TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT CARPET SEAMS
Roberts
Australia manufactures a full range of quality heat bond tapes
designed to perform on every type of carpet installation from
the lightest residential to the heaviest commercial installation.
No matter what your carpet installation requirements, Roberts
has the tape that's right for you.
ROBERTS
TAPES FEATURE
HIGH
PERFORMANCE HOT MELT ADHESIVE
Environmentally safe, 100% pure adhesive for maximum
bonding strength.
Hot
Melt beads that help hold the adhesive in place and allow you
to see when the adhesive is properly melted.
Hot
Melt thermoplastic adhesive that is low in smoke and virtually
odourless when used with a clean iron.
HIGH
QUALITY PAPER
High quality, silicone release crepe paper that moves
with the carpet and won't stick to the pad for domestic tapes
or reversed silicone release paper for double bond tapes.
Gold
foil laminated kraft paper for commercial tapes.
All
have lay-flat paper that is extra heavy and ultra quiet - eliminating
crinkling underfoot and unsightly wrinkling on the seams.
SCRIM
EXCLUSIVE TO R.L.A.
Fiberglass woven scrim exclusive
to R.L.A. that is completely surrounded by adhesive for flexible
strength - and guaranteed not to split.
Scrim
that is designed with a perfect 90 degree alignment of yarn to
reinforce and strengthen the scrim and prevents it from moving
under pressure.
Scrim
won’t lift off the paper. It stays in place when you iron
it.
Coloured
centre line for easy, accurate alignment under seams.
TIPS
FOR MAKING PERFECT CARPET SEAMS
Roberts Recommend The Following Installation Tips
To Ensure Successful And Professional Installations
Making
a perfect seam is one of the most demanding tasks for the flooring
installation contractor. It is important to remember that the
visibility of seams will vary with each type of carpet, and that
most carpet seams cannot be guaranteed to be invisible.
TIPS
FOR REDUCING SEAM PEAKING
Stretch the carpet tighter in the
direction parallel to the seam, and a little less in the direction
perpendicular to, or across, the seam.
This
will relieve pressure on the seam, and reduce peaking. Always
choose the correct Roberts Carpet Seaming Tape for your installation,
from the tape selector chart. Locate the seam away from a window,
glass door or other strong light source, where light may cast
a shadow across the seam. Even the smallest peak will be accentuated
and become more noticeable.
MINIMIZING
SEAM SPLITTING
Placing the seam in the proper locations is the best
way to avoid seam splitting. Avoid high traffic areas where the
constant up and down movement will increase the likelihood of
a split. The same applies to areas subject to pivoting traffic.
Avoid placing a seam perpendicular to doorway openings. Use a
low profile, high density cushion underlay under the carpet. This
minimizes the up and down movement of the carpet seam, and the
likelihood of it splitting. Make sure you have a complete adhesive
transfer to the carpet backing. Press the carpet into the melted
adhesive. Use a seam roller to assure complete adhesive transfer.
When seaming over thicker and softer underlays, place a flat support
piece, such as 4mm thick ply wood, beneath the seam tape. This
will create a firm, flat base to help force the adhesive into
the carpet backing.
PREVENTING
SEAM UNRAVELLING
Seam unravelling can result in a dangerous tripping hazard
as well as an unsightly seam. Cut cleanly between the rows of
the carpet tufts with a loop pile cutter to avoid fraying. Be
careful not to cut a tuft that will unravel later. Seal the carpet
edges with Roberts 679 Carpet Latex or Roberts 5216 Solvent Based
Carpet Seam Sealer. Work the seam sealer into the raw edge of
the carpet to bind the carpet tufts to the backing. This is the
only way to prevent seam unravelling and delaminating.
PREVENTING
UNSIGHTLY SEAMS
Take care when cutting the seam. Take care to only cut
between the rows, and use a new, sharp blade. Pre stretch the
carpet seam area of the carpet. Seams made with heat bond tape
will not stretch. Failure to pre-stretch the seam may cause wrinkles
adjacent to the seam.
Use
a seam roller with a smooth roller on plush pile carpets. Rollers
with star wheels will leave indentations in the carpet that can't
be repaired.
Cut
evenly when napping the seam. Always discuss the seam location
with the customer prior to installation. An agreement should be
obtained before any work starts.
PREVENTING
SEAM DISCOLORATION
The most common cause of discolouration is the use of
a seaming iron that is too hot. An air cooled heat bond iron is
the optimum solution. It features a double heat shield that reduces
the temperature of the top shield which comes in contact with
the carpet backing. Always seam with the direction of the nap.
Seaming against the grain can reverse the pile in the seam area.
This area will reflect light differently to the rest of the carpet
and it may appear discoloured. Use a piece of plywood or thin
timber instead of a metal tray as a seam weight. Metal trays prevent
residual heat and moisture of freshly made seams from escaping.
Trapped heat can cause tufts to lose their pre-set twist and trapped
moisture can cause tufts to swell, resulting in discoloration
and pile reversal.
Carpet
Seaming Tape Selector |
| |
Domestic
|
Double
Bond |
Coarse
Black |
Action
Bac |
Hessian
Back |
Woven |
| G.T.
Seaming Tape |
• |
|
|
|
• |
|
| Super
GT Seaming Tape |
• |
|
|
|
• |
|
| Super
Tape |
|
|
• |
• |
• |
• |
| Super
Double Bond Tape |
|
• |
|
|
|
|
| 6"
Wide seaming tape |
• |
|
• |
• |
• |
• |
| "Steal
Seam" Anti Peaking Tape |
• |
|
• |
• |
• |
• |
|
