Found out my cushion backing is basically killing my seams

I was reading through some old trade magazines I found in a dumpster behind a flooring shop, and I stumbled on a stat that stopped me cold. Turns out that cheap rebond pad I've been using for years has a moisture wicking issue that can cause seam tape to fail in under 6 months. I always thought the adhesive or my iron was the problem when seams pulled apart. But this article from 2022 said the backing chemical in some budget pads reacts with the glue and breaks it down slowly. I checked my last three jobs where I had callbacks and sure enough, I used that same pad every time. Any of you guys run into this with specific cushion brands?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinwood15d agoTop Commenter

Damn, that's a good find. Did the article mention if any specific pad brands are safer, or is it basically all cheap rebond stuff doing this?

noraj7915d ago

Found the same thing with a brand called "ComfortPlus" a couple years back. Whole bedroom job came apart like a cheap puzzle. My buddy who's been doing this for 30 years said he's seen it with any pad that feels like foam rubber with extra dust in it.