Carpet shading an issue to be aware of
All cut pile carpets will exhibit light and dark patches over
time, as the carpet fibres bend and reflect the light
differently. Many people buy them for this very feature
as they exhibit the same characteristics as other fabrics with a
pile such as suede and velvet.
However, in some rare and random cases, this shading occurs to
an excessive degree. It's variously referred to as
watermarking, puddling or permanent pile reversal. In very
bad cases, it can look like flooding has occurred.
Despite numerous attempts to find a cause, there is no way of
predicting if it will happen, and if it has happened, why it
did. Cut pile carpet is not manufactured with shading or pile
reversal - the same batch of carpet can be laid in one house with
no issues, and yet in another house a problem can occur.
All sample labels on cut pile carpets clearly warn this can
happen, but retailers do have a responsibiilty to point this out to
those looking to buy a cut pile carpet. The issue was
recently highlighted on a episode of Fair Go. Cavalier
Bremworth's marketing manager, Desiree Keown, opted to front up to
try and explain the issue and to again reiterate that permanent
pile reversal is not a manufacturing fault, and therefore is not
covered under any warranties offered by carpet manufacturers.
To view this epsiode, please visit the TVNZ OnDemand
link of Fair Go - the house special.
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