Just noticed how a hotel lobby carpet was laid and it bugged me all weekend

I was staying at a Holiday Inn in Boise last month for a family thing. Walked into the lobby and immediately spotted the carpet seams. They didn't stagger them at all, so you could see a straight line running right through the middle of the room. The pattern was some basic geometric design and the repeats didn't match up at the seam either. It looked like someone rushed the job or just didn't care. I bet it took them maybe 3 hours to do a room that should have taken 5 or 6 if done right. Made me wonder how many other installers walk into hotels and spot this kind of thing. Anyone else find themselves judging carpet jobs everywhere they go now?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesleyb201mo ago

Tack strip placement is what gets me every time, especially when they cut corners and leave gaps that cause rippling later on. A good install with staggered seams and pattern matching makes all the difference in how long that carpet lasts before it starts looking rough.

susanb341mo ago

Huh, I always thought gaps didn't matter that much, guess I was wrong!

wadew511mo ago

Yeah for real, gaps are a bigger deal than people think. If you don't leave that proper expansion gap around the edges, the carpet can buckle and bubble up in the middle once it gets warm or humid. And if the seams don't line up right or are too tight, you'll see that line start fraying way faster than it should. I always double check the tack strip is spaced right too, like wesley said, cause even a tiny gap there can mess everything up down the road.