Rental burn repair.

Jack May

That Kiwi
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John
One area I target is the rental agencies. We live in a city with 3 university campuses and so we have a large student population.

As we know, they are probably the worst for looking after the rental homes.

We often get called in by a rental manager that has a burn in a property.

Today's was a severe scorch mark on the bedroom carpet. Low loop 'berber' carpet. There was a loose runner in the kitchen, albeit dirty and worn. This repair demonstrates taht you can't always win every time on matching an invisible repair, but in these situations, they don't care. If I can save them $1500+ then they will use me all the time. The student gladly gives away a part (or all) of his/her bond to get off scot free.

Initial problem.
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Area cut out.
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Donor cut and sealed with tape in place.
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Done but cleaning up the joins a bit better and trimming any tufts still sitting up.
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Completed job.
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If you look closely, you should still see it. I lifted the pile while the carpet was warm, soft and pliable after setting the tape and so the wear difference is minimised but it's still dirty, but the carpets have already been cleaned and they didn't want me to re clean the section.

This is the sort of thing that you should look for to learn and hone your skills on. We don't see these as the rental market for cleaning is too cheaply priced for us but they still call us for this stuff. If you see these, have a go. An extra 25-45 minutes and you could easily pick up an additional $125 for you time.

John
 

Jack May

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I wouldn't, other may. I think it's too small for that from on top.

The carpet continues into the wardrobe so lifting it all to get to the back of the carpet means twice as much work for the same? $$.

Maybe Harry or Marc may like to say on that one. The size was 6x10" approx from memory.

The scorching wasn't too deep so it may have been pssible to do a graft, but I felt my best time efficient manner was a complete insert.

John
 

Jack May

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Damn!!! looking at those photos on the net, I can't see the difference :?

Then again, not everything is doable.

Inspection today for an insurer.

15-18 year old synthetic yarn foam backing direct stuck!!
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Time to run...

John
 

Heathrow

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Heath Menefy
Motorbike burnout marks???

Hey John, further to Charles' question, if a patch was of a size large enough to get a normal seaming iron in (not a cool glide), how does one go about gluing the last side? Do you just leave a bit unglued on the two adjacent sides to allow easier exit of the iron without getting glue everywhere?
 

Jack May

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Shorty, my first unit which happened to be one of the first in the region, came with this baby!!

And no, you couldn't ask Delia to carry it for you :oops:

DSCN2315.jpg


This was bought about 12-18 months ago. I can't really remember sorry. The Transformer here, is a UK one and has the UK heavy sockets with two outlets. 3.3kva (?) is what's on the side.

The new unit I bought a week or two back, came with a much smaller transformer. about 6"x6"x4" and easily carried by anyone. SMall enough to fit inside a toolbox with the Kool Glide and a roll of tape and a few other tools. But it can only power the one unit.

John
 

Stevea

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Feb 3, 2007
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436
Beautiful job John and a great example of repairs that are not only practical but also one a customer will gladly accept. I always look at a repair with the idea of what choices they have: 1. Live with it; 2. replace it; 3. repair it

The very fact they call shows they do not want to live with it nor replace it. In my market, a property manager can spend all of the deposit they have on repair but none of it on replacement, so that information helps to open doors and helps with the pricing of the damage.

Great job and great example.


Charles,

While some would work on a repair like that with a conventional seam iron, all you would have to do it try it once and try the Kool Glide once and you would see there is no practical reason to use a conventional iron. This is just too tight to have the ability to set you donor piece and then have to move it around to put the iron under it. I have personally watched many try to do so and it always comes out a mess; yet when they try the Kool Glide, the same person can make a wonderful repair.

You can certainly do this with a glue gun and do a great job but to have the ability to seal edges and place the donor piece and set a portion of it and then look or adjust is just priceless to be able to do.


John wonderful example of the type of repair to learn and look for. These are the types that occur over & over and that people want to have done.

SA
 

John Watson

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Great example of what we can do with a little practice and what we can save for the clients.

Steve said it all about using the glue gun to do this type of repair. I don't have the Kool Glide as of yet and have done many with my glue gun and glueless tape.
 

