Two questions were posed this past week about red colored carpets. The first was from a dealer who had a complaint for red dye coming off a polyester carpet being transferred onto two different light colored vinyl floors in separate areas soon after installation. The other question was from a manufacturer of specialty high end wool carpet who had a consumer complaint about a red carpet fading in front of a door with UV protective glass after 2 years.

The red dye transferring onto the vinyl is called dry crocking. It is caused by red dye not exhausting completely into the fiber and unfixed dye being transferred onto the vinyl by foot traffic. The red dye can be picked up on shoes, socks or bare feet and walked(transferred) onto the vinyl. Once on the vinyl it will impregnate the wear layer and most often become permanent. There are some techniques for removal which are basically oxidizing (bleaching) agents but, in my opinion, their success is very limited. A clear wear layer on vinyl will not release color easily once it is affected by a foreign color. This color issue of dry crocking is most common with polyester carpet because is it more difficult to dye - the dye should be forced into the fiber. If not fixed or exhausted into the fiber the remaining dyestuffs will transfer onto other materials easily. Any dark heavy color is a candidate for this condition, not just red.

This is a manufacturing defect that can only be corrected by replacing the carpet. The manufacturer of the carpet also becomes responsible for the other flooring materials affected by the dry crocking. They may want to fight the claim but if you have a vinyl floor turning the color of the carpet adjacent to it you can bet your first born that the carpet is the cause of the problem.

In the second case the manufacturer has carpet fading only in front of a glass door that has no covering on it but it does have a UV protective coating - the carpet is two years old. The house faces west so it gets the afternoon sun daily. Red dye is particularly susceptible to UV (sun) rays. The constant bombardment over time of UV rays will fade the red dye out of the carpet despite any protection the glass may give. Continual exposure to direct sunlight is going to fade red colored objects. Just look at any red colored outdoor items, be they furniture, road cones or flags - the sun will eventually fade them. This is not a manufacturing defect unless it occurs in a very short period of time, such as weeks or months. If it goes into years no product will sustain the constant exposure. Whether the fiber is solution dyed, pre or post dyed fiber, it will eventually succumb to the relentless rays of the sun. To switch gears for a moment, vinyl flooring will also be damaged by this type of exposure to the extent that it will actually be “burned” by the suns rays. Many of you have probably experienced both of these conditions. Southerly and westerly exposures will cause the most damage.

There are tests for both dry crocking and UV exposure. The test for dry crocking is relatively simple and may not always indicate a problem. So you have to go with the evidence at the scene of the occurrence. If the vinyl turns the color of the carpet the carpet caused the problem, unquestionably. The UV test is conducted in a special chamber that exposes the carpet to intense ultraviolet light for 40 hours. To put that in a time frame, depending on the geographic area of the country, it could be 4 to 6 months or 6 years. You could also say the closer you get to the equator or the more intense sunlight a geographic area gets the faster the carpet will fade. Just because the suns rays are shielded doesn’t mean they won’t eventually affect the material being subjected to their exposure.

If you have questions about the performance of a carpet, or other flooring material for that matter, contact us, we can help you just like we did for the folks in the column you just read. Want to learn more about carpet, attend the LGM Carpet Seminar on October 28, 29 and 30th see the ad in this issue. We also have a brand new Estimator II on CD or you can download it-go to our web site to preview this unique product and order on line. Also now available, The Carpet Gator for unloading carpet if you don’t have a dock, a towmotor or if you have to drag carpet from the trailer truck. This is a brand new tool, invented by a truck driver who delivers carpet, to make your life as a carpet retailer a little easier and less stressful and you won’t damage the carpet or the truck. Remember, when you need an honest answer to a problem, call us - I don’t charge you to talk me.