carpet comes in huge rolls these days. When its rolled up and shipped cross country you get what looks like lines. Put a good light on it and try brushing it with your hand. Do the lines dissapear? If you have a small hand steamer try lightly steaming a small section and see if it gets better. I doubt you have a defect, but most likely you are looking at roll crush that will improve with time. At the worst a carpet steamer would eliminate most of your problems. In the meantime vacuum often as that will help.

They steamed the carpet after installation due to roll crush. These lines were not affected by the steam. They run the other direction, and do not change when you brush them or vacuum them.

roll crush takes time and wear to gradually work out (like lots of vacuming and foot traffic to "exercise" the nap).

if it is indeed roll crush, over time they will gradually become less and less noticable, then disappear, and is not considered a defect.

I have no roll crush bands on this carpet. The lines run perpendicular to the roll crush. They are not bands, but single fiber width lines the run the entire width of the carpeting at varied intervals.

The inspector said they are mill lines, and will not change with time. He said that they may not meet the criteria for a defect, as they are not "bad" enough. However, they will send out a 3rd party inspector to make the determination.

What I would like to know is how is this determined? The inspector said in his opinion we have a 50/50 chance of having the manufacturer replace the carpeting, because in his opinion "he's seen worse".

We are unhappy, because the lines are very noticeable due to the fact that this is very dense, plush carpeting.

Are there guidelines for "defects" in the industry that are available to the consumer? I feel like I'm at the mercy of this inspector, and we are very unhappy with this carpeting.

Thanks,
Kathe

every manufactured product has a tolerance for defects. What the # isn't always known. You can most likely find a defect on anything you buy. Did you buy this from a store that offers a 'will replace if your not happy warranty?' such as Carpet One or some Mohawk Floorscape dealer? I'd wait and see what the inspector says. Also while its very apparent to you right now while its new, it may not be as noticeable down the line.

Well we went through the whole dance again, of inspections etc. The carpet was indeed defective, and the manufacturer replaced it. We even went to the warehouse to approve the new carpet. They rolled out the carpet, and while it looked fine, I pointed out that the last carpet looked fine until it had relaxed for a day or so and that this wasn't optimal. Also, that their inspector had been there at installation, and okayed the installation too.

Well, they installed the new carpet, and once again there is a great big line running the length of the carpet. In addition, the new installers put brown (paper?) tape over the seams of the padding, and it crinkles as you walk across it. I just feel ill about the whole thing. I think we're jinxed and should just install astroturf at this point. Any suggestions are welcome as I just want the whole thing to go away.

Get your money back, and don't deal with a place that buys "seconds" to pad their pockets.

I know the carpeting company hires a 3rd party inspector to deal with the manufacturers. But they work for the company that hires them...as they should. Can I hire my own "expert" to advise me on this situation?

Yes, by all means, you can commission your own inspector.

http://www.inspectortrainingservices.biz/InspectorRegistry.html

http://fits4.org/ilist/ilistmain.html

http://www.fcits.org/registry/registry.html

Thanks for the information. I looked at all three sites. Any advice on what to look for when selecting an inspector?

Creditials. Are they qualified to do the inspection.