Carpet Rippling Or Wrinkling

What's happening?

A stretch-fitted carpet is held under tension between gripper rods at the perimeter. Ripples mean that tension has been lost. The most common cause is a carpet that was laid using a knee kicker alone rather than being power-stretched, so it never reached its intended tension and has relaxed into waves within a year. The others are humidity (a carpet backing takes up moisture in a damp room and expands) furniture being dragged, and a landing or corridor where foot traffic pushes the pile in one direction over months. It is not a sign of a faulty carpet. It is almost always fixable by re-stretching rather than replacing, which is worth knowing before anyone quotes you for new flooring.

What usually causes it?

• Fitted with a knee kicker only, without a power stretcher, so it was never at full tension
• Humidity and temperature changes causing the backing to expand, common after a damp winter
• Heavy furniture dragged across the carpet, pushing the backing off its grippers
• Gripper rods too far from the wall, poorly fixed, or fixed into a crumbling floor edge
• Underlay that has broken down or moved, so the carpet is no longer bearing evenly
• Traffic on a landing or corridor walking the pile in one direction over time
• A carpet moved from another room and refitted without being re-stretched to the new dimensions

Is it dangerous?

A ripple is a trip hazard, and a bad one on a landing or at the head of a staircase is a serious one. Falls are among the most common causes of serious injury in the home, particularly for older people, so a wave that catches a foot should be dealt with rather than lived with.

Can I fix it myself?

Not really. Re-stretching needs a power stretcher and the carpet has to be released from the grippers along at least two walls and re-trimmed, which is skilled work that goes wrong quickly if the carpet is over-stretched or the edge is trimmed short. In the short term, move the furniture off the ripple and keep the area clear of trip risk. Do not cut a ripple out.

When should you call a flooring fitter?

Call a flooring fitter as soon as a ripple is catching underfoot, and certainly before it reaches a stair head. Re-stretching an existing carpet is a straightforward visit for a fitter and it usually restores the floor completely. A fitter will also tell you if the grippers or the underlay are the real problem, which no amount of re-stretching will cure.

What will the flooring fitter actually do?

• Check the gripper rods, the underlay and the carpet backing before deciding whether re-stretching will hold
• Release the carpet from the grippers along the walls the stretch will run to
• Power-stretch the carpet to full tension across the room rather than kicking it in
• Re-fix, trim and tuck the edges, replacing gripper rods that have pulled out of the floor
• Replace failed underlay where it is no longer supporting the carpet evenly

Who fixes this

• Carpet fitting

Questions people ask

Sources & References

1. BS 5325: Code of practice for installation of textile floor coverings
2. National Institute of Carpet & Floorlayers
3. RoSPA: Home safety