That old carpet layer I met in a Waffle House showed me a seam tape trick

Last month I was eating breakfast at a Waffle House off I-40 in Tennessee around 5 AM before a job. This older guy named Earl sat down next to me, saw my knee pads, and started talking carpet. He showed me this trick where you heat the seam tape from underneath with a heat gun instead of on top - said it stops the glue from bubbling. Has anyone else tried heating from the bottom instead?

2 comments

2 Comments

alex_taylor106d ago

Heard a similar thing from a guy on a flooring forum once, said it keeps the heat more even and stops the tape from scorching. Makes sense if you think about how the glue sets from the bottom up anyway.

quinn_king165d ago

Yeah that "glue sets from the bottom up" part is spot on. I've laid a good bit of LVP and if you rush with a high heat gun the top of the tape melts too fast and you get a weak bond that lets go after a week. Best trick I found is to hit the tape with a medium heat first then go back over it with a roller while it's still warm. That way the adhesive has time to flow into the seams before it locks down. Have you tried using a weighted roller for that final pass or just pushing it down by hand?