Pro tip: Stop using a power stretcher on every room, especially small closets.

I saw a guy at a job last week in a 6x8 hallway crank the power stretcher so hard he buckled the tack strip on the opposite wall, has anyone else noticed people overstretching and ruining the perimeter ?

2 comments

2 Comments

finley_wells668d ago

Wait, is it just me or does every rookie seem to treat the power stretcher like they're trying to win a tug of war against a diesel truck? I learned the hard way in a 4x6 bathroom that carpet doesn't need to be stretched to the point it's basically a trampoline. My knees still ache thinking about that job where I cracked the tack strip clean off the subfloor and had to glue it back. I mean, maybe it's just a rite of passage for all of us to mess up a small room once before we finally learn to ease up.

diana8298d ago

Honestly I think part of the problem is people forget that tack strip is just nailed in with 16 gauge pins most of the time, it's not like it's bolted to the subfloor. I've seen guys turn a stretcher so tight they actually pull the tack strip loose on the far wall then they blame the installer who put it in. The other thing nobody talks about is how overstretching in a narrow space can put so much tension on the carpet that it actually distorts the pattern or backing over time. I had a closet job last month where the guy before me stretched it so hard the carpet was literally separating from the backing at the seam, total waste of material. Your mileage may vary but I think a lot of guys are just taught to crank it and never told when to ease up.