Fascination with Making Lines in Carpet?

I know what my clients like and deliver accordingly - regardless of what *I* like it's the call of the customer. I will qualify this statement by adding that I will not let the customer make decision on matters that are not inline with by regular business practive (IE: polishing a vehicle with not enough clear / only polishing due to lack of money etc)



All customers vehicles get a walk around WITH the customer present - during the very 1st walk around I do for a specific customer I ask "do you like matte vs sheen, do you scented vs unscented, line or no lines etc, etc". I document all of this information and save it on my palm and use it accordingly..



Good thread!
 
I would like the lines 'on the carpet ONLY'... Wouldn't wanna see the lines on seats and trunk... that implies they did the carpet (and other ppl's carpets) AND my seats and trunk..which defeats the purpose of cleaning...:p
 
It has been said several times in this thread, that a detailer's job is to put the car back to "like new" or "off the assembly line" condition. I'm going to start another debate about this, because I think it relates to the lines in the carpet question.



Don't all of us here agree that "like new" is not always best? Don't we try to make many of our cars (especially our own) better than new? For instance, I've seen several threads on wetsanding out orange peel. And obviously, we are more in tune with the condition of a car's paint than the dealer (read: "brand new"). I'm not sure how exactly this mentality would translate into the interior of a car (maybe putting the proper sort of finish on leather or vinyl, or vapor cleaning the interior carpet in hopes of removing excess glue or manufacturing residue) Professional detailers out there can answer that better than me. But I'm sure that we all are striving for more than "off the lot" clean and finished.



Having said that, I can't decide whether I like the look of the lines. I think for me it would depend on the car. A brand new Japanese tuner car? Lines. A brand new Aston Martin? Absolutely no lines. A classic Mustang? Maybe lines. A classic Ferrari? No lines. Rather than thinking on a customer to customer preference, I think if I were detailing professionally, that I would broach that subject based on the car.
 
boogiejoe said:
It's carpet, it's not a permanent change. You see it mostly on the daily drivers that people post anyhow. I think it looks great. It also shows that the carpet is really clean instead of just getting to see one side of the nap.



What's the fascination with judging what people like to do with carpet? It's carpet!! The lines don't last very long anyhow. It's not like hologram strips in the paint...



If you don't want to put them in, it's a free country, don't. I'm sure someone won't start a thread about 'What's the fascination with NOT making lines in carpet"
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Calm down man. It's a civil discussion asking why people do it. Nobody is ripping on anyone for doing it. It's all personal preference.
 
Everyone has their own preference. I myself, like Dean, will put lines in the carpets of everyday cars, trucks, and SUV's. I have actually had many compliments on the lines themselves, some think it's a nice touch that shows my commitment to the 'details'. On the flip side, I've never had a complaint about the lines.



It's probably advisable to consult the client as to whether or not they want lines.
 
Obviously there are pros and cons to either side.



There are the guys out there who feel that they want a showroom perfect car, and that is awesome.



There are those that want to show off the hard work put in, and that is cool too.



In the end, it is about the preference of the customer, and knowing what your customer is going to want.



I put lines in some of the cars that I do, but nowhere near all. Those that I do put it in, I do so as an attention getter. It directs the customers attention to things that they may not have necessarily payed a lot of attention to before. Not only does it show that you took the time to clean the carpets, but you also took the time to make it visually appealing and draw attention to it.



Show cars are different. You don't want attention drawn to any single object, everything is supposed to be equally impressive. Putting lines in the carpet of a show car is likely to be looked upon as a distraction from other parts, rather than a simple visual cue.
 
New does not necessarily mean clean.



I prefer clean > new, and seeing lines in carpet represents clean. I think I would stop vaccuming my house so often if i didnt see those backgammon like lines in my carpet.
 
I do not put lines in at all. I feel that it really does not add anything to the overall job that I did. Lines are nice, I personally just cannot see what value the lines add to a sparkling restored interior. Lines on a baseball field are nice, in a car HMMM. :nixweiss
 
I am also not a fan of the stripes. I much prefer the factory original look. I remember that I once read a post where a guy had put the star of david on a rabbi's floormat. That's pretty cool.



I do however like a shiny engine bay, but not the greasy petroleum based protectants. I prefer 303 or the likes.
 
I did the interior of a BMW about a month ago and didnt stripe the carpet and although they came out perfect it seemed a little blan to me. The interior of the car was already pretty clean, the leather was treated and the dash and cupholders etc. but the car didnt need much work at all and after I finished I thought it looked just a bit cleaner than before and I thought maybe stripes in the carpet would give it a "brand new" detailed look because that was something they didnt have before. So the last car I did which was an SL55 I striped the carpets and I really thought it added something to the interior like when a customer looks at the car for the first time they think "WOW" this looks great even if its just for the initial impression. I really am looking for the wow factor when it comes to pleasing a customer. I am against stupid shiney tires though because I think it takes away from the polished paint. But even when it comes to paint you want to do the necessary(correct polish and protect) but you also want to go beyond and add that gloss and depth factor, even if it means using that extra coat of sealant or more high quality nuba on the finish. Is that little extra gloss or shine in the paint always necessary? No, but it looks nice and for the most part customers are taken back by the initial apearance of their newly detailed vehicle. I think the stripes do a similar thing in a different way just a little extra for peace of mind if anything.
 
