Carpet pile reversal.
Pile Reversal – Shading – Pooling – Disturbance
Light can play strange tricks with carpet. Especially thick cut pile carpets. From certain angles particular areas appear lighter or darker than others. This is caused by disturbed pile reflecting the light differently in the affected areas. Sometimes it appears as thou the carpets are wet or have been flooded.
When an area of carpet fibres lay to the right, next to fibres that lay to the left, there will be a stark contrast in texture and light reflecting from the area. Typically pile reversal appears in fine, dense cut pile carpets (often darker colours), but could happen to any type of carpet flooring.
Temporary changes in appearance may be able to be removed or lessened by vacuuming or brushing of the pile. However, in fine cut pile carpets, permanent pile reversal (shading, watermarking or pooling) can also occur, and at times may become quite severe. Often we get asked to “clean” these marks out, but that is impossible.
Years of research have failed to find a reason to explain the
underlying cause, such that it is considered a phenomenon related to the location of the carpet which cannot be predicted or prevented.
Whilst carpet manufactures warn of the possibility of carpet pile reversal it is not a manufacturing defect and apart from affecting appearance, has no detrimental effect on the performance of the carpet.
If your the sort of person that enjoys your carpet looking even and uniform then you may need to discuss this type of carpet issue further with your carpet retailer.
