LESLIE: Kurt in North Carolina is calling in with a flooring question. What can we do for you today?
KURT: Hello, there. I’m fixing to put down some new carpet in a couple of rooms and I’ve never been able to wash the carpet or use a carpet cleaner because of the water.
TOM: (overlapping voices) OK. Right.
KURT: Because my flooring under the padding of the carpet is particleboard.
TOM: Right.
KURT: OK? And the house is 37 years old and I’ve put probably three different pieces of carpet on it in the past but this time I want to try and do something about sealing that floor, if I can.
TOM: Well, why do you think that you can’t put water on particleboard? Usually the carpet cleaners push water down into the carpet but pull it right back up again. So while the flooring will become damp, it’s not going to get so much water that it’s going to be warped or cause any kind of mold growth or anything of that nature.
KURT: You don’t think that that’ll be a problem then.
TOM: No, not at all.
LESLIE: No, because they don’t heavily saturate it. I mean they use a cleanser. They’ve got super-powerful, vacuum-cleaning machines so that all the water that they put in is almost immediately sucked right out.
TOM: Yeah, it’s not like you’re hosing the floor down.
KURT: OK. As long as it’s put on and then taken right back off, I should be OK.
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Well, and that’s what they do.
TOM: (overlapping voices) Right, the machines do that for you.
KURT: Right. I was concerned because I’ve seen the particleboard – the old particleboard get wet like that …
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Turns into a sponge.
KURT: … and it expands and comes apart and (inaudible at 0:03:24) to happen.
TOM: Yeah, but that’s not going to happen from just carpet cleaning, if you use the right equipment, Kurt.
KURT: OK.
TOM: Go rent a machine. You’ll be done before you know it.
KURT: Alright, well that’s what I wanted to know.
TOM: Alright, well good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
I have had a respectable. Carpet cleaning people come in my house and shampoo my carpets that has particle board under it..2 weeks later my whole house buckled. Severe. So how do i clean my carepets…caprpets are only 1/2 inch thick???
Sandy, Sorry, I have never heard of such a problem. Steam cleaning has been done for decades and isn’t know to cause the kind of damage you report.
I hired a highly recamend a carpet cleaner. But after 3 days my entire house buckeld..my carpet has particle boar under. what can i do now??