TIL you can't stretch carpet over a floor that's still sweating from a fresh pour

Nathan Kim · 2026-09-17T08:25:04.723137+00:00

I keep running into this on basement jobs around Fort Wayne and it drives me up a wall. Had a guy last month pour a new slab and wanted carpet laid down 5 days later, and I told him no way. He said his buddy does it all the time and it always looks fine. The problem is the moisture comes up through the pad and you get that musty smell and the seams start to pucker within 6 months. I came back to a different house in December where someone did exactly that, and I had to pull up 40 yards of carpet that was glued down with mold all over the backing. The floor needs at least 28 days to cure and you have to test it before you even think about padding. If that slab reads over 5 pounds on a calcium chloride test, you are setting yourself up for a callback you can't fix. Do any of you get pushback from builders who want you to lay carpet on green concrete, and how do you talk them out of it?

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TIL you can't stretch carpet over a floor that's still sweating from a fresh pour | Carpet Installers - Vivisector