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wayne zabel

  • Posts: 1082
Should I be worried
« on: July 14, 2010, 04:36:31 pm »
Some advice please guys.............Did a wool Axminster today,only a small 12x12 room.Lots of dry passes ect ect

When I started wanding I noticed that the carpet wasn't very well gripped to the rods and the vacuums on the machine were lifting the carpet.

Anyway when nearing completion I did the doorway and again noticed that the carpet had lifted from the gripper bar at the door entrance and woulded fit back on to the bar as it seemed a couple of centimetres smaller than extent of the gripper bar.The carpet just didn't want to sit back on the grippers and was raised slightly.

This was the only part of the carpet that seemed to be slightly smaller than the extent of the room - if this makes sense.

Everywhere else showed no signs of shrinkage.It only took me about half an hour to do the room,would an Axminster show signs of shrinkage in such a small length of time?

Thanks in advance

Wayne

Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)

  • Posts: 1834
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2010, 05:11:52 pm »
Wayne

No offence mate, but these are pretty basic things that you should be looking out for. You have obviously identified it as a woven carpet, so your next step should have been to check all the fixings.

Yes, certain wovens, and not just belgian wiltons can shrink. You may have to go back tomorrow and see if it has relaxed, but bear in mind that you won't get any stretch on the width of an axminster.

I don't know what training courses you have attended, but even the NCCA course covers things like this.

You will know better next time you come across an axminster, but these things have a habit of biting you on the arse if you haven't had the training.

wayne zabel

  • Posts: 1082
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2010, 05:27:43 pm »
No offence taken,yes I know I should have mentioned this to the client before proceeding but she was an old dear who I thought wouldnt understand what I was telling her.I proceeded thinking that all the furniture in the room would hold the carpet in place.

I have done 2 courses and realise that I could have ballsed up due to complacency.

I dont know why the only part that looked to have any shrinkage was at the door way,I dont even think the carpet was on the grippers at th doorway...but yeas I should have checked these things in more depth.


Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)

  • Posts: 1834
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2010, 05:35:37 pm »
Bear in mind Wayne, that the doorbar doesn't grip the carpet in quite the same way as grippers do and there is only a small amount of carpet tucked into it - not a problem 99% of the time, but worth bearing in mind for future woven jobs.

gwrightson

  • Posts: 3617
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2010, 05:42:52 pm »
Wayne,

If you are worried that the carpet will not stretch back, and as you say the shrinkage is only in the door my a couple of centimeters the solution would be to fix a slightly wider door bar, this will ensure a neat fix to your problem for the sake of 3 or 4 quid.

geoff
who ever said dont knock before u try ,i never tried dog crap but i know i wouldnt like  haha

Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2010, 06:09:48 pm »
If you are worried that the carpet will not stretch back, and as you say the shrinkage is only in the door my a couple of centimeters the solution would be to fix a slightly wider door bar, this will ensure a neat fix to your problem for the sake of 3 or 4 quid.

Was just going to say that.
But a lesson to be learnt for future when doing your inspection.

Mike Halliday

  • Posts: 11581
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2010, 06:30:33 pm »
I often clean carpets that are not properly fixed or pull off the gripper with the wand.

how many of us do check to see the carpets are properly fixed on the gripper?

perhaps we should give Wayne a break ;)

these things happen :-\ :-\

Mike Halliday.  www.henryhalliday.co.uk

Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)

  • Posts: 1834
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2010, 06:33:18 pm »
I check as a matter of course if it's a woven and I'm sure in future Wayne will as well.

richy27

Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #8 on: July 14, 2010, 07:08:50 pm »
wayne

steve got good points there. you can learn from this use what you have found out today in a positive way alter the way you approach each job. i have had the odd carpet pop up on me especially around doors which was easily put right with the aid of a glue gun.

i have on lots of occasions advised the custy to have the carpet re fitted before cleaning if your spider senses start tingling reasonably in expensive for them but dont get involved in arranging it yourself but have a fitters numer with you that you can recommend.

garyfindlay

  • Posts: 788
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2010, 10:48:17 pm »
I had a carpet shrink slightly on me in a newish ground floor living room. The grippers had been nailed into concrete, not glued and had been ok for 5 years, then when cleaned became my problem. Cost me £40, to get restretched a cm or so, and double gripped and glued. Regular customers daughter so was ok. he phoned carpet shop, and complained and they came out and relayed with corect fitting, but I was still out of pocket.

