Are carpet seams acceptable?

Seams are a vital part of the manufacturing of everything from clothes to carpets. For all that though, we do not often pay much attention to them and indeed it is easy to forget that they are there at all.

They only time that people are reminded of the seams on their clothing is when they start to fray and become too apparent to others. We think of seams as things that no one should really notice.

That is true of carpet seams as well, but does that mean that visible seams in a carpet are something that should be considered unacceptable?

When carpet seams are necessary

Most carpeting comes in one of three standard sizes – 12 inches, 13.6 inches and 15 inches. However, the rooms that carpets will be fitted in are often a lot less standardised in terms of size. If a carpet is to be laid in a room that is considerably bigger than any of the typical carpet sizes, then seams will be necessary. That is because more than one piece of carpet will be needed to cover the entire floor of the room.

This is particularly common in either very large rooms or in houses or buildings where the hallways are long. There is no way of avoiding carpet seams in that sort of situation.

Seams may be unavoidable in those circumstances, but if you employ a professional to install the carpeting, they will know methods that help to make them less overtly noticeable than if you were doing it yourself. That is partly a matter of reducing the actual visibility of the joins between the different pieces of carpet, but also of fitting the carpeting so that these joins are in less central places on the floor.

Situations in which seams are regarded as acceptable or unacceptable

There are different types of carpet seams, with some viewed as being less acceptable than others.

Unacceptable

A highly visible seam that marks the join between one piece of carpeting and another piece – which is termed a ‘split seam’ within the trade – is generally considered to be unacceptable. This will look unsightly and spoil the effect of the carpet.

Seams that are not fitted together well are also seen as being unacceptable, because they will leave large, visible gaps between the sections of carpeting. Again, the problem here is that they have a clear detrimental effect on the look of both the carpet and the room.

Another example is called ‘seam peaking’ and sees the seams of a carpet rising as peaks. That happens if the carpet gets stretched when it is being fitted, which sometimes happens when amateurs install it.

The last example of an unacceptable carpet seam is one that occurs when a carpet spends a long period folded up, causing a very visible crease. As you can see, seams that destroy the look of the carpet are regarded as bad.

Acceptable

An example of a carpet seam that would not generally be regarded within the trade as a problem is one where the carpet backing is flush all over the room it has been fitted in. This type of seam should have no tuft fibre gaps or overlays and will not be visible to the majority of people using the room, unless they are looking for it or are overly conscious of it.

The differences in seams between carpet types

Carpet seams will be more noticeable with some types of material than they are with others. Thick carpets are able to conceal the seams much more easily than thinner ones, so if visible seams are a deal-breaker for you, opting for something like a shag pile may be best.

Reasons why seams show

There can be various reasons for visible seams, with most of them caused by bad installation.

Seams unravelling

This happens when the carpet is not stuck to the floor properly. If it is not glued down securely, the movement can cause the seams to fray and unravel, which increases their visibility.

Seams splitting

If the carpet is fitted in a room that gets a lot of use and is not laid properly, its seams may split over time. A flooring professional will always lay the carpet so that the seams are well away from the main floor area and will deploy a seam roller to make sure the backing sticks properly.

Seam discolouration

This can happen if the carpet is installed using a sealing iron with too much heat. Again, it is not a mistake a professional will make, as it will ruin the effect of the carpet. Overly heavy seam weights can also bring about discoloured seams by preventing moisture from escaping.

Carpet seams are really only acceptable in certain limited circumstances and your carpet should be laid by a professional to avoid them.