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A chat with an old timer at the supply yard flipped my view on seam rollers
I was picking up some padding in Cincinnati last week and got talking to a guy who's been laying carpet since the 80s. He said, 'Kid, a heavy roller isn't about weight, it's about the heat you build up from going over it enough times.' I always used a light touch to avoid crushing the pile, but I tried his method on a glue-down job yesterday, doing five full passes per seam. The seam practically vanished. How many passes do you all usually do?
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henryp404mo ago
@miles_hall sounds like he's had a few seams fight back too.
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miles_hall6mo ago
That old timer's advice works on glue down, but it's a different story with stretch in. I've been doing this since 1995 and I only do two passes, maybe three if the seam is being stubborn. More passes than that on a stretch install just risks stretching the carpet out of shape at the seam line. You get a flat seam but a visible dip later. The heat helps, but you can overwork it.
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seth_shah4mo ago
Start piling on the passes like that old timer said. I was using a light roller forever and always had to fight seams. Switched to a heavier one and did six passes on a glue down job last week. The seam disappeared. You just gotta feel when the carpet tells you it's done though, every job is different.
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wilson.joseph6mo ago
Exactly! That old timer knows his stuff. I do at least four slow passes, letting the heat do the work.
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