In my last article I said I would give you step-by-step procedures how to do a small bonded insert that could repair a burn mark from a cigarette or spark from a fireplace. The first step is explained here. Before you can begin repairs on carpet, you need to know a bit about the carpet's construction.

I feel very confident that nearly 99% of the carpet you clean and walk over on a daily basis is tufted, where the surface yarns are inserted into a pre-constructed backing. But, depending especially on your clientele, there may be a slim chance what's in front of you to repair is a woven carpet, with the surface yarns and backing yarns interlaced in one operation.

Repairing woven carpet is another topic for another day. Some weaves are a piece of cake to repair, however Wilton takes some skill. To learn more about woven carpet constructions, either take my upcoming RRT class or "google" it.

Now that you have determined the carpet you need to repair is tufted, you need to know what is the length and width. Look at the back of a piece of tufted carpet. The secondary backing is woven polypropylene. It is a basic weave called leno-weave. Note the shiny slit film slivers and then the dull round cords with a lot of latex on them.

Pull the backing off a corner and dissect the secondary backing, pulling the round cords off to leave the shiny slit film slivers. The slit film slivers always run the length and the cords always run the width.

Now that you know what is the length and what is the width, you need to determine the nap lay of the carpet you are working on and of the donor piece your customer gave you to make the repair. Rub your hand over the face yarn along the length...push the yarns away from you then brush them back. Do this several times.

DO NOT try to determine the nap lay in a traffic area, because it can be exhibiting traffic-related pile reversal. Perform your test near a wall or under a piece of furniture.

You will see a change in color to the carpet, going from dark to light, and you may even be able to feel the difference. When the carpet looks lighter, you are looking at the sides of the yarns. Light is reflecting off the yarn. When it appears darker, you are looking at the tips of the yarns. Light is being absorbed.

On installed carpet and larger donor pieces, you can also determine the nap lay using a piece of paper and pencil or round barrel pen. Lay the paper on the carpet and hold the pencil or pen in your fingers. Now rub the pencil or pen over the paper. Note the direction the paper shifts—that is the direction of the lay of the nap. You can also think of the nap lay as the direction the yarns bend.

(This may take some practice, but once you can master this you will be able to explain to your customer that the carpet in the doorway to the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom is not dirty, but experiencing traffic-related pile reversal.)

So that's step one, know what you're working on.

In the next article I will give you the rest of the steps for doing a small bonded insert that could repair a burn mark from a cigarette or spark from a fireplace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Violand started his 32+ year floorcovering career in the cleaning and restoration industry. Let Mark show you how to repair carpet professionally and profitably. His reputation precedes him as Northeast Ohio's "go-to" floorcovering inspector, working for carpet, resilient, wood and laminate manufacturers and floorcovering retailers and distributors, along with consulting carpet installation contractors. He still performs carpet repairs on a regular basis.