Hi, I’ve had a Cormar Sensation 60oz carpet for about 18 months and although it’s not a heavy footfall bedroom the carpet is showing signs of flattening, bobbling and general grubbiness compared to other parts were there is less footfall. I asked the supplier for advice as I thought it might need a clean and at first they said it needed washing. I borrowed a good Bissell carpet cleaner and tried cleaning a small area to see how it came up but it’s made virtually no difference. Is this something that might be worth pursuing as a warranty claim as I would have expected the carpet to last a lot longer? Does anyone have experience of how Cormar tend to respond to such issues? Now that I’ve googled it I’ve read a lot of reports of this particular carpet crushing after as little as a year which is so disappointing. Finally, if I do replace it can anyone suggest any carpets that are similar but that will last a good few years?
You need to get onto them fast as after 2 years they won’t give any warranty. All synthetic Saxony carpets crush and flatten. Different colours show more or less. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks, it’s supposedly a 10 year warranty? I’m concerned as to whether they’ll just say it’s normal wear and tear or if this is considered to be unacceptable for what is sold as a high quality product?
That 10 year warranty is a marketing faff. They won’t be interested in anything after 2 years. They told me all carpets sold only have to have a 2 year warranty and that’s all they offer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
To be honest it’s not a high quality product. Cormar are mass production specialists and they are at the cheaper end of the market. Hence why everyone uses it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Really appreciate the advice - thank you. I'm looking through my paper work to check if it is definitely under 2 years. Which carpets would you recommend please? I went for a non wool to avoid the risk of staining but these poly carpets seem semi-disposable - are there any good ones out there?
To be honest, 80/20 wool mix carpets are still cleanable with the right spot cleaner. We’ve had lots of wool carpets over the years and managed to clean everything from red wine to squashed blue berries out of it. If your going down the synthetic route you’re best off with a very tight tuft or something so thick it doesn’t matter when it crushes. Again it’s down to colour choice. We are pushing a lot of AWs invictus magnificus and septimus. They are relatively new tho so can’t really say how well they will wear. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Also you have to constantly hoover synthetics to help stop the crushing Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
All carpets flatten and aren’t covered under any warranties, the longer and softer the pile the quicker it will happen especially on PU foam underlay and as was stated earlier lighter colours show it up more. I think you’ll have to take this as an expensive lesson sadly, a shorter pile twist will retain its appearance longer and a dense underlay will help prevent the backing from distortion, nylon is the hardiest material for carpets, polyprop is middling and 100% wool is the worst, an 80% wool 20% nylon blend is usually your best bet for toughness, appearance retention and colour bank but be aware again there are cheap 80/20’s which are worse than newspaper, they usually cost quite a lot more than something like sensations to get a quality one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's made of SDN as well, so bleach cleanable and "shouldn't" flatten as quickly as a Polyprop carpet.
I've spoken with the supplier and sent photos. The carpet is just over 2 years old. They've said they're willing to offer me a goodwill refund of about 20% of the purchase price or alternatively refer the case to Cormar but reading between the lines they think Cormar will reject it as wear and tear and if they do that I'd get nothing not even the goodwill refund. Would really appreciate your thoughts on what to do here? Surprisingly this same carpet is sold in John Lewis under their own branding but at double the price - I'm surprised they sell it if the quality is this bad.
I'd consider getting an independent carpet assessor out to have a look at it and give you a report. This will cost money, but should they say "yes, there is an issue" you have that to go to Cormar with via the supplier. If they don't say there's an issue, try to get the goodwill refund... It might be worth working out what the 20% is going to be (it'll most likely be solely based on the carpet pricing, not the sundries) and see if it's more or less than what a report would cost...
Also, are there any non-carpeted floors transitioning into that bedroom? It may be down to the way that floor is cleaned - some cleaners leave a residue which transfers to feet, and then cause issues as they make the carpet ever so slightly "sticky" allowing dust to adhere itself.
The 20% on the carpet alone will only be about £100. How much would an assessor typically charge - I assume it wouldn’t be economical?
That’s an interesting point. Yes there is a wooden floor which is cleaned with Dettol floor cleaner - if that is the issue do you think a good deep clean of the carpet might revive it?
Is it real wood? Is it waxed or varnished? If you're using a bleach based cleaner on it, you'll most likely be stripping the finish, and that will be adhering to footfall and causing the grubbiness issue. even with laminate, it can remove the protective layer and do the same thing. You need to use the right product for the right surface! I'm not entirely sure if a deep, professional clean could help - but it might... No promises.
Sensations is a cheap end carpet, we fit them in new builds nearly every day, they look nice for a month or 2 and then go matted and flat. And darcy makes a good point, cleaners transferred from feet can affect carpet, but even just wet shoes and water from ensuits can make it worse. We also do home counties and new oaklands which are an 80/20 but still dont last well. A good quality lasting carpet is out of most peoples price range really, a dense wool is the best but doesnt feel as nice on your feet hence why people choose the thicker saxony. Doesnt help that its probably fit on cosi 8mm if its a new build, its soft and excels wear.
It's a German engineered wood floor - the brand has slipped my mind. Looking at the carpet very closely if I part the fibres they look clean and in good condition apart from the top couple of millimetres which have flattened and gone grubby. Also the top of the carpet fibres are much harder than in the areas that don't get much footfall. It really surprises me that John Lewis sell this carpet under their own brand 'Dream 58' - surely they must have a constant stream of complaints if it's sold as 'Very heavy domestic wear" and barely lasts a couple of years.
Now, to me that sounds like what i've suggested above. Either the detergent residue or the stripped finish from the hard floor is transferring via footfall and has found itself attached to your carpet. This sticky layer has then clumped with particles of dust etc from the air and hardened. From that point on it has been a bit of a downward spiral - I would say this isn't an issue with the quality of the carpet - I think i'm one of the people on here who hasn't had an issue with a Cormar carpet (except that one time with the slightly unsettling and lingering baby sick smell from an off latex batch affected the backing).
