Delamination in Tufted Rugs

Tufted rugs are very affordable rugs that are constructed by punching tufts through a canvas backing. The backing of the rug is covered in latex adhesive to help keep it together. The top loops of the rug are sheared off to create an illusion of a pile woven rug.

One of the biggest issues with tufted rugs is delamination. Delaminating is found in the latex used to apply the backing of the rug. Over time, latex breaks down and starts to crumble. The severity of latex deteriorating can fluctuate greatly from a couple cracks to completely coming lose.

When the latex on a tufted rug gets wet repeatedly and doesn’t dry properly, it can delaminate. This can be blamed partially on poor quality latex which sometimes is mixed with fillers, such as concrete, to make the quantity of latex greater. This can make a big mess when it gets wet and can lead to the rug losing its shape. Sometimes, tufted rugs are fine to go through a wash. If they have no prior water damage and the latex is of good quality, they can sustain a good professional hand washing just fine. Keep in mind, they will need to be dried properly which is by hanging in a climate controlled dry room in a professional rug cleaning facility.

I’ll explain why past water damage is so detrimental to tufted rugs. For example, dog urine. If a dog repeatedly has accidents on your tufted rugs, odds are the accident doesn’t always get cleaned up immediately. The urine has time to dwell and penetrates through the rug to the backing. This can cause the latex to slowly break down, especially if it happens in the same spot more than once (which it often does). The damage usually isn’t detected until it gets fully submerged in water to be washed. Once it’s thoroughly wet, the latex can become very lose and fall off.

A way to avoid this is to opt to have your rug steamed instead. This is a low moisture method of cleaning and still achieves great results. The only issue is that it can’t flush out pet urine like a professional hand washing can. Pet issues on rugs really need to be fully submerged in water to flush out all the contaminants which will achieve maximum cleanliness.

Customers often still opt to put their tufted rug through the wash with severe pet issues, but should always be informed that the backing may come lose and can be rather costly to reattach.

Ayoub Carpet Service will handle your tufted rugs with care, and can talk to you in detail about them if need be. Give us a call today!