PSA: That perfect-looking carpet job in the new builds near Denver

Walked into a brand new subdivision off I-25 last Thursday and every single house had the carpet seams splitting open in the hallways. Builder used the cheapest pad they could find and stretched the carpet too tight over it. Three rooms already had wrinkles forming before the homeowners even moved in. Anyone else see this pattern with production builders rushing jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia_anderson11d ago

Pull up a corner of that carpet and check the pad thickness. Most builders use 6lb rebond pad that's maybe 3/8 inch thick, which is trash for any carpet with a pattern. You need at least 7/16 inch with a higher density rating to keep seams from showing. Also look for the carpet's stretch direction - if they ran the roll perpendicular to the hallway instead of parallel, you'll get ripples no matter what they do. A good installer can fix loose carpet with a power stretcher but seams splitting means the backing is already damaged.

drew_thomas910d ago

Notice how this cheap pad problem shows up everywhere, not just carpet. Builders cut corners on stuff you can't see then act surprised when it fails six months later. Same thing happens with drywall tape, outlet boxes, you name it.

logan26310d agoMost Upvoted

Kinda feels like people blow this stuff out of proportion sometimes. Yeah builders cut corners but most of that stuff lasts for years before you even notice. A little ripple in the carpet or a seam showing is annoying sure but it's not like the house is falling down.