“I moved into my home three months ago. The carpet appeared to be okay when we bought the house, but now I find myself tripping over the carpet in the hallway several times a week. I occasionally see a small roll in the carpet, but it doesn’t appear to be that bad. Can this be stretched? Or is it time for new carpet?”
Carpet can develop humps and rolls after years of wear and use. But that doesn’t mean your carpet is ready for the landfill once you find these in your most lived-in areas.
Re-stretching a loose carpet pulls the slack out of the carpet, and allows it to lay flush against the floor once again.
Loose carpeting most commonly occurs in older carpeting. Over time, carpeting may begin to lose its elasticity and begins to stretch and move out of its original shape. The problem worsens if the adhesive used to attach it to the floor loses its strength, or if the carpeting begins to pull up from the corners or edges where it has been tacked down.
Loose carpeting also often occurs in very large pieces of carpeting. Because there may be less support holding it in place, it comes up in places as it begins to wear down. Depending on the size of the carpet, a specialized tool may be used to help take up the slack and hold it in place while it is trimmed and refastened.
And when carpet begins to roll, its not only an unsafe hazard, its also an unsightly problem that takes away from the ambiance and the value of your home.
Overall, stretching is not a process that is required in all carpets. If a carpet is of good quality, properly installed and properly maintained, it should stay in place and not need stretching. However, if you do see rolls and decide to stretch your carpet rather than replace it, it should never be stretched more than once. If you see rolls again, its time to replace the carpeting.
If you are stretching your carpeting, and you either tear the carpet in the process, or discover the padding is damaged underneath the problem area, its also an indication that it is time for replacing both padding and carpeting.