es, we are the only carpet cleaning company that teaches you how to un-roll your ripple…you heard it here folks! And no, not the roll you eat either! We are referring to the ripple in your carpet…that’s all! Now, you might be asking, why would this be something one would want to know? Well, if you don’t then stop reading! If you do, then this could help solve an unsightly blemish in your carpet!

So now we move on to the important stuff like Ripple & Rolls! So what’s the difference between a Ripple and a Roll? A ripple is where the carpet has buckled (become loose) in the center of the room or surrounding areas. A roll is where the carpet has become “loose” at the baseboard where the tack is located. You see this often in homes with older carpet, high humidity and a stiff latex backing. Ripples are more common due to heave traffic that occurs over time. Rolls not so much, as the baseboard area receives no traffic, but is prone to being pulled up from time to time for maintenance or to run a speaker wire along the wall! Yes, most rolls can be prevented, but then again, most homeowners are not carpet experts either! Reinstalling the carpet properly is how rolls are fixed! We will get into more detail in an moment. Ripples are more common and more difficult to remove! Yep, the old ripple, how hard could it be? Well, in some cases, very difficult! The problem is that carpet is a wear item, just like a tire on a automobile! Over time, the carpet becomes more worn causing wear, which in return, stretches the carpet and the backing, which creates excess length. The question is, what do you do with the extra length? Now that you get the idea of Ripples and Rolls, let’s discuss how they are fixed!

Roll “Repair”

  1. Carpet must be pulled-up from baseboard and tack-strip to release the “Roll” meaning tension…

  2. Once pulled up, there will be excess carpet along the baseboard that will need to be disposed of…

  3. You can use a razor knife to trim the excess carpet or use a stair tool to tuck under the baseboard…

  4. Once trimmed, or tucked, you will need to re-tack the carpet to the tack-strip…

  5. You can do this by using (no tools) just your feet. Walk along the baseboard and carpet will tack down. This method is a “DIY” not professional, but works well enough for a fast-fix! A professional would use a stretch-tool and “pull” the carpet over the tack for a tight bond…

  6. Once completed, vacuum carpet to remove any excess carpet…

Ripple “Repair”

  1. First, if the ripple is in the center of the room, all furniture must be removed! This will ensure a proper stretch on the carpet. BYW, the should probably be done by a carpet install professional…

  2. Once furniture is removed, carpet needs to be pulled from the tack-strip parallel to the ripple…

  3. The carpet must be pulled back far enough to where the carpet backing meets the ripple. For example, if the carpet ripple is 5 feet from the wall, you must pull the carpet back 5 feet (in parallel) to the ripple. If not, the carpet would remain tacked-down and you would not be able to stretch the carpet without damage…

  4. Once pulled back, a power stretcher (for best results) must be used to re-stretch the carpet back to the parallel wall the carpet was pulled from…

  5. Once power stretched, the carpet can be re-tacked, trimmed or tucked, depends on the amount of carpet left over…

  6. Once the carpet has been stretched, if the ripple remains (a little) you can use a steam iron and wet washcloth to remove the remaining ripple. First, wet the washcloth, place iron on washcloth and steam the ripple…

  7. Vacuum thoroughly to remove ant excess carpet fibers…

Many times a professional will be needed. The instructions above work just fine for a “DIY” homeowner to fix this type of issue in a timely manner, you just might need some help lifting and moving things around. Hope this helps!