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Carpet and carpet tile

Carpet and carpet tile final inspection checklist

Carpet and carpet tile final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against CRI carpet installation guidance, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Items
3
Photos required
5

Who runs it

The carpet foreman with the GC's superintendent, walking the finished floor before it is protected and before the owner's walk.

When in the schedule

After the field is stretched or the tile is laid and seams are finished, and transitions are set, before floor protection goes down.

The checklist

Every item, and the photo that proves it

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.

01

Layout, stretch and lay

  • Carpet laid to layout, stretched and flat

    Field to the specified layout with balanced borders, broadloom power-stretched tight with no ripples, tile fully seated and flat with pile direction and pattern consistent.

    2 photos
02

Seams and tile joints

  • Seams flat, sealed and tile joints tight

    Broadloom seams sealed and heat-set flat with no peaking or fuzzing, tile joints tight and aligned with no gapping, pile combed clean across the join.

    2 photos
03

Transitions and base

  • Transitions and edges set tight and clean

    Transition strips and reducers set flush at doorways and material changes, edges tucked and secured at walls and base, wide shot placing the floor in the space.

    1 photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

  • Broadloom seams peaked or fuzzing because the seam was not sealed and heat-set correctly, so the join shows as a raised line across the room.
  • Pattern or pile direction run inconsistent between drops, so the field reads as mismatched panels under light even though each seam is tight.
  • Stretched-in carpet left loose so it ripples and buckles under rolling traffic, passed off as installed because it lies flat on day one.

Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 5 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident record behind every line.

Submission state

Mandatory items answered3 of 3
Photos attached2 of 5
Submit locked, 3 photos missing

The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.

Common questions

What does this carpet and carpet tile final checklist cover?
3 items across 3 sections, covering layout, stretch and lay, seams and tile joints, transitions and base. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?
The carpet foreman with the GC's superintendent, walking the finished floor before it is protected and before the owner's walk.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?
After the field is stretched or the tile is laid and seams are finished, and transitions are set, before floor protection goes down.
Why does every item ask for a photo?
5 of the 3 items call for photo evidence. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a carpet and carpet tile final inspection?
Broadloom seams peaked or fuzzing because the seam was not sealed and heat-set correctly, so the join shows as a raised line across the room. Pattern or pile direction run inconsistent between drops, so the field reads as mismatched panels under light even though each seam is tight. Stretched-in carpet left loose so it ripples and buckles under rolling traffic, passed off as installed because it lies flat on day one.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?
Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident audit trail.