Delamination:- The separation of the foam or secondary backing from the primary because of poor adhesion (manufacturing defect) or poor fitting

Wrinkling, recurring buckles, loss of stability.

Wrinkling is a common problem in the carpet industry. There are two primary causes for wrinkling, the most common is improper installation.

Today’s carpets are very stiff when compared to carpeting from years past, presenting a real challenge for installers. It is not uncommon for carpets installed in the colder months to have the greater number of complaints for wrinkling. Allowing the carpet to acclimatise inside within the warmth of the building for twenty four hours will reduce the incidence of wrinkling. It is not always practical to do so, but if possible, it should be done. Even very skilled installers will have to return to restretch carpeting from time to time.

Installation related wrinkling is characterized by looseness around the walls, seams, and sometimes around heavy furniture. The wrinkles will vary in size, but will typically all run in the same direction. The carpet will have a stiff feel, and wrinkles pushed by hand will move as pushed rather than folding under your hand. Carpet that has been in use and wrinkled for an extended period of time may have damage to the latex from flexing of the backing. This can and does weaken/damage the latex.

Carpeting that is wrinkled should be restretched as soon as possible to prevent damage to the latex which can lead to delamination. The use of a power stretcher is an absolute must in all areas. improper use of the power stretcher can also lead to wrinkling.

  Most wrinkling problems can be corrected by a thorough restretch. By thorough restretch, I mean removing all furniture from the rooms, taking seams apart where necessary, and stretching the carpet in both directions. Many times inspectors will be called out to inspect carpets for wrinkling where the installer has been out two or three times to correct the problem, but has only removed the existing wrinkles with a knee kicker, or usually failed to properly restretch the carpet. A thorough restretch is a very involved process often taking nearly as much time as the original installation. Anything less will result in a recurring wrinkling problem.

While less common than installation error, latex failure can account for some wrinkling complaints. Latex failure is, of course, related to the manufacturing of the carpet. It is characterized by numerous small wrinkles usually in traffic lanes or congestion areas such as doorways, hallways, etc. The carpet will have a loose rag-like feel in the affected areas and the wrinkles will sometimes be in both directions. This is sometimes referred to as delamination (separation of the primary from secondary backings) or loss of dimensional stability (a precursor to delamination). Delamination or latex failure cannot be corrected, replacement according to the manufacturer’s warranties is indicated.

Wrinkling                    Buckling                                Serpentine

The above has been borrowed from the CarpetDoctor web site please feel free to take a visit it shows you other interesting things about carpets.

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