bumps under carpet

[J G]

We own a 1990 Redman home with worn carpet. There seem to be hard bumps in the high traffic areas under the carpet.. They feel like they are metal and round. Do you know what they are? Is it a problem or part of normal construction that just shows up with worn carpet.

TIA

[Good neighbor]

Metal and round - like the size of screw or nailheads, maybe? You could be feeling the screws or nails used to attach the floor decking to the joists. They may be starting to pop up in a lot of areas, but the less worn carpet covers it sufficiently, so you can't feel them. Or, they could just be popping up in high-traffic areas.

15 years is a lot of time for carpet, especially for the less-than-premium grade of carpet that home builders (both stick and manufactured) usually install. You probably should consider replacing the carpet and pad, and while you are at it, make sure the floor decking is secure.

[Eugene]

Your floor is more than likely stapled to the joist, rather then screwed or nailed.
You may not beleive this, but the hard bumps are the carpet padding. the pad is made up of various foam peices and youa re feeling the hard peices as the rest of the pad compresses.
Trust me, if feels as hard as a rock.
Good Neighbor is right, time to replace the carpet.

[J G]

Thank you. They are more like bolt heads - about 1" in diameter. Also, they do not appear under the linoleum at all. Linoleum covers about 1/3 of the house.

[J G]

They do feel hard as rocks. Thanks for the opinion. Sounds like you have had experience with this before. Are you an installer or other craftsman?