Buckled and Wrinkled Carpets: What Causes Them?

Wrinkled white carpeting in residential living room

While you may not think that people look at your carpet, it’s quite noticeable to guests and home buyers alike if your carpet is in disrepair.

Buckled and wrinkled carpets happen when your carpet peels up at the sides or has bubbles of air underneath it. It creates an unnatural and uneven look across your carpet. Thankfully, if you live in Arvada, all it takes is a quick search of carpet cleaning services near me and you can get the problem fixed. We’ve been dealing with issues like this for 40+ years.

Humidity is often the leading cause of carpet buckling and wrinkling. The changing seasons bring fluctuating humidity levels that can damage your carpet. Re-stretching your carpet is the only real solution to a buckled or wrinkled carpet.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about what causes buckled and wrinkled carpets, as well as how to prevent them in the first place.

What Made My Carpets Buckle and Wrinkle?

The primary factor that makes carpets buckle and wrinkle is humidity. Excess moisture that’s in the air can get through your carpet and make it buckle. This especially happens if you live somewhere that experiences all four seasons with large temperature and humidity drops and rises.

While humidity is the most frequent natural cause, there’s also a bunch of other factors that can cause carpet buckling. These include:

  • You dragged something heavy over your carpet
  • The underpad beneath your carpet is incompatible
  • The carpet wasn’t installed correctly
  • Delamination
  • Moisture

These are all common culprits that could make your carpet buckle and wrinkle. If you have a warranty on your carpet and it starts to buckle or wrinkle, carpet stretching is likely covered. But if you didn’t get a warranty, you’ll have to pay up to fix the problem.

How to Treat This Issue with Carpet Repair

If your carpet has been plagued by wrinkling or buckling, the only way to fix it is to have it re-stretched. This should be done as soon as possible. The longer your carpet has wrinkles in it, the more the fibers get used to it. And that makes it harder to fix.

This will make re-stretching less effective so it’s vital to make a call the second you notice your carpet may be wrinkling. You might be able to call the people you got the carpet from and ask for them to re-stretch it. That way you may get a lower price. But not all companies do that.

How to Prevent Carpets from Buckling in the First Place

Here are some ways to prevent your carpet from buckling and wrinkling:

  • Don’t drag heavy objects across the carpet if you can avoid it. Pick them up instead.
  • Allow your carpet to acclimate to your home and weather before you walk on it, or at least before allowing heavy traffic. Don’t place any objects down on it for a few days.
  • Be positive that the right padding gets used when the carpet gets installed to prevent it from buckling or wrinkling.
  • Don’t ever try to re-stretch your carpet by yourself. Always call a professional to get the job done right.
  • Control the room’s humidity with a dehumidifier if possible and keep your home at a consistent temperature throughout the year. Around 50% humidity is standard and good for carpet care.

If you follow these guidelines, your carpet likely won’t buckle or wrinkle at all.

FAQs

Do Creases Come Out?

The ripples that you see will come out of the majority of carpets when they get re-stretched. But most creases will stay visible even after you stretch them. However, it’s better to have slightly visible creases than it is to have a buckled and wrinkled carpet.

Will My Carpet Shrink If I Steam Clean It?

When you use steam for rug cleaning, you expose your carpet to high temperatures and humidity. This can make your carpet fibers shrink if not done properly. When your carpet fibers shrink, they pull closer together and can cause buckling or wrinkling.

How Much Does Carpet Re-Stretching Cost?

The unhelpful answer is that it depends. It may only cost around $50 to re-stretch one room but can run into hundreds of dollars if you’re fixing a whole house. The cheapest option is to take care of your carpet to avoid running into problems to begin with.

Final Thoughts

Potentially the biggest problem affecting carpets is when they buckle or wrinkle. Carpet buckling is when your carpet’s edges start to curl so they’re not level with the floor. Buckling also happens when small air pockets get formed between the carpet and the floor so it ends up having pockets that are higher than others.

But we have a solution for you.

Steve’s Carpet care is a leading carpet cleaning service in the Arvada area, and we can take care of carpet stretching too. With over 42 years of experience, we know how to get the job done right. We’ve fixed countless carpets that were buckled and wrinkled beyond recognition, and we can fix yours too.

A buckled or wrinkled carpet isn’t the end of the world. It just means your home needs a little bit of help. And we’re proud to keep local homes in tip-top shape. Contact us today and we’ll be happy to be of service!

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