Just compared a seam roller with a hot bond iron for taping seams - night and day difference

I've been using a standard seam roller for years on residential jobs, thinking it did the job fine. Last week on a commercial carpet install in Portland, I borrowed a coworkers hot bond iron to tape the seams instead. The heat actually melted the adhesive into the backing, so the seam laid flat with zero curl after cooling. With the roller, I always had at least one or two seams start to peel up after a few weeks in high traffic areas. Has anyone else tried this switch and noticed a big difference on glue-down carpets?

2 comments

2 Comments

bettyk5316d ago

On my last glue-down job, grabbed the hot bond iron by mistake thinking it was the roller handle. Nearly ironed my own hand to the carpet. But yeah, after that incident I actually used it properly on the seams and couldn't believe how flat they stayed. The roller always left a little lift near the fridge and doorway traffic paths. Now I just keep the iron handy and hope I don't accidentally press my palm into it again.

mark67615d ago

Ever accidentally grabbed a hot glue gun instead of a caulk gun trimming baseboards? Same kind of pain. I keep a bright piece of tape on the iron handle now so my muscle memory doesn't trick me again.