There are three principal methods of commercial carpet installation. These are
Stretch-in,
Direct glue-down (including attached cushion),
Double glue-down.
Stretch-in installations: are stretched in over a separate cushion using tackles strips to hold the carpet in place. These installations are best suited to areas which must have maximum under-foot comfort and luxury The tackless strips are narrow pieces of wood with two to four rows of pins, set at a 60 degree angle and long enough to penetrate the backing. The strips are nailed or glued down around the perimeter of the room a slight distance from the wall. When installing carpet over a cement floor, two rows are used. For stairs, the strips are placed at the base of the riser and the back of the tread. After the tackless strip is nailed down, the padding is cut to fit inside the strips. The principle of the tackless installation is that the carpet is stretched by means of a knee kicker or power stretcher so that it hooks over the pins in the wooden strip. The excess carpet is cut off and the small amount remaining is tucked into the slight gap between the strip and the wall. The base is then installed to cover this area. Regardless of the method of installation chosen, seams are always of utmost importance for a quality installation. Most modern installations employ hot-melt tape seams. Woven carpet constructions may require hand sew or other specialized seaming techniques. In all cases, cut edges must be buttered with appropriate seam sealer prior to seaming.
Glue-down installations: Glue-down installations can be made with two types of carpet: carpet with attached cushion, or carpet without attached cushion. These installations are well suited to heavy traffic and to rolling traffic.
Double glue-down installations: Double glue-down installations combine cushion and carpet in a floor covering system by first glueing the cushion to the floor and then the carpet to the cushion. This method, often referred to as double-stick, has grown in popularity due to combining the stability of direct glue-down of carpet with the cushioning benefits of separate cushion. Direct glue-down and double glue-down installations can be made on many subfloors including wood, concrete, metal, terrazzo, ceramic tile, and other suitable surfaces. Generally, most are on concrete; therefore, proper preparation of the subfloor is needed for adequate adhesion. Coir and sisal are highly absorbent and therefore they should be allowed to acclimate for at least 24 hours prior to installation to the humidity and temperature of the room in which they will be placed. The direct glue-down procedure is the best method of wall-to-wall installation for coir and sisal if there are no great fluctuations in humidity or temperature. If these conditions exist, then loose-laying is suggested.
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