Charlie Lyman

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John,
Could you explain how you do this with a glue gun and the glueless tape? Is the glueless like the stuff they sell for the cookie cutter?
 

Jack May

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John
Here's another one I did for a rental last year.

An orange was left to rot under a bed. They shifted out and the stain wouldn't budge.

Client thought her replacement cover policy would have given her brand new carpet. It was only 1-2 years old anyway, but she was wanting to sell her rental and wanted it as new as possible.

The adjuster called me and and up till I did the work, she thought she was getting new carpet until she couldn't find the spot 8)
DSCN2313.jpg

DSCN2314.jpg


John
 

John Watson

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"John,
Could you explain how you do this with a glue gun and the glueless tape? Is the glueless like the stuff they sell for the cookie cutter?"

Charles, From seeing John M's work I do believe the Kool Glide is the way to go even for the lesser experienced repair tec. That being said,

The glue lees tape has no adhesive on it..

Using a glue gun with a tube extension helps, But, I have done with and with out. The glue-less tape looks like seaming tape with no glue on the scrim. Custom rug makers use it. I haven bought any for years (still have a roll left from a case) I used to buy rolls of it when it was called pin tape and had metal clips with small pins to hold the tape in place. I haven't see it for years, Maybe John, Steve or harry will chime in if it is still available or not.

You place your tape the same way John has his, I most always glue the main piece first because I can lift and maneuver the glue gun fairly easy but do not run the glue all the way to the edge on all 4 sides.
when inserting the donor piece I will seal the seam one side at a time just after laying down my tracks of hot melt glue. I normally work clockwise and glue and seal in order side 1, 2 3 and then 4 using a flat roller an letting the glue cool a minute or so between sides.

The secret to this and any repair is the fit. Hope this helped explain.
 

Charlie Lyman

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cool, thanks. I am going to start collecting carpet remnants and I will start to practice on them. This room has proved to be invaluable and you guys are awesome.
Also Steve, come back to salt lake and do a repair class and I will try to get down there to take it.
 

Jack May

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John Watson said:
The secret to this and any repair is the fit.

Very true John.

The finish is ALWAYS dictated by the preparation of the repair.

I had a saying that I always taught the new apprentices in the joinery workshop. "One mark, one cut and one fit".

I still use that principle with repair work. Mark it, cut it and then trim it to fit if necessary.

As you gain experience, you'll go from a haphazard cut with heaps of fitting to a careful cut with nil to little fitting. I can in most cases, get away without any fitting at all, just by marking exactly and doing that initial cut carefully. With this option, you should be able to put your damaged piece straight back into the area you took your donor piece out of.

I NEVER start the iron or glue gun till the repair looks 100% only then will I start the iron or glue gun and start seaming it in.

John
 

Stevea

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Feb 3, 2007
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Charles,

You said the right words, Practice, Practice, Practice. Follow along with what is going on, and then try it out. A mistake, on remnants, will teach you a lot.

John Middleton has shown some beautiful work and good commentary.

John Watson has outlined the glue gun very well.

You can use either or both, I personally like to use both in most cases but either Kool Glide or Glue Gun will do a great job. If you are going to be serious about this, the Kool Glide allows you to do this type of repair well and also allows you to do repairs on seams that were almost impossible in the past.

I would love to have you in my class when I get to SLC again. I am actually leaving for SLC tomorrow and will be there all week long. I will be working with a friend/cleaner/ student for a couple of days along with attending the distributor meeting. We will be doing a some repairs while I am there. Hope to meet you someday, I am sure I would enjoy it.

SA
 

Harry Myers

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Charlotte, NC
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Harry Myers
Charles yes that can be done with a regular iron. Point is it is a pain in the neck. This is what makes the Kool glide and the person using it special. Believe it or not not everyone owns these tools. This give a better advancement opportunity. This is what can separate you from others. It is always that edge. The edge is what makes us better. Do you want to be better. Be one on top and you will be. :D
 

J Scott W

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Oct 16, 2006
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Shelbyville TN
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Jeffrey Scott Warrington
Kool Glide

For anyone who needs but does not have a Kool Glide, send me an email or PM and I will see what I can do about getting a group discount for Mikey's Board guys.

I'll get back to you after a few days when i see how many respond.

Scott Warrington
 

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