Risky to Say, but Don't Overthink It.

There have been some cases in which one of our customers send their customer to us for more information. Recently, a customer's customer came in. Dan spent a lot of time with the couple helping choose a binding color and explaining our procedure of work. We didn't receive their carpet in at the time, so without knowing the severity of the problem, he couldn't exactly comment on what work would need to be done.

After receiving the carpet, Dan thought it best that the entire carpet be rebound. The details behind the carpet is that it was an existing area rug the couple wanted re-sized, then bound on the one side that was cut. Upon receiving the carpet, the existing binding had a few "problem" areas. The "problems" were, that in two areas the existing binding had large skips in the stitching, which honestly, is probably normal wear-n-tear. In a couple of other areas, the binding was pulled from the carpet. More so, the carpet had ripped & the binding was still attached to the backing. This happens often. In some cases, the carpet was mishandled and the backing was not strong enough to hold up. In other cases large items (such as furniture) are moved across the carpet and upon doing so, it rips the carpet where the binding was stitched. There are other examples, yet, those are more so for high traffic areas in commercial settings, such as a shopping mall or store entrance.

To properly complete the job, Dan felt it was best to cut back the existing binding, squaring the piece to the largest size possible and binding four sides. Based upon the binding still being attached to the carpet backing, Dan's assessment & hypothesis was that furniture was dragged across the carpet. Now, we're not detectives, so there's no laboratory that we can use to investigate whether or not our assumptions are correct about how the carpet was handled. The actual occurrence that caused the problem is a secret to the world. Especially since there are several parties involved; our customer,  their employees, their customer, and ourselves.

The couple had called to ask if it was true that the carpet needed to be rebound on all sides. They also asked what happened to have caused the "problem" areas. However, when Dan gave them his assessment they were not satisfied with what they heard. The gentleman even said aloud "Oh, I don't believe that."
Which is certainly his prerogative.

My overall point in sharing all of this is simply, do not overthink things. If you are trying to salvage a used area rug, trust that the people who are working on it are doing what's best for the longevity of the carpet. In all honesty, DWP Carpet Binding could have done the one side of the carpet and left the rest of it alone as it was, but we knew that it wouldn't make for the best result in the long-run. The couple would have needed  repairs for those exact "problem" areas in the near future.

Dan's actions is what I'd like to call "preventative service". What Dan did, was preserve the longevity of the natural wear-n-tear that is bound to occur. He looked at the carpet, assessed where the carpet had "weak" spots , then made a decision he thought was best for the piece. By all means, one carpet will never produce enough of an income for him to retire on. So, if one were to think "he probably did that to get more money" they would be wrong. DWP Carpet Binding doesn't do anything that isn't necessary, when completing a job.

In previous blogs I've encouraged people to ask a lot of questions to be sure they are getting their needs met by someone who is knowledgeable in the trade. I would still encourage such a thing. Yet, unless you are well aware of the topic being discussed, I don't think it's wise to counteract a person's willingness to help answer your questions by doubting that what they're saying to you is true.
(Especially one who has been in the trade for over 15 years!)

We currently have a job in house now. The only task we were asked to perform was binding a carpet on four sides. That would be all well and good if the carpet didn't have a major "problem". The piece had previously been seamed, I assume when it was first bought. The seam is dry-rotted and coming apart. I made the suggestion to our customer that they have it seamed again, to preserve the longevity of the carpet. Considering it was a used piece that was re-sized, the owner of the carpet is obviously looking to maintain the quality and life span of its (the carpet's) use. The customer was willing to pay the extra money to have the piece seamed as necessary. I assured my customer it was the best way to go, to which they agreed.
I can guarantee that the piece will be useful for three to four times the amount of time after we get done with it...It is our job to do so!

One quality about DWP Carpet Binding, that we proudly admit to, is that we learn something new everyday in this trade. Ok, maybe not everyday, but at least once a week or every couple of weeks. We have seen hundreds of types of carpet. We've seen old, we've seen new, we've seen black and we've seen blue. (Sounds like a Cat in the Hat riddle, doesn't it?) We have seen so many different types of carpet that required all sorts of fabrication work, which we have excelled in performing, with very minimal complaints over a seven year time frame.We are not perfect, but we take lessons out of our mistakes.

A key to our work ethic is this phrase:
If it isn't good enough to go into our home, it isn't good enough to go into yours.
Everybody (or most people) want the best for themselves... so why wouldn't we provide that for our customers and their customers?

In other news:
This week has certainly been a busy one! This time of year is often so slow, yet thanks to the sales staff our customers have, we have been able to stay busy every day of this week! I'm not quite sure what their secret is this time around, but DWP Carpet Binding is certainly thankful for it.

Speaking of thanks, DWP Carpet Binding also had the pleasure to have a few walk-in customers this week!

Thank you to Steve, who had small mats bound

(Also,thank you for the letter thanking us because you loved the way your pieces came out!)

Thank you to Mariah, who came in with carpet remnants!

She had a 6 ft. by 7 ft. area rug cut & bound and a 2 ft. by 7 ft. runner bound.

Congrats & Good Luck when your first bundle of joy arrives in May!

Thank you to Barb, who came in to check out our stock pieces!

Thank you to Greg, who had runners made up for a set of stairs!

As always:

Thank you to our regular customers & your staff!

You've jumped our "slow season" and this January is off to a GREAT start!

Have a great weekend, everybody!