like how a sponge swells and becomes larger when soaked in water, so does your carpet. Because the moisture expands your carpeting material, this leaves you with buckles and wrinkles. Sometimes, if the carpet has not been saturated for too long, like after a cleaning, the wrinkles will disappear after the water dries fully.

Exposure to Humidity

In a similar vein as the last point, wrinkles and buckles may appear when carpet is in a humid setting. The difference between short term exposure to excess moisture and long-term exposure is that the longer carpets are subject to expansion and shrinking, the more likely it is that the buckles will remain permanently. Some homes are located in parts of the nation that experience an entire humid season that contributes to this problem. Aside from weather, carpet that is in close proximity to laundry rooms or bathrooms are also at risk of buckling because these rooms are major humidity creators.

These are a few of the most common reasons that you might notice buckles developing in your carpeted areas. If your carpet does develop wrinkles, though, you do not have to just live with them. Our team at Nip Tuck Carpet Repair would be happy to stretch out those wrinkles!

By Nip Tuck Carpet Repair 12-5-2022