Your beautiful carpeting that was installed already losing its beauty?  There are many possible reasons why your carpets are rippling or buckling.  You have to remember that carpeting is like skin; once it’s aged it does lose its elasticity.  As the foam underlayment beneath the carpeting breaks down, and the carpet stretches, ripples and buckles can begin to form. This is especially true in heavily trafficked areas of your home, such as entryways, hallways and living rooms the most heavily traffic areas.

  • The most common cause is carpeting was never stretched properly to begin with.  In small area’s the use of a knee-kickers alone may provide sufficient. However in medium and larger sized areas, the use of a power stretcher becomes a necessity.  Using a knee kicker is much faster and it does give enough tension to lay the carpets flat.  Many carpet installers use the knee kicker as a short cut.  In the long run the carpet will start to ripple or buckle after a year or two after installation.
  • Dragging heavy furniture across your carpets is another key factor.  The tackless strip that holds the carpet in place has little nail-like spikes that grip the backing of the carpet. This will loosen after time.
  • Wrong padding thickness or density can cause rippling also.  Make sure you purchase the proper carpet pad for your carpet and to use a qualified carpet layer for installation.
  • Latex when the latex that holds the backing deteriorates, the carpet loses its grip on itself causing loss of fiber and buckling to occur.

Many consumers think that their carpets are rippling or buckling after a carpet cleaning service.  Essence most cases it due to poor installation in the beginning.  Give your carpets the proper time to dry to go back to its natural state.  If your home is very humid you need longer drying time.  Turning on your air conditioner and fans will help with the humidity in your home.  If your carpets are still rippling after proper drying time then you need to have it stretched by a carpet installer to properly fix it.

Reminder it is quite natural for carpets to expand because of the material with which it is made. Carpets even expand during the summers and contracts in the winter. This expansion and contraction cause carpets to get loose, making re stretching a must over time.