When you slide on your shirt or your pants in the morning, you probably don’t think much about the construction. We accept the fact that seams are a part of the construction.

But what about your carpet?

Carpet rolls come in three sizes – 12’, 15’, and occasionally 13’ 6”. That means if your room size is larger, or if you have long hallways or are carpeting your entire home, you’ll have seams in various places. While some carpets hide it better than others, it is important to realize that seams will never be invisible. But a good carpet installer will be able to place it in such a way it has minimal impact.

Different carpets will seam differently

Depending on the size and traffic of a room, you can choose carpets where seams will be less noticeable. Berbers, for example, are the most difficult to hide seams. That doesn’t mean they aren’t worth the investment, it means you should have realistic expectations about their placement. Shags and twists are the easiest to seam because their loose pile will blend well once installed.

Acceptable seams

You may hear the term acceptable seam when looking at carpets. Seams are visible when they are used to install your carpeting. They are even more visible when you know where they are. An acceptable seam should have the carpet backings flush with one another. They should never have gaps or overlays. Berber carpet should be cut lengthwise along the bias, never cut with a cross seam as it will be more noticeable.

Unacceptable seams

We would term an unacceptable seam those that are not flush with each other, or cause a gap between the pieces of carpet. If you have carpeting installed and this is a problem, in some cases it can be repaired.

Seam peaking

Seam peaking occurs when the seam is set, and then stretching occurs as the installation process is completed. When the carpet is stretched, it is pulled where the edges of the tape are attached to the carpet, and the two pieces lift to create a peak. Seam peaking can be minimized, but only if a professional understands how to install a carpet correctly. This is often one of the easiest ways to tell a professional job from one that wasn’t.

Seams are a part of most carpet installations in the home. They aren’t something to be feared when handled correctly. Have a question?