Unitary backed stretch in

[highup]

Carpet has some wrinkles and I am wondering if they will come out.
It's in an office and the carpet is a nice commercial grade with a unitary back and a pattern. It has a synthetic hair pad under it. Seams are few, and look very good.

There's a narrow walking path through the main office because of the desks. I suppose it's 24 feet long and 10 feet wide. The wrinkles are in the length of course.
Since the wrinkles are in the narrow walking path along the left wall, they will need to be stretched out to the opposite wall, 8 feet away. It's a long, straight wall with no heater vents in the floor............ so that's good.

A:
I never knew that unitary could be stretched in.

B:
Since unitary doesn't behave like a standard action back, I am wondering if the wrinkles will move much since they are irregular and are 8 feet away from the wall that I will be stretching too.

C:
If the wrinkles are stubborn, just how hard can I stretch before the stuff rips?

The office has a hallway in need of help too, but I want to attempt the front part of the office first since no seams will need to be opened up. If successful, then I will do the hallway.

Carpet looks good otherwise and it's been in for at least 9 years.

 

[rugaddict]

i dont know because i shouldnt know---they took a product designed only for glue down and stuck and padded it---this has got science experiment written all over it---im not even sure if unitary can delaminate---but i suspect a restretch wont do much---my first instinct is to glue down the wrinkles and come back the next day to stretch away from the glue---crazy modified double stick

 

[ernie]

Reminds me when I was doing my R--II C-II and Jon Namba asked me why I was heat seaming a unitary. I said because I can. Lol

Your.going to have to replace the pad and do a double stick with strip. Cut seems near wrinkles, stay nail away from seam area a good distance, glue, stretch up both ways stay nail again, cut new seal eliminating some material so it is tight, seam tape seams with no glue under seams of course. Then go opposite directions glueing and tightening.

 

[DarisMulkin]

I hate to say it unitary is only to be glued down. Not double glued. Beings it already stretched in you might get the bubbles out but it would be iffy. They most likely will come back.
Somebody broke the rules for Unitary. I wouldn't stretch in unitary with action back either. You can't get it tight enough to stay flat.

Daris

 

[highup]

That's what I thought. I peeled a corner back to see how the strip placement was, and I kinda freaked when I saw the backing.
I thought.................... this is just wrong.
Thanks for backing me up. At 9 years or so, the store that sold and installed it is way past warranty worries.
Not sure what kinda fix I can do to make it look a bit better.
Maybe peel one side open and lift it enough to toss 10 hair driers set on high under it till I see smoke, ........then quickly remove them and while the stuff is still pliable, very gently pull the wrinkles out with a nudge from a kicker.
........that stuff really gets stretchy when it gets hot.

 

[Ernesto]

Probably cheaper to replace with commercial actionbac. Like Daris said it is not supposed to be stretched in or double sticked. But for a save I'm with ernie, a decent double stick pad and some glue with a little finesse will give it more years of life than leaving it stretched in over who knows what cushion. I'm surprised it didn't wrinkle in the first year let alone 9 years.

 

[DarisMulkin]

9 years old!! That carpet don't owe them anything. Replace it and do it right. Which I know you wood do.

Daris

 

[highup]

9 years old!! That carpet don't owe them anything. Replace it and do it right. Which I know you wood do.
Daris

I know that. Carpet is wearing fantastic. This is an appraisers office. For a small operation, the amount of file cabinets, desks, printers, etc is a HUGE ordeal.
I'm sure he will ask to do the best that can be done considering everything. He's not gonna do a major on this one. I'm gonna take a kicker up there one of these days just to see if the wrinkles will move even slightly, by applying a small amount of steady pressure. (meaning I'm not gonna boot it hard)
If it doesn't look like the wrinkles will move, then it's his call. I don't want him going to the trouble of emptying out an office full of furniture, computers, etc if I can't improve the situation.
I will certainly let him know that he got screwed. Too bad it took so long for problems to show up. He owns it, and in reality, the shop should own it.

 

[highup]

Probably cheaper to replace with commercial actionbac. Like Daris said it is not supposed to be stretched in or double sticked. But for a save I'm with ernie, a decent double stick pad and some glue with a little finesse will give it more years of life than leaving it stretched in over who knows what cushion. I'm surprised it didn't wrinkle in the first year let alone 9 years.

The only reason it didn't wrinkle the first year is because it had synthetic hair pad. Rebond would have caused huge problems and a lot sooner.
I am guessing that the carpet has synthetic jute under it, is because the owner requested it. He's up on that kinda thing for commercial use.
(unlike the shop that sold him the wrong kinda goods)

 

[Ernesto]

Musta been a bitch installing that in the first place, don't hurt your knee.

 

[DarisMulkin]

I did a search trying to find installation instructions for unitary. Didn't find what I was looking for. But at one time I had a installation book from Shaw and in there it said you could stretch unitary in up to 30 feet. Well I ask James Mullins from Shaw about it and he asked if he could take the book and show their people it that I would get the book back. Never got it back and I know it was not right. But in my searching it says glue down only.

Daris

 

[Ernesto]

"Can't" is not in my installation vocabulary."Won't" definetly is though.

 

[FloorMaven]

One crank and they'll flatten right out. Is this a unitary with a secondary? Is ernie and Ernesto the same guy?

 

[highup]

Musta been a bitch installing that in the first place, don't hurt your knee.

I don't 'kick', so doncha be doin no worryin' Have had a heria for 20 years, so I stretch, no kicky. Just wanted to use the kicker to push off a wall to get a feel for what might happen.
I would suppose that unitary might tear easy........ I don't want to stretch hard and find out, even if I will be stretching behind where the desks set.

 

[highup]

One crank and they'll flatten right out. Is this a unitary with a secondary? Is ernie and Ernesto the same guy?

No secondary backing.