I agree with David, I don't care for the lines either. I like grooming the carpet to look "new". On the other hand, I can see what Dean is saying and agree. Some people can look briefly, see the lines, and have the satisfaction knowing that they got cleaned.
 
I think most of us aim to go beyond the showroom appearance. Why? Because showroom appearance is lackluster at best! We all know that a brand new car needs a light clay and polish, to make it better than when you took delivery. There is nothing wrong with going above and beyond what we receive initially, in my opinion I want it to look the best. Putting lines in the carpet shows it was professionally cleaned, and in an orderly fashion. This is something that dealerships do not take the time to do.
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Everyone has their own preference. I myself, like Dean, will put lines in the carpets of everyday cars, trucks, and SUV's. I have actually had many compliments on the lines themselves, some think it's a nice touch that shows my commitment to the 'details'. On the flip side, I've never had a complaint about the lines.
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A couple of great replies! I too like the lines, kind of adds a finishing touch to details. And whoever said showroom or new was adequate?

Sometimes detailers are stuck in "neutral", because they dont know anybetter, have never learned any differently. Hey, step outside of the box folks. If it doesnt work, you'll know about it. I have never had a complaint about carpet or fabric details. (I do the same thing on fabric interiors.)

For those of you who own carpeted homes, dont you appreciate that effect after you have vacuumed the carpets? Same thing.....

It provides a neat and orderly appearance, which is what detailing is....all about.
 
I used to do it for a while but I've gone back to running the carpet in its natural direction. The patterns don't last very long and once the customer gets in and out a few times, it no longer looks good.
 
IMHO, there is no "wrong" answer here. But, the whole subject takes me back a lot of years.



As a kid, my dad took me to a Penn State football game. I was in awe that the grass on the field was a slightly different shade of green every five yards. I soon realized that it had to do with mower direction.



Since we owned a "reel" type mower back then, and since my two siblings tended to disappear when the grass needed mowing, I made a boring job a little less boring by mowing the grass in that fashion.



When I actually attended PSU, I learned that the stadium mowers used a little metal roller behind the mower to make sure that the blades of grass all pointed in the same direction. To this day, natural grass athletic fields and golf courses that have a "pattern" were done that way.



I was fascinated by it, and for a number of years after college, I vacuumed carpets both inside the home and in my vehicles that way.



I don't do it anymore. Maybe I am just getting old.



Anyway, there really is no wrong answer here. It's all about your preference, and the perceptions and preferences of customers.



As long as the carpet is really clean, go for it in any way you feel appropriate.
 
Sometimes I think the lines are pretty cool. But I agree about bringing the vehicle back to its original state which definitely does not include lines in the carpet, and Scottwax has a point about it not looking so good after the customer has gotten in and out of the vehicle a few times.



Just a matter of preference, and what the customer wants more importantly!
 
Gosh, thanks for everyone's input. I've seemed to draw some very interesting comments from both newbie’s as well as some seasoned veterans. A very nice balance of opinions.





There are a few comments I'd like to touch upon:





The lines are evidence of your hard work and service. It indicates that you did more than just vacuum the carpets and floor mats.
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I would like the lines 'on the carpet ONLY'...that implies they did the carpet
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Not only does it show that you took the time to clean the carpets, but you also took the time to make it visually appealing and draw attention to it.
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I feel that our work doesn't need to be justified or proven to our clients. If our final product stands on its own, there won't be any second guessing in people's minds. Do we really need to attention to something that is either clean or isn't? Do lines/stripes prove that the carpet looks cleaner? I wonder?





I think for me it would depend on the car. A brand new Japanese tuner car? Lines. A brand new Aston Martin? Absolutely no lines. A classic Mustang? Maybe lines. A classic Ferrari? No lines.
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Bottom line (no pun intended), should we differentiate installing lines/stripes based on the vehicle? If it doesn't look good in 1, it might not look good in any? (should an import with Lambo doors have lines/stripes and the Lambo not?)





New does not necessarily mean clean.
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I prefer clean > new, and seeing lines in carpet represents clean.
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Don't all of us here agree that "like new" is not always best? Don't we try to make many of our cars (especially our own) better than new?
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I much prefer the factory original look.
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I thought maybe stripes in the carpet would give it a "brand new" detailed look
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I like grooming the carpet to look "new".
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And whoever said showroom or new was adequate?
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I've probably seen & been in 10's of 1000's of brand new vehicles in my day and I can honestly say that new vehicle carpet is 100% clean & perfect. There's really no options for appearance improvement like a painted exterior. There no defects other than someone physically soiling it. In addition, it's usually pretty difficult (if not impossible) to put lines/stripes in brand new carpet due to the stiffness of the knap (from being brand new and standing straight up in 1 direction). So, if you don't do stripes/lines and just brush/vacuume the carpet in 1 direction you're actually mimicking the brand new look more?



Lines give too much of a local car wash detail look for me.
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The patterns don't last very long and once the customer gets in and out a few times, it no longer looks good.
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Very good points. I agree and feel that either one can detract from the detailer's overall product and how they might be perceived in the short term. Especially when they start to wear and mix with the other fabrics.
 
While I wouldn't do it to my own cars, I can see why its done. I am not personally a fan, but from a clients perspective it may add another *detail* to the job, something a customer never would have expected, and may find unique. Adding lines to the carpet may add to the image of a freshly detailed car and possibly another reason for the client to return.
 
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