The business of carpet tape products requires proper knowledge about flooring products and good training in order to provide superior service to customers. If you want to establish yourself as a carpet protection tape manufacturer, you will need to acquire the basic information about carpet tapes. Carpet tape suppliers offer various types of tapes such as a carpet binding tape, double sided carpet tape, carpet finishing tape or carpet seam tape (also called carpet seaming tape). Therefore, if you want to buy a carpet tape, you will need to have the knowledge about the various types.

If you are in the business of carpet tapes, you will need to keep your knowledge up-to-date in order to stay ahead of your competitors. Furthermore, constant communication with other professionals in the industry can help you to expand your business.

To gain adequate knowledge about carpet tape products, you can:

1. Browse through various resources that provide basic information about carpet tapes
2. Enroll for certification courses at recognized institutions
3. Join associations of professionals in the flooring products industry

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Understand the basics of carpet tapes and the relevant terminology

If you have very little exposure to carpet tapes, you can learn the basics by browsing through different resources, such as websites of engineering consultancies and online knowledge resources.

I recommend: You can read through the basic information on carpet tapes at The Home Depot, a major supplier of home appliances and flooring products. In addition, ORCON, a leading supplier of carpet tapes, provides useful basic information on carpet seaming tapes and their installation.

Join associations to keep your knowledge about carpet tapes up-to-date

Associations for professionals in the carpet industry provide a platform for communication and interaction. In addition, keeping in touch with other professionals in the carpet industry can help expand your business.

I recommend: You can join The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), a science-based source for the facts about carpet and rugs. In addition, you can join FIANA (Floor Installation Association of North America), an association of manufacturers and distributors of flooring installation products and/or flooring accessories, including carpet tapes.

Seek an expert's advice in case of any doubts or queries regarding carpet tapes

If you want to establish yourself as a carpet tape supplier, seek an expert's advice on different issues, such as the design and setup of a plant, compliances and government permissions and operational details of a carpet tape manufacturing plant.

I recommend: Installertools.com, a reputable online supplier of carpet tools and carpet installation supplies, offers an ‘Ask a question’ feature. In addition, the Canadian Carpet Institute offers experts’ advice regarding queries in the carpet industry.

As a professional carpet installer, you know that carpet tape is a necessary tool for your business. Most rooms are too big to cover with one piece of carpet, so you require carpet tape to make a seam between two pieces of carpet. There are many different types of carpet tape on the market today, including double sided carpet tape.

Sometimes people want small or large rugs, instead of wall-to-wall carpeting. In this case, you need carpet binding tape to make sure the edges of the rug don't unravel. You can purchase any color binding you need, to match the color of the rug.

1. Purchase carpet seaming tape for all your carpet installation jobs.

2. Remember that some types of carpet may need different carpet tapes to join the seams.

3. Make specialty rugs with carpet remnant binding tape.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use carpet seaming tape to join two pieces of carpet together

You can purchase carpet tape that uses a hot iron, a cool iron or no iron at all. You can even purchase double sided carpet tape that will adhere the carpet to the floor.

I recommend: Try the carpet seaming tape from Ace Hardware Superstore. If you have a store nearby, you may be able to shop there to save money on shipping costs. Lowe's also offers carpet seaming tape. Consider the self-sticking seaming tape offered by TheHardwareCity.com. You don't need an iron to apply this carpet tape.

Remember to stock different types of carpet seaming tape, each best for different jobs

Understand that different carpet seaming tapes require different methods to create a seam. Some need heat, some need steam and others need pressure. You can purchase any type of seaming tape that you need for your carpet installation jobs.

I recommend: HALEX carries both heat bond tape and pressure sensitive carpet seaming tape for different carpet seaming needs. You can also purchase carpet seam tape from InstallerTools.com that you use with a Kool Glide Carpet Seam Iron, which doesn't require heat to create the carpet seam.

Remember to purchase carpet binding tape for specialty sewn rugs

Sometimes, carpet installers need to make rugs to match the carpets in other rooms. In this case, you'll need carpet binding tape to prevent the edges of the rugs from unraveling. Another term occasionally used for binding tape is carpet finishing tape.

I recommend: Tools4Flooring offers a wide selection of carpet binding tape in many different colors. Request a price list from N-C Binding & Equipment so that you can compare their prices with those from Tools4Flooring. Remember that you can purchase both polyester and cotton binding carpet tapes from N-C Binding and Equipment.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  After installing carpet in a new house, remember to make walkways on the carpet with carpet protection tape so that the carpet doesn't suffer damage before the house is ready for its new occupants.

