How to Fix Carpet That Has Bubbled | Causes & Solutions
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Do you have a carpeted house? Then you must be familiar with carpet bubbling as it is one of the most common problems with carpets. Many of us love to use a wall-to-wall carpet. Carpet not only gives a pleasant look to your house, but it also protects your sensitive flooring from getting damaged.
If you have children or a pet, a carpeted floor is more beneficial for you. But the unwanted bubbling can give your carpet an unpleasant look. Even a hill or bump in the middle of the carpet makes you uncomfortable to walk also.
If you have a wall-to-wall carpet, then you may also have faced such a problem. But have you ever tried to fix it yourself? In general, it may seem like a tough job, but not.
At first, you should find out what causes carpet bubbling, and then following some easy steps, you can fix it. Here we will brief you on some common causes of carpet bubbling and some easy ways to fix it for your convenience.
What Causes Carpet Bubbling
When there is a ripple or bump in the middle of the wall-to-wall carpet, it is called bubbling. The most common issues of carpet bubbling are:
1. Incorrect installation
Among the various reason, the most common reason for the carpet bubbling is the wrong installation. As a wall-to-wall carpet is large enough, you should hire an expert installer team. Before you contract with any company, check their online reviews carefully to prove their previous track record.
Make sure the installer team has the proper equipment to do their job in the right way. If you want to install your carpet yourself, ask for help from someone who has done this before.
If the installer team does not install the carpet correctly, then it will bubble soon. In that case, call the service provider immediately to fix the problem as soon as possible.
2. Low-quality carpet pad
A low-quality carpet pad is another major cause of carpet bubbling. Many people do not want to invest more in carpet pads when they buy a new carpet.
But this is important because a cheap carpet pad can cause great regression in the future. Considering the right quality pad, a cheap pad ruin quickly and a bubble can occur also.
3. Old carpet
Bubbles are more common on older carpets. An old carpet with bubbles means it is high time to replace the carpet with a new one. Even if it is high-quality, a carpet and pad can lose their sustainability over time.
A more than 15 years old carpet can lead to bubbling, and it refers to purchasing a new one for your home or office.
4. Wet carpet
Another important reason for a carpet bubble is if it gets too wet. You should never keep wet your carpet. Your carpet can wet due to using a steam cleaner as it uses an excessive amount of water.
Besides, many cleaning service providers use carpet cleaners with a high-moisture, high-pressure method in their cleaning process. After using these cleaners, if your carpet gets too wet or leaves wet carpet for a long time, it can start appearing as bubbles or ripples.
5. Weather
Don’t be surprised; the weather can also be a cause of carpet bubbles. If you pass the middle of the very humid time of the year, bubbles can appear here and there on the carpet. But the good news is that if the bubble appears only for humidity, there is a big chance it to vanish when the weather cools down again.
How to fix a carpet that has bubbled
A carpeted floor looks really nice, but it is great only when you first get it. After only a few years, the carpet starts bubbling and gets only worse over time. But if you maintain it properly and take the necessary steps whatever it needs instantly, then it can successfully hold its beauty year after year.
Many users often asked our expert team how they can fix a carpet that has bubbles. Bubbles appear does not mean you have to replace the carpet right now. Following some easy methods, you can easily fix this problem. Let us see how you can do it.
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Use a power stretcher
You may need some tools, including a power stretcher and kicker, or you can buy them or can rent them. You just need to ask your local handyman. Keep in mind that only a kicker can not get out all the kinks. Besides, if you do not use the kicker properly, it could hurt your knee.
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Pull up the carpet
Usually, a wall-to-wall carpet is large and heavy. So it can be a little bit tough to pull the carpet around the edges. Take help from someone and use the necessary tools. By this, you can successfully remove various waves, ripples, and bubbles.
While pulling the carpet, make sure you don’t pull apart the seams; otherwise, you will have to arrange some other tools to put them back together.
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Move some of the seams
You may need to move some seams also so that you do not need to stretch the carpet too much. Now cut off the unnecessary part. You need to be very careful as the carpet will not grow if you cut it off too much, and you may have to buy a new one.
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Use a hot seamer
You may need to use a hot seamer to seam back together with those areas from where you have moved them. Make sure that the seams fit tightly and they do not overlap. Because if you leave any gap between seams or overlap them, then air will get the way to run and create bubbles.
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Use the kicker and stretcher again
Use a kicker and stretcher again to stretch the carpet back into place. You should stretch the carpet at an angle only one way. The other side should remain straight.
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Cut down the edges
Finally, cut the excess portion of the carpet and push it down. Your job is almost finished. Do not forget to re-install the baseboard if you removed it before.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What causes a carpet to bubble up?
The biggest reason that makes the carpet bubble up is humidity. If you live in an area with unpredictable humidity, a change in the humidity can make the carpet bubble up all of a sudden. The bubbling up can happen especially during summer, due to the air’s moisture.
How do you fix a carpet hump?
If you notice a hump near the wall, you can use the knee kicker to reset the carpet. But you have to figure out the reason for the hump to take the necessary actions. When the hump is caused by loose carpet, you don’t have to pull up the underpadding.
Is it worth re-stretching the carpet?
Yes, you can’t just throw the expensive carpet away because it is bubbled up. Instead, you can try re-stretching it. Thus, re-stretching is more cost-effective, and you won’t have to buy a new carpet that costs a fortune.
What is the average cost of stretching a carpet?
Typically, re-stretching a carpet costs around $100 to $300. Most of the local stretching services take $100 for a single room. However, depending on the service, the charges may vary.
Wrapping up
We hope our brief guild will help you. Though how accurately you can fix the carpet bubble will depend on your own experience. But do not worry at all; if it is your first try, the appropriate tools and our clear guidelines will drive you the right way. If still, you are not confident that you can do it own, then do not hesitate to hire an expert.
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