Make sure the tape is placed with the adhesive facing up. Make sure that the edges of the carpet are straight; the edges must rest cleanly against each other. Cut the carpet seam tape along the seam. Place the tape down so that it is centered under where the carpet seam will be.
Heat the tape by applying the sewing iron in an ironing motion. Once the tape is hot, press the carpet down so that the seams are together on the tape. Preheat the carpet iron according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Slide the hot iron between the edges of the rug and place it directly on the sewing tape.
Let it sit on the tape long enough to melt the glue. Follow the instructions on the seam tape to know how long it should take. Pull the iron to a new location on the tape. While doing so, press the carpet into the hot glue.
Work along the entire length of the seam tape in this way. Developing competence in the use of seam tape in a carpet installation takes a long time given the number of different carpets, backings and sewing tapes on the market. As a result, the best flooring installation contractors are distinguished by their experience and training. Many have been certified by Certified Flooring Installers (CFI), which offers carpet sewing workshops around the clock.
Understand and use best carpet sewing practices, know where to place seams, and recognize that the fewer seams, the better the installation. As you install the carpet in a larger room in your home, you will most likely need to sew it with tape. On the residential side, for example, where stretching facilities put tension on the carpet, it is necessary to use a seam tape that withstands the extreme tension of stretching the carpet by 1 to 1.5 percent. The Kool Glide sewing system works from the top of the material using a sewing tool that emits radio waves that melt the thermoplastic adhesive.
Most of today's sewing tapes have lower melting points than their predecessors because today's carpets are more sensitive to heat. The Kool Glide uses a small electromagnetic induction field technology of contained radio waves to activate the special foil of the tape to heat, melting the universal thermoplastic adhesive. Slide the carpet tape under the cut edges of the two pieces of carpet with the adhesive side of the tape facing up. They include tapes that have pressure sensitive adhesive on the bottom of the tape and hot melt on the top and tapes with paper that can be peeled off from hot melt once stitching is done.
In addition, many of the newer sewing tapes are formulated to be hot melt without smoke or odor, which is important. Always read the manufacturer's instructions for both the carpet to be sewn and the sewing tape used. This is vitally important because one size fits all does not fit all when it comes to carpets, carpet stitching and sewing tape. You will also need carpet stitching tape, a sewing iron and a roller to roll over the carpet seam and press the carpet against the tape once the tape is heated and the carpet is placed on the tape.
As carpet yarns, supports, and constructions have changed over the years, advances in seam tape technology have generally kept pace. However, there are also pressure-sensitive tapes made for products ranging from some vinyl sheets to outdoor carpets and transitional pieces. Ideally, the temperature of the sewing iron should be set as low as possible to avoid overheating, which can affect hot melt, carpet backing and twisting of the face threads. Unlike conventional sewing methods that use a hot iron in contact with the seam tape to melt the thermoplastic adhesive, a method essentially unchanged since its introduction in the late 1950s.
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