Whether you want to join carpets at their seams or avoid unraveling carpets, you will need to use carpet tape. In addition, you can use carpet tape for repairing carpets and protecting carpet pieces at the time of painting or similar home repair operations.

While using carpet tape, you will come across various technical terms about types of tapes, adhesives and specifications for adhesives. In this guide, we will cover some key terms related to carpet tape, such as carpet seaming, double-sided carpet tapes, pressure sensitive tapes and backing.

Action Steps
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Carpet seaming

Carpet seaming is the process of joining the carpets at their joints using seaming tapes that have adhesives on both sides. Some carpet seaming tapes have a silicone coating to avoid sticking of carpet seaming tapes to the underlying pads.

I recommend: RLA Polymers, a reputable company in the carpet industry, explains the importance of carpet seaming and its different methods.

Backing

Backing is a layer of soft material that is laid over the floor before installing the carpet. Backing insures proper positioning and dimensional stability for the carpet tape.

I recommend: You can read through the carpet terms glossary at The Carpet and Rug Institute, an informative website for carpets and rugs.

Curing

Curing (or hardening) is the process of setting of an adhesive in standard climatic conditions. Before buying a carpet tape or adhesive, you must inquire about the curing time for the adhesive applied to the carpet tape.

I recommend: For information about the term curing, read through the glossary of adhesive terms at Master Bond, a supplier of adhesives and sealants.

Double-sided carpet tapes

Double-sided carpet tape is useful for sticking the carpet to the floor or backing material. One end of the tape is stuck to the floor material and other end is stuck to the lower side of the carpet.

I recommend: FindTape.com, an online retailer of tape, provides information about double-sided carpet tape, its types and applications.

Masking carpet tapes

A masking carpet tape is useful to protect the carpet when you are painting or repairing your home. These tapes are also useful for protection of switches, glass panels and light fittings.

I recommend: You can read through information about the uses of masking tapes at 3M. In addition, diyfixit, an informative website by Dragon Web, offers information about masking tapes and their applications.

Pressure sensitive tapes

As the name indicates, a pressure sensitive tape can be fixed by applying pressure on it. These tapes do not require any solvent, heat or water for fixing it to the carpet or backing.

I recommend: The Adhesive and Sealant Council offers a glossary of terms related to pressure sensitive adhesives and tapes.

If your industry involves installing carpeting, or perhaps you just sell installation equipment, you should know about carpet tape products. Whether you use carpet tape everyday in your job or just stock your hardware store with it, obtaining some basic information about it will improve customer satisfaction and help your business run smoothly. There are more carpet tape types and styles than many people assume, but learning the basics is a good place to start.

You can gain insight into the most popular carpet tape products simply by doing some research online. The following are just a few of the most often used carpet tape types and styles:

1. Bind the edges of rugs with carpet binding tape.
   
2. Buy carpet tape that holds two pieces of carpet together.
   
3. Check out double sided carpet tape for your business.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider carpet binding tape for basic installation

Carpet remnant binding tape, also referred to as carpet finishing tape, keeps together the edges of any carpet piece to prevent fraying. Adhesive carpet binding tape is simple to use, as you can just place a piece of the vinyl tape on the underside of your rug or carpet piece, and then fold it over to the top to keep any loose ends together. Many variations of such tape are quite attractive and unique.

I recommend: Check out Tools4Flooring or N-C Binding & Equipment to see a wide array of carpet binding tape.

Learn the uses of carpet seam tape

When you need to make a seam between two separate carpet pieces, you will need to apply carpet seaming tape. Carpet seam tape comes in many varieties, from simple self-sticking tape to the kind that needs the pressure of either a hot or cold iron to stay put. No matter what kind it is, you can easily apply carpet seam tape to the back of two rug pieces to keep them connected. This is often done either to replace a damaged piece of rug or put together a customized rug.

I recommend: DEPENDABLE Chemical carries a selection of seam tape, as does InstallerTools.com.

Check out double sided adhesive carpet tape

If you want to make your installs as easy and durable as possible, try out double sided carpet tape. It works just like any other kind of double sided tape, but is perfect for attaching two pieces of carpet to each other. You can also use this kind of tape to keep area rugs in place, which is particularly useful with rugs that are not of the no-slip variety.

I recommend: Ace Hardware carries double sided carpet tape. Visit Filmtools to buy such tape, as well.