New York Carpet World

[DarisMulkin]

JP my hotel was a new build.

 

[JPfloor]

JP my hotel was a new build.

The landlords will build to suit...

Here in NY (and most everywhere I'd imagine) big hotels don't want to get involved in the long term investment of real estate or the headaches and cost of construction.... They just want to do what they do (hospitality), pay rent, and make money. I also believe most all of the big name hotels now a days are individual franchises run by slightly less rich people...

 

[Floorist]

I put back "winter money" every year. Very few complete house jobs from November to March. People would have their tree up Nov.-Dec. and would wait until after their tax refund came back to do anything big. Mostly bedrooms only for about 4-5 months. Of course that changed when I got the 4 apt. complexes. Only did empties so they were complete apts.

 

[Floorist]

The landlords will build to suit...

Here in NY (and most everywhere I'd imagine) big hotels don't want to get involved in the long term investment of real estate or the headaches and cost of construction.... They just want to do what they do (hospitality), pay rent, and make money. I also believe most all of the big name hotels now a days are individual franchises run by slightly less rich people...

Even stores like Walmart don't own their buildings. Our Walmart has moved 3 times in about 40 years, always to a new build.

 

[highup]

Yup... They like to hold your money too.

We did a lot of hotel work over the years but never directly for the hotel. We worked for the landlord that owned the building that was leased by the hotel... Written into most leases was new carpet every 8 years... You wouldn't think it but most hotels, around here anyway, do not own the buildings.

Here's a Marriott where we did the ballrooms and corridors. I think around 15 years ago. Double stick Axminister with NO pattern repeat.... All the rolls were numbered and came with a beautiful color computer generated floor plan... Like the world's biggest jigsaw puzzle but with directions... Getting the rolls in order was a challenge... So was the installation... And yea, we had to wait for our money...

This one was part of a huge office complex all owned by the same company. I'm sure those billionaires and the hotel billionaires hung out at the same country club...
View attachment 16433
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Woven?

 

[JPfloor]

Woven?

yes

 

[JPfloor]

The mill did a good job with the sequence numbers and the weave. The start sheet was the most elongated with each consecutive sheet woven just a little bit tighter. That allowed us to stretch the pattern to match as we progressed. About a 6" stretch on each 85' sheet.

The few cross seams we had to make were a different story. This is cut right on the weft thread to match. The mill actually paid us extra to get those to line up. It took some doing...

 

[MSLI]

The few cross seams we had to make were a different story. This is cut right on the weft thread to match.

would it have made sense to try everything in your power to Sew that seam ?

 

[highup]

would it have made sense to try everything in your power to Sew that seam ?

I was thinking 2" flat bar

 

[highup]

The mill did a good job with the sequence numbers and the weave. The start sheet was the most elongated with each consecutive sheet woven just a little bit tighter. That allowed us to stretch the pattern to match as we progressed. About a 6" stretch on each 85' sheet.

The few cross seams we had to make were a different story. This is cut right on the weft thread to match. The mill actually paid us extra to get those to line up. It took some doing...View attachment 16437

I'd love to be a fly on the wall watching the process. My brain would shut down immediately upon just seeing it was Axminster. Unrolling and seeing the pattern would have sent me into cardiac arrest.

 

[JPfloor]

would it have made sense to try everything in your power to Sew that seam ?

I think sewing the cross seams coulda worked but it woulda been one heck of a bubble to get out after. Being a double stick installation with an Axminister (very flexible in the length) I just hot melted it. I pushed the gaps together first, seamed those portions, let them cool, then stretched the rest apart and completed the seam... Then glued it all down. It worked.

 

[JPfloor]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall watching the process. My brain would shut down immediately upon just seeing it was Axminster. Unrolling and seeing the pattern would have sent me into cardiac arrest.

It still boggles my mind how they're able make a non repeating pattern like that and have everything match from roll to roll. I wish I saved the floor plan they gave us, it was extremally impressive... Pattern was printed on it as well as the layout with unbelievable accuracy. Computers certainly played a big role. I'd like to be a fly on the wall at the mill where it was woven.

We were very fortunate that there were no columns in the rooms. Once we had everything trimmed, sealed, and lined up (except for the necessary stretch) we were able to roll the carpet up, half at a time, towards the center, spread the glue 10 feet at a time, and then roll the rolls into the glue. We stretched them as we went to line up the seams. We used the tubes from the power stretcher in the center of the rolls with a man at each end to help with any adjustments. The first sheet was a bonus, that didn't need to be stretched.

