Carpet Pooling

Question: We had carpeting installed in a master bedroom eighteen months ago, and over the past few months we have noticed an area approximately 1 foot by 2 feet gradually shading either darker or lighter, depending upon daylight and lights in the room. There is only that one particular area which is showing change. We had the carpet supplier come out to look at it, and he has been in contact with the representative of the manufacturing company, and they informed him that it is likely what they call "pooling& which they cannot do anything about. We are hoping that you may be able to give us some information regarding this problem. Thank you for your attention.

Answer: What you are experiencing is known in the industry as pooling or watermarking. The carpet is actually changing color, this is most common with expensive nylon Saxony carpet. Carpet pooling or watermarking stems from the reversal or bending of the carpet pile fibers so that light is either absorbed or reflected from that specific area of pile.

Although this is not a common condition it is not related to carpet construction or fiber type and to my knowledge none of the manufacturers will accept responsibility for the problem.

As far as I am aware there is no solution that will correct the problem.

If I experienced the problem I would invest in a small claims court action against both the manufacturer and the carpet supplier. Make sure you take some good pictures of the differences in color under different light conditions. The manufacturer and the carpet supplier may be willing to put in new carpet rather than have a court possibly set a precedent for the replacement of all carpeting that exhibits pooling or watermarks.

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Carpet Pooling

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