Dave_Lee

  • Posts: 1728
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2010, 05:21:13 pm »
The truth is with any carpet including an Axminster or other woven, if they are correctly fitted onto secure fittings including door bars, they will not move off the gripper or out of the bar.
These problems mainly arise because the carpet has been 'Net Fitted'. This is when the carpet instead of being cut, allowing sufficient over-lengh and width to accommodate a good secure tuck in, is cut so that it just butts up to the skirting board. Woven carpets will almost always try and pull in when moisture is applied, and this pull in can be sufficient to lift 'Net Fitted' carpet off the gripper, and out of door bars.
Dave.
Dave Lee, Owner of Deepclean Services
Chorley Lancs. Est 1980.
"Pay Cheap -You get Cheap - Pay a little more and get something Better."

clinton

Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #11 on: July 16, 2010, 03:18:05 pm »
Wayne just did a carpet this more and it looked like it would have moved a little so i spray glued it just to be sure before it curled up at the door..

Did you get it sorted?

Hilton

  • Posts: 5572
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #12 on: July 16, 2010, 04:14:22 pm »
On Axminsters and Wiltons you must always check that there is no pre-existing condition caused by either poor cleaning, leak or customer clean and if there is the slightest sign of it make the customer aware.Takes about 5 mins.

Especially so on contract wiltons and Axminsters, the houskeepers will almost ceratinly have attempted a clean, next time you stay at hotel look around te doors and edges (if your sad enough) its always shrunk back away from the skirtings.

You whipper snappers will not remember but many years ago the Playboy mansion used to be a place called Stocks in a village called Albury in Hertfordshire.

We cleaned the carpets there and applied fire resistant solution to all the soft furnishings, including the hessian wall paper, which the fire brigade chief insisted upon,  ::)

We were called back a week later as the Wilton (and there was a ton of the stuff) had 'shrunk'. We had all kinds of accusations being flung at us by the Estate Manager who panicking because the big boss Hugh Heffner was coming over to stay for a month to shag a few bunnies.

It was going to cost us £28000 to replace the carpet he says, until we pulled out our report and pictures taken by yours truly showing all the areas of shrinkage caused by their in house team over many years of bodged cleaning attempts. They had one of the old Stimvak Toto's which was not a bad little machine at the time they just had no idea how to use it.

Any way apologies all round we visited many times after and had a good relationship with them until it all went tits up (excuse the pun) so to speak and playboy closed.

Moral is, protect yourself especailly with expensive items, it will slap you in the face, when you least expect it.

wayne zabel

  • Posts: 1082
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #13 on: July 16, 2010, 09:39:24 pm »
Wayne just did a carpet this more and it looked like it would have moved a little so i spray glued it just to be sure before it curled up at the door..

Did you get it sorted?

I havent heard anything from the customer but doing her daughters tomorrow so she may mention it as she visits her mum every day

peter maybury

  • Posts: 916
Re: Should I be worried
« Reply #14 on: July 16, 2010, 10:13:49 pm »
carpet fitters are the same as a lot of people and the rates that they get from most of the shops does mean that they will throw it down as quickly as they can. Many of them are ill equipped and few have things like nail driving bars (Used for driving nails  under radiators) If they are unable to get a sound fixing using masonary nails, not many would use grippfill to stick the gripper then make a return trip to fit the carpet.
Very often when people have patio doors and things replace the door fitter will "refit" the carpet. It is not always easy to assess the quality of the fixings during a survey  but if I ever have any doubts, will always explain to a customer the risk with a woven carpet. If the carpet does schrink after warning the customer, it is far better than being seen as making excuses after the event.
There are certain things that are beyond our control and short comings on the part of the fitters should not come back on us, provided we have acted professionally and been responsible in the way that we have approached the job. My knowledge of carpet fitting does help me to assess a job better than most and this knowledge is also a reassurance when talking to the customer customers.
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.co.uk