All carpets must be laid in accordance with AS/NZS 2455.1 “Textile Floor Coverings – Installation Practice – General” and these instructions. Feltex Carpets recommends installation be carried out by a professional flooring installer.
Preparation
1. Before making any cuts from rolls or attempting installation, carpet must be checked for:
• Product and colour
• Dyelots
• Width and length
• Any visible defects
• Pattern including checking all edges for bow, skew and trueness (see below).
2. All carpet should be installed on a quality underlay (which should comply with the appropriate classification for the intended use / application as per AS4288 i.e. light residential, general, luxury, commercial and heavy commercial).
Detailed Installation Instructions
Trim carpet according to the pattern, at both the “start” end of the carpet and the “skirt” selvage, not just the selvage edge.
2. Dry lay prior to installation. Allow sufficient waste in order to maximize pattern match (if necessary).
3. Match any patterns from the centre of the seam first, then work out to the ends. When pattern matching, stretch out short sides to meet long sides and if the glued down method is chosen, do not glue down the short side first.
4. When stretching the carpet, fix stay nails across the width (i.e. perpendicular to the seam) for approximately one to two metres in either direction. Stay nail further along the seam then make another stretch.
5. All carpets should be power stretched in both length and width using power stretchers with extendable poles, not knee kickers. Knee kickers are useful installation tools and are designed only as a positioning tool not for stretching carpet into place. Bubbling and rucking may occur if carpet is not adequately power stretched in both directions during installation.
6. Seam adhesive (sealer) should be used for ALL seams - widthwise and lengthwise. For direct glue down applications, use a solvent base seam seal adhesive; conventional installations use a latex base seam seal adhesive. If the seams are not permanently bonded together unravelling and breakdown of the carpet at these edges will not only ruin the total installation, but will cause the carpet to wear prematurely and appear badly fitted. The quality of an installation depends entirely on the quality of seams. Seams are NOT covered by the warranty.
Geometric Printed or Patterned Carpet
(This applies to carpet that has a repeating pattern or texture).
Perfect pattern match cannot be guaranteed due to the extensible nature of textile products, such that even with special care in laying some irregularities may be visible in the horizontal, vertical and diagonal pattern or texture, especially when viewing across multiple width installations. Patterned carpet, taking into account method of installation, requires more time, effort and skill which should be considered in the original labour quotation.
Our carpet tolerances are as follows:
Trueness of Edge: 25mm in 3.66m width.
Skewing: Bowing 40mm in 3.66m widths.
Pattern Repeat: 2% or 72mm in 3.66m length or 144mm in 7.32m lengths.