Wow - I wouldn't want that seam, especially in a traffic area!

No way - I can't believe they didn't know better than to put a seam in a traffic aisle. But even if it wasn't in an aisle it's still a badly done seam.

@Sammie J I don’t want it like that!. It looks terrible. The carpet store insists it will go away with time, but from what I’m reading, it is an installation failure.

@kandrewspa Right? I have replaced carpet in 5 previous homes and I’ve never seen anything like this. The carpet store claims it is because it is wool—I think its more likely the installers hadn't worked with wool before.

Gah! I am sorry - you are going to have to fight them to fix that, that is crazy town (and how annoying the coloring was so different than the sample - they are the same colorway?)

@la_la Girl It helps to know that I *should* fight it and that I’m not just being persnickety. The color thing really sucks because this was part of a huge reno after a flood, and we picked everything off of the sample.

It does not look good, but wool loop will probably not have a completely invisible seam. But it should not be lumpy. The site is acting up and cutting off part of my response. I would not be happy with that seam.

@palimpsest There are seams in other places that look perfectly normal. I don’t understand why they couldnt achieve that everywhere.

See above.

UPDATE: the carpet guy came today. He insisted tbe seams are as good as they can be and/or are caused by shadows. He said, look, if I stand right here or if I sit on the floor it is not noticeable. He was very aggressive and brought up ”court.” He did agree that the holes in the carpet all along the walls are an installation error and that the seams are in the wrong places.

Ugh i am so sorry - that is maddening!

Then if the seams are in the wrong places that needs to be redone. BTW the color could be from your lighting so change all the bulbs to LED 4000K and see if that helps with the color. BTW just to be a PITA IMO carpet is never a good choice for basements I know it is warmer but if it ever gets even a bit damp mold will grow like crazy where you can't even see it. I hope you taped the converstaion about where the seams were placed .

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Thanks for the input. It is the lower level of our walk out ranch, not actually an underground basement.

"There are seams in other places that look perfectly normal. I don’t understand why they couldnt achieve that everywhere"

That could be due to the direction of the light. I do wood floors but have seen something similar with beveled edges. People will complain that bevels in one place are wider than in others but it's due to the way the light causes shadows, and the bevels are all identical.

I don't see any comments from carpet experts here, but logic would tell one that if you add seaming material under portions of a thin carpet, they may be visible. A thicker carpet would hide the added material underneath.

I'd discount people saying seams are in the wrong place since they're obviously not aware of the entire layout. They may be right, but they don't have enough information to make absolute statements. We used to do vinyl so the dynamic is similar. Sometimes the seams fall in places that aren't ideal, but alternate layouts are worse.

Apart from the seams, is it possible they laid the carpet in two different directions, thus picking up a different tone due to the difference in the way the nap is directed? I would take them to court first; hope you taped that convo.

It almost looks as if there’s a “bump” in the floor underneath….?

Wait…..the “carpet guy” admitted that the seams are in the wrong places? So what is his plan to resolve that?

Years ago a wool carpet seam would have been sewn by hand. They use a glue tape now and a device that heats the tape adhesive. This creates a high spot at seams that is more noticeable with loop carpet.

Go with a Nylon. I sell flooring and would have advised against wool (even thought it would be a better sale).

@Cynthia can you tell us why you would have advised against wool? Is it just the issue the OP has had with seams, or something else? My mother-in-law is getting new carpet and really wants wool. If there are reasons not to get wool, I'd like to keep her from making a very expensive mistake.

see if they can lay it out in a diff configuration. I believe they come in either 11' or 13' rolls, so measure out the floor space and do some Tetras w/those measurents. ideally you want the seam out of the way.

the installer should be aware of this and show yhou the layout first.

I have wool but I do not have areas large enough to be seamed. I believe mine comes 13'6". I also have woven velvet cut, not tufted, not looped. I prefer wool because even when it wears, I think it wears with a quality that you do not get with synthetics. There was wool in one room in my parents house for 40 odd years and except for one area under my dad's desk, where he rubbed his feet back and forth as he worked (no carpet could stand that) it looked almost new. It does show footprints and such because of the cut. We don't wear shoes on the second floor of the house.

What is the size of the room? Godfrey Hirst carpets (it is what i have in my home) comes of the bolt at a bit more than 12', If one side of your room is more than 12' then 12' is where the seam will be. If you are lucky enough to have the perfect 12' room, you have no seam.

That said, I also have the wool in my lower level which is a mish mosh of room sizes. There is one seam and I can barely see it.

A question: what did you choose for padding? Padding has to be seamed, as well.

As for the color, did you request a cutting? You order from your sample, not from a floor sample, as dye lots can be very different, just like fabric. Always get a sample.

@CeeWhy mostly just because I like to set up the right expectation with customers. Often they are disappointed with wool shedding and think it's defective. Also, it's definitely a little trickier to install, you can't use as thick of a pad so sometimes it feels hard underfoot like a commercial carpet. The material itself is expensive and it takes much longer to install so price is often a deterrent for customers. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE wool but I prefer it as a rug. In this case its seems a large part of the issue was the installer. They should have been given a seam plan when they agreed to the bid so that they knew where to expect the seams.

Thanks @Cynthia for the explanation about wool. I was shown the seam plan and the installers did not follow it.

A couple of choices I have are ”Chic Appeal” which is 100% Smart Strand Ultra, or the Opulent Collection, which is 100% nylon. Colors are better on ”Chic Appeal” but it is less formal.

I’m even wondering if I should just try to put vinyl planks in the two rooms downstairs with the seaming issues, but I imagine that involves a cost difference.

I'm glad they are replacing, I would not want the same measuring/installation crew since both seem to have gone astray.

I have wool broadloom installed on my lower level and although I know there are seams, it's not easy to find them. My rug has a cut/loop pattern, so maybe easier to hide a seam. But still, what you wound up with was terrible.

Make sure to watch the person who measures, and see what is planned for seams. Then watch the installers as well.

Seam peaking

Seam peaking occurs when the seam is set, and then stretching occurs as the installation process is completed. When the carpet is stretched, it is pulled where the edges of the tape are attached to the carpet, and the two pieces lift to create a peak. Seam peaking can be minimized, but only if a professional understands how to install a carpet correctly. This is often one of the easiest ways to tell a professional job from one that wasn’t.

I've had carpet in our lower level for 25 years, and never had any odors or mold. We replaced the old carpet 5+ years ago because it was worn, not moldy. The room is only partly below grade in the back, and we have central heat and air. I also run a dehumidifier in the summer.

@D. Chase go for the nylon over the Smart Strand, I don't trust the Smart Strand as much as the Nylon in terms of wear and not "crushing" over time.

@Cynthia My only issue is the color. The 100% nylon has two choices close to what we need…an off white and a tan. One seems too light and one seems too dark. The Smart Strand has 4 off white choices that would work.

Exact color wouldn't matter so much except we are having to work with the existing marble tile that is not practical to change.

But we will see what my decorator says tomorrow. I really trust his input. And that is why I hired him, so i dont have to make these expensice decision by myself (I hired him after the wool was chosen).