In non-severe cases where the carpet has buckled due to high humidity, the carpet may lay flat again, without any intervention, once the moisture levels in the air return to “normal”—whatever the “normal” is for that area. However, in cases where the carpet is severely buckled, it may be necessary to take action to remove all of the ripples (see below). To reduce the likelihood of your carpet buckling in humid conditions, run your air conditioning during the summer months. Or, you may run a dehumidifier in the area, which draws moisture out of the air (and thus out of your carpet). To avoid causing your carpet to buckle when moving furniture or other heavy items, you must take precautions. It is best to lift the item and carry it if it is possible. If the item is too heavy to be completely lifted off the carpet, then use two sheets of sturdy plywood to move it. Place one sheet on the carpet and “walk” the item onto the plywood (move it slowly, one side at a time, almost as if it was walking forward). Then place the second plywood sheet on the carpet in front of the first, and “walk” the item from the first onto the second. Once you have the item completely on the second sheet, lift the first sheet and place it in front of the second, and continue in this manner until the item has been relocated. If the carpet is being installed in an area in which the conditions are significantly different than where it was previously stored (for example, from an unheated warehouse to a heated home), then the carpet should be allowed to acclimate before installation. This should reduce the possibility of buckling. To prevent this issue, the correct underpad must be used under the carpet. Delamination can occur as a result of wet carpet (see below) or a manufacturing defect. If you suspect that the carpet is defective, contact your retailer or carpet manufacturer, who will likely send an inspector to look at the issue. Once the carpet creases (i.e., the ripple becomes so prominent that the carpet is folded sharply at the peak) it is too late to be fixed. Sure, you can still get the ripples out, but the crease in the carpet will likely never come out, and even laid flat will still look buckled. To re-stretch your carpet, you could contact your retailer and have their professional installers come out to take care of it. Unless the carpet is less than a year old, it will likely cost you anywhere from $100 and up, depending on the severity of the ripples, and any other work that needs to take place (moving furniture, opening nearby seams and re-seaming, etc.). If the buckling is not severe and limited to a general area that is not near any seams or posts, you may wish to do the re-stretch yourself.
