Spent a whole afternoon fighting a single seam that kept popping up

Had a job last Tuesday in an older house off Maple Street. The carpet was a thick plush, nothing crazy. But there was this one seam right in the middle of the hallway that just would not stay flat. Kept lifting every time I stretched it. Tried more glue, different tape, even put a knee on it for 20 minutes. What should have been a 30 minute seam took me close to 3 hours before I finally got it to hold. Has anyone else dealt with a seam that just refused to cooperate for no obvious reason?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisak2626d agoMost Upvoted

Same thing happened to me a few years back in a rental house. That sticky back tape just would not bond no matter what I did. Ended up having to pull the whole strip up and redo it with a hot glue gun after letting the floor dry out overnight. Humidity can mess with seams more than people realize, especially in older homes that have had some water damage or just damp crawl spaces. That extra drying time seemed to fix the issue for me, but it was frustrating waiting around.

olivia_harris1921d ago

Wait, @lisak26, did you have to use a specific brand of hot glue, or will any kind work for that? I've heard some people say the cheap stuff doesn't hold up as well in humid conditions, and I'm wondering if that made a difference for you. Because I'm dealing with a similar issue right now with some vinyl planks in a basement that just won't stay down, and I'm trying to figure out if I should just go buy a name brand glue or stick with what I already have. Also, did you use the glue just on the edges, or did you run a bead down the whole strip?

claire_walker26d ago

My buddy Bill had the same problem, @lisak26, and he dried his floor with a hair dryer before using liquid nails.