What does this carpet and carpet tile rough-in checklist cover?

12 items across 4 sections, covering substrate condition, cleanliness and bond surface, layout and anchorage prep, material and method. 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 prepping the floor, with the GC's superintendent walking the substrate before the field is covered.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After the space is enclosed, conditioned and the slab is dry, before adhesive or tackless is set and the floor is covered.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

5 of the 12 items call for photo evidence, 7 photos in all. 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 rough-in inspection?

Adhesive-set carpet tile laid over a slab that was never moisture-checked, so the bond fails and the tiles curl at the corners once vapor drives through. Ridges and low spots left unpatched, so glue-down seams telegraph and the seam line shows as a shadow across the field under raking light. Old adhesive, dust and curing compound left on the slab, so neither the new adhesive nor the tackless holds and the carpet creeps under traffic.

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.

Free checklist

Carpet and carpet tile

Carpet and carpet tile rough-in inspection checklist

Carpet and carpet tile rough-in is the last time the work is fully visible. Once the cover inspection passes and the walls, ceilings and slabs close, every defect left behind becomes a demolition bill. This checklist walks the rough-in in the order the work goes in, with the photo each item needs before it gets buried. Work is commonly verified against CRI carpet installation guidance, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Substrate condition

Substrate flat, sound and dry
Slab or underlayment within the specified flatness, ridges ground and low spots patched, moisture within the maker's limits for the adhesive or cushion system, no telegraphing defects.

Cleanliness and bond surface

Old adhesive, dust and compounds removed
Bond surface free of old adhesive, curing compounds, sealers and dust so adhesive or tackless holds, prepped where the maker requires.
Adhesive spread and tack time set for the carpet system
For glue-down broadloom or tile, the notch or roller, coverage and flash-off from the carpet maker's instructions confirmed; releasable tile adhesive left to dry to tack before tiles go down.
No photo

Layout and anchorage prep

Tackless, cushion or layout lines set for the field
Tackless strip and cushion set correctly at the perimeter for stretched-in work, or the tile layout snapped from balanced center lines so borders are even and no sliver cuts land at the edges.
Broadloom seams marked where the approved seaming diagram puts them
Seam lines chalked from the seaming diagram, running the way the diagram and pile direction show, with fill pieces and cross seams kept out of main traffic paths.
No photo
Carpet tile installation method confirmed for the style
Monolithic, quarter-turn, ashlar or brick method taken from the carpet maker's direction for this style and the finish plan, and explained to the crew before the first carton opens.
No photo
Cushion seams offset from carpet seams and taped
For stretched-in work, cushion seams butted and taped, run so none sits under a carpet seam, and the cushion trimmed to the inside edge of the tackless.
No photo
Floor boxes and access covers planned into the layout
Floor box lids, access panels and column lines located on the layout so seams and tile cuts fall clean around them and lids still open once carpet is down.
No photo

Material and method

Roll or carton label matches the approved style, color and backing
Label on each roll or carton type photographed and checked against the approved submittal for style, colorway and backing before any cutting starts.
Rolls and cartons opened and checked for defects before cutting
Face checked for shading bands, flaws and, on patterned goods, bow and skew, so a defect is raised with the roll tag before the goods are cut.
Install method per room matches the finish schedule
Each room marked as stretched-in over cushion, direct glue-down, double glue-down or tile, matching the finish schedule and the methods the carpet maker lists for the product.
No photo
Attic stock set aside from the installed dye lot before cutting
Where extra material is specified, cartons or a broadloom drop pulled from the same dye lot as the field and labeled before cutting uses it up.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Adhesive-set carpet tile laid over a slab that was never moisture-checked, so the bond fails and the tiles curl at the corners once vapor drives through.
Ridges and low spots left unpatched, so glue-down seams telegraph and the seam line shows as a shadow across the field under raking light.
Old adhesive, dust and curing compound left on the slab, so neither the new adhesive nor the tackless holds and the carpet creeps under traffic.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this carpet and carpet tile rough-in checklist cover?: 12 items across 4 sections, covering substrate condition, cleanliness and bond surface, layout and anchorage prep, material and method. 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 prepping the floor, with the GC's superintendent walking the substrate before the field is covered.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After the space is enclosed, conditioned and the slab is dry, before adhesive or tackless is set and the floor is covered.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 5 of the 12 items call for photo evidence, 7 photos in all. 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 rough-in inspection?: Adhesive-set carpet tile laid over a slab that was never moisture-checked, so the bond fails and the tiles curl at the corners once vapor drives through. Ridges and low spots left unpatched, so glue-down seams telegraph and the seam line shows as a shadow across the field under raking light. Old adhesive, dust and curing compound left on the slab, so neither the new adhesive nor the tackless holds and the carpet creeps under traffic.
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.

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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 7 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.