TIL cheap seam tape cost me a full hallway redo

I tried saving $15 on a roll of no-name seam tape from a discount supply store last spring. After 3 months the seams started peeling up on the hallway I installed for a customer in Portland. Had to rip out the whole run and replace it, losing about $200 in material and a whole Saturday. Anyone else get burned by cutting corners on supplies like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

avery_carr572d ago

Ah, "discount supply store" is probably giving them too much credit. Those no-name rolls you find at places like that aren't really "seam tape" in the same way cheap tape isn't really "duct tape." They're basically glorified packing tape with a little glue, not the pressure-sensitive stuff made for carpet. You need a tape that's specifically for seaming, with a good adhesive that bonds when you press down with a knee-kicker, not just something that looks sticky. The difference is real, learned that lesson myself on a bedroom job once.

juliagonzalez2d ago

You're right about that "glorified packing tape" line. That's exactly what those cheap rolls are. I tried one from a discount place once on a living room job. Rolled right back up after a day. Had to tear the whole seam out and start over. The pressure-sensitive stuff is the only thing that works with a knee kicker. It bonds right when you hit it. Learned that one the hard way too.