About

What is Carpetology, anyway?

Carpetology is a descriptive catch-all for the loosely-related arts and sciences of preventing, investigating and solving carpet problems. It is a never-get-bored occupation where you learn more than you ever wanted to know about everything from concrete chemistry to Axminster looms to trip-and-fall biomechanics to sheep to construction law to pesticides to Georgia humidity in August. You get paid to crawl around on your hands and knees, tear things apart and use cool gadgets, frightening chemicals and big words.

Aside from the forensic fun, it’s sometimes tedious (I’ve literally been paid to watch glue dry), and people often get cranky when your findings don’t support their position. You’ll appreciate whole new dimensions of irrational consumer behavior and tragic business decisions, learn how committees work (or don’t), and understand the importance of wearing good socks.

About the Author

In 1989 I founded Floorcovering Forensics Company, a consulting and technical services firm specializing in preventing, diagnosing, and solving problems with textile and resilient floor coverings.

My clients have included all segments of the floor covering industry, including major tufted and woven carpet manufacturers, fiber producers, distributors, contractors, retailers, cleaners, attorneys, insurance companies and end users.

I am entirely independent and am not affiliated with any carpet manufacturer, fiber producer or installation contractor.

Services

Claims Inspection: Investigation and documentation of complaints related to the design, manufacture, specification, installation, performance and maintenance of carpet and resilient floor coverings in commercial and residential installations.

Field and Laboratory Testing: General physical, chemical and structural testing of carpet and other textile floor coverings; pre-specification testing; concrete alkali and moisture emissions testing.

Educational Services: Seminars for a variety of clients including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, architects, specifiers, designers, inspectors, cleaners, insurance companies and consumers on topics including carpet selection and specification, performance, maintenance, claims handling and technical services.

Specification: Comprehensive specification of materials, installation, and maintenance programs for commercial and residential installations; remedial specifications for correction of large-scale installation-related problems.

Legal Services: Trial consultant, expert witness

Corrective Services: Specialized mechanical repairs, reburling, microshearing, small-area corrective cleaning, pile steaming, corrective dyeing, and specification and supervision of major installation-related repairs.

Service Areas

I have provided services throughout The Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and The Pacific.

My local service area is Southern California, centered on Los Angeles.

Publications

• The Carpet Inspector’s Report Writing Handbook

• Standard Field Tests for Certified Carpet Inspectors

• IICRC Reference Guide for Inspection of Textile Floorcoverings (committee chair)

• numerous technical bulletins and contributions to American and foreign industry press

Past Industry Memberships and Activity

Instructor, Floorcovering Forensics Company
Instructor, Academy of Textiles & Flooring
Chairman, Carpet Inspectors Technical Advisory Board, IICRC
Chairman, Field Tests and Standards Committee, IICRC
American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC)
Member, World Floor Covering Association (WFCA)
Member, Certification Board, IICRC
Member, Marketing Committee, IICRC

Selected Clients

Aladdin Mills
Allstate Insurance
Banner Carpets
Beaulieu/Dimension Carpets
Brintons/US Axminster
Builders Showcase Interiors
Carpeteria, Inc.
Carriage Industries/Suncraft/Masland
Citation/Conquest Mills
Cleaner Referral Service
Columbus Mills
Coronet Industries/Interloom
Couristan
Diamond Carpet Mills
Dorsett Mills
DuPont Flooring Systems
Durkan Patterned Carpet
ETC Carpet Mills
Galaxy Carpet Mills
Hollytex Carpet Mills
The Home Depot
Horizon Industries
JPS Carpet Corporation
JH Freed & Sons
Kajima Construction
Karastan Bigelow
LD Brinkman
Mohawk Carpets
Monsanto
Paul Singer Floor Covering
Queen Carpets
Scotchcare/Montage
Sears, Roebuck & Co., Inc.
Shaw Industries
State of California
Stratton Commercial Carpets
Tarkett
Tuftex/Designweave
World Carpets

Selected Projects

444 Plaza
Air Touch Cellular
Bank of New York
Bergstrom’s Children’s Stores
Beverly Hospital
Big Horn Golf Club
Children’s Hospital of Orange County
City National Bank
Disneyland Hotel
El Monte Children’s Court
El Monte Unified School District
First AME Church
Fontana Unified School District
Fort Irwin
Fresno Racket Time
Global Van Lines
Indian Ridge Country Club
Irvine Auto Center
Litton Corporate Offices
Long Beach City College
Los Alamitos Unified School District
Los Angeles Intercontinental Hotel
Mann Chinese Theatre
March Air Force Base
McClintock & Westin Law Offices
McCutchin & Doyle Law Offices
Montebello Unified School District
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Law Offices
Olive Garden Restaurants
Pacific Park Plaza
Ramada Inn
Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel
Revenue Canada
Safeco Insurance
Sanrio Surprises
Social Security Administration
Southern California Edison
St. Joseph Hospital
California Department of Rehabilitation
Sumitomo Bank
Team Disney Buildings (Burbank, Anaheim)
University of Southern California
Virginia Country Club
Walt Disney Studios
Wausau Insurance
The Wherehouse
Yorba Linda Country Club