We hot melted all the length seam as well, with double stick seam tape (peel and stick). That way we could glue down the sheets separately and stretch them to line up the pattern. We ironed the seams last.

https://www.lfishman.com/buy/product/orcon-super/15475

 

[highup]

It still boggles my mind how they're able make a non repeating pattern like that and have everything match from roll to roll. I wish I saved the floor plan they gave us, it was extremally impressive... Pattern was printed on it as well as the layout with unbelievable accuracy. Computers certainly played a big role. I'd like to be a fly on the wall at the mill where it was woven.

We were very fortunate that there were no columns in the rooms. Once we had everything trimmed, sealed, and lined up (except for the necessary stretch) we were able to roll the carpet up, half at a time, towards the center, spread the glue 10 feet at a time, and then roll the rolls into the glue. We stretched them as we went to line up the seams. We used the tubes from the power stretcher in the center of the rolls with a man at each end to help with any adjustments. The first sheet was a bonus, that didn't need to be stretched.

We hot melted all the length seam as well, with double stick seam tape (peel and stick). That way we could glue down the sheets separately and stretch them to line up the pattern. We ironed the seams last.

https://www.lfishman.com/buy/product/orcon-super/15475

You must have one talented crew.
That whole process scares me do death.

 

[JPfloor]

You must have one talented crew.
That whole process scares me do death.

Thank you.
Yes at the time I did. I had two two good installers and a helper working with me full time. I brought in two extra men for this job for a crew of six… On a job like this the aspects requiring skill were really the easy parts. Reading the plan, trimming, sealing, snapping lines and cutting in and such. The hard part was the muscle aspect. Getting the right rolls in place and positioned properly…Air movers blowing under the open sheets helps a lot for the final tweaks… Still A lot of knee kicking and a lot of sore backs by days end…

I enjoyed a challenge like this from time to time but big empty rooms with carpet tiles were my favorite…One box at a time on a dolly… No kickers, no power stretchers.

 

[Floorist]

Thank you.
Yes at the time I did. I had two two good installers and a helper working with me full time. I brought in two extra men for this job for a crew of six… On a job like this the aspects requiring skill were really the easy parts. Reading the plan, trimming, sealing, snapping lines and cutting in and such. The hard part was the muscle aspect. Getting the right rolls in place and positioned properly…Air movers blowing under the open sheets helps a lot for the final tweaks… Still A lot of knee kicking and a lot of sore backs by days end…

I enjoyed a challenge like this from time to time but big empty rooms with carpet tiles were my favorite…One box at a time on a dolly… No kickers, no power stretchers.

I would have passed on that job. I had trouble finding one helper.

 

[JPfloor]

I would have passed on that job. I had trouble finding one helper.

I spent many a year doing empty apartments and working alone... Very few seams, tack strip was already down, carpet was soft, easy and light.... I still refer to those as the "good ole days"...

Running a crew can be very lucrative when everything goes right... But how often does that happen?

And yea, the waiting for the money part can be aggravating...

 

[Floorist]

I had it easy here for the last 10 years I worked. I could do one of the one br in 90 minutes. Paid $160. One 3 ft seam. Reuse old pad, reuse flat bar. Two 12 x 15 cuts. Empty and I had a master key. That was the 80 public housing apts. Had three other complexes just as easy. 260 total apts. Only did empties. One of the complexes, I just picked up a check on the way out.

 

[C.J.]

I had it easy here for the last 10 years I worked. I could do one of the one br in 90 minutes. Paid $160. One 3 ft seam. Reuse old pad, reuse flat bar. Two 12 x 15 cuts. Empty and I had a master key. That was the 80 public housing apts. Had three other complexes just as easy. 260 total apts. Only did empties. One of the complexes, I just picked up a check on the way out.

It’s nice when you find a sweet honey hole for work.

 

[highup]

Thank you.
Yes at the time I did. I had two two good installers and a helper working with me full time. I brought in two extra men for this job for a crew of six… On a job like this the aspects requiring skill were really the easy parts. Reading the plan, trimming, sealing, snapping lines and cutting in and such. The hard part was the muscle aspect. Getting the right rolls in place and positioned properly…Air movers blowing under the open sheets helps a lot for the final tweaks… Still A lot of knee kicking and a lot of sore backs by days end…

I enjoyed a challenge like this from time to time but big empty rooms with carpet tiles were my favorite…One box at a time on a dolly… No kickers, no power stretchers.

I'll say it once more..... I'm very impressed.
Yup, carpet tiles fix all issues.

 

[highup]

It’s nice when you find a sweet honey hole for work.

...jus tryin' to be an interpreter.