Hot take: I thought I could eyeball a seam on a big commercial job in Denver and it cost me two hours.

I was laying broadloom in a hotel conference room last month, and I rushed the seam on the last roll. When I turned on the seam roller, it just puckered up like a bad zipper. I had to pull up 15 feet of carpet, re-trim both edges perfectly straight with my straight edge, and re-seam the whole thing. Has anyone else had a seam fight them that badly on a tight deadline?

3 comments

3 Comments

robertsmith2mo ago

That "puckered like a bad zipper" is the worst. I started using a chalk line for every long seam after a similar fight. It adds a minute but saves the headache of a redo. Straight edge alone can still let you drift.

palmer.laura2mo ago

Remember rushing a seam on a stair runner at a law firm. The pattern was this tiny geometric thing, and I was off by a hair. Had to stare at that mismatch from the lobby every time I picked up a check for a month, a quiet little punishment.

coleman.christopher1mo ago

Ugh, that's the worst feeling. For tiny patterns, I'll actually lay a strip of blue painter's tape along the seam line on the first piece before I cut the second. It gives you a physical edge to butt the new piece against, and the tape peels right off without leaving a mark.