c/carpet-installers

13

karenw23•19h ago

I used a seam roller instead of a knee kicker on a tight hallway job

Last month I was doing a narrow hallway in a condo in Dallas and my knee kicker kept hitting the walls. I tried using my seam roller to push the carpet into the tack strip and it actually worked pretty good. Saved me from having to go back to the truck for a power stretcher. Has anyone else had to get creative with tools on tight spaces like that?

23

james661•1d ago

Guy in Denver asked me to stretch carpet over a marble threshold

I was working a condo job in Denver last Tuesday and the homeowner pointed at a 3-foot marble strip between rooms. He said just stretch the carpet right over it like it was nothing. I had to explain it would buckle and look terrible. Anyone else get asked to do something that just defies basic physics?

4

the_jennifer•1d ago

Debate: Stretch-in vs glue-down for thick commercial carpet - what's your go-to?

I had a job last month at a small office building in Arlington, about 1,200 square feet of 50 ounce loop pile. I was stuck choosing between stretch-in with a good pad or glue-down direct. The customer wanted it soft underfoot but the traffic was going to be heavy. I went with stretch-in because I figured it would feel nicer and last longer with the right pad. But now I'm seeing some rippling near the seams after just 3 weeks, and I'm wondering if glue-down would have held up better. Have you guys had better luck with one method over the other for high-traffic commercial spaces?

15

butler.brian•2d ago

Visited a new build in Phoenix and noticed the carpet was laid before the drywall finished

Saw a crew installing carpet in a house where the painters weren't even done yet. Dust and paint flecks were already on the fresh pile. Do you prefer waiting until everything else is finished or just push through and clean up after?

29

bettyhunt•2d ago

Seam roller broke mid-install on a 2,000 sq ft job yesterday

I was about halfway through a living room in Omaha, using my old seam roller like always, and the handle just snapped clean off. Plastic part gave out, no warning. Had to finish the whole back half by hand with a knee kicker and a block, which took twice as long. So here's the debate - do you trust metal handled seam rollers over plastic, or am I just unlucky? What do you guys use that holds up?

3

james_martin93•3d ago

The difference between a power stretcher and a knee kicker on long runs

I used to knee kick everything because that's how my old man taught me. Tried a power stretcher on a 30 foot bedroom last month and it saved me at least an hour plus the seams actually stayed flat. Has anyone else made the switch and not gone back?

24

maxm63•3d ago

Hit 500 yards of carpet installed last month. Finally paid off my truck.

Ngl, I was keeping loose track but didn't realize I crossed 500 square yards of carpet installed in January alone. I run my own landscaping business but picked up extra carpet work from a buddy in Denver. Has anyone else hit a number that surprised them like that? How do you track your yardage for the year?

21

harper_gibson2•4d ago

Overheard a guy at lunch say he uses a drywall square for carpet seams, tried it on a 12x15 room yesterday and it cut my time by a third.

Been fighting with straight edges slipping for years and that $8 drywall T-square grabbed the backing way better than my metal ruler, has anyone else found random tools that work better than the carpet stuff?

29

sam_anderson•5d ago

That Tuesday in Tulsa where everything went wrong

Last week I had a job in Tulsa that should have taken 3 hours but turned into a 10 hour nightmare. The customer wanted a plush carpet in a room with a weird L-shaped closet and the seam placement was a total puzzle. Then my power stretcher slipped on the hardwood transition and I had to redo a whole wall because of a wrinkle. Has anyone else had a simple job turn into a full day disaster like that?

7

linda_clark•5d ago

Spent 4 hours on a seam that should have taken 45 minutes

I was working on a House of Carpet job in Lincoln last Tuesday and ran into a bad seam that kept peeling up no matter what I did. Tried adjusting my seam iron temp three times, even swapped out my roller, but it was the backing on the carpet itself being super slick. Finally called a buddy who told me to use a different adhesive tape and it set in 10 minutes. Has anyone else dealt with a carpet that just refuses to hold a seam?

1

flores.tessa•5d ago

That advice about knee kickers from a 30 year veteran saved my back

I was struggling with a tricky hallway in a house built in 1920 in Portland, and an old timer named Frank told me to use a knee kicker with a wider pad and keep my hips square. After two years of hunching over and fighting with stretching, I finally tried his way and the carpet laid down smooth on the first pass. Has anyone else found that a simple adjustment to your body position makes that big of a difference?

3

claireg81•6d ago

Tried the spray glue trick on a tricky seam and nearly glued my fingers together

I figured a quick shot of adhesive would hold down this curved stair tread while I pressed it in, but I oversprayed and ended up stuck to the carpet for 5 solid minutes. Anyone else have a close call with overspray that made you rethink your whole approach?

12

robinc66•24d ago

Knee kicker slipped on me during a living room job yesterday

Went to finish a seam and the pins just skidded across the pad. Ripped a 2-foot gash in the carpet before I caught it. Anyone else ever had a kicker lose grip like that out of nowhere?

21

wesleypatel•24d ago

Had to pick between a power stretcher or knee kicker on a tricky stair job last Thursday

I went with the power stretcher for the main run but used the knee kicker for the last two steps where it curves. Has anyone else found the knee kicker gives better control on tight turns like that?

3

umab35•25d ago

Ripped a seam on a 50-yard roll yesterday and had to patch it

Was doing a bedroom in a new build outside Austin and the backing just split clean open right at the start. Had to seam it back together, but the pattern was a nightmare to match up. Anyone ever had a roll just fail like that mid-install?

25

umab35•26d ago

Shoutout to using a heat gun on stubborn tack strips

Was pulling up some old carpet in a 1950s house last week and the tack strips were glued down like concrete. Tried a heat gun for a few seconds on each nail head and they popped right out without splitting the wood. Has anyone else tried this on really old installations?

23

knight.xena•27d ago

That 'carpet is dead' article in the trade magazine got me riled up

Last week I was flipping through the latest issue of Flooring Today and there's this piece saying carpet is on its way out because of hard surfaces and allergies. I've been installing carpet for 22 years now, mostly in the suburbs around Pittsburgh, and that kind of talk drives me nuts. The writer never talked to a single installer who deals with finished basements or second floors where people actually want warmth and quiet. I had a job just three days ago in a new split-level where the owner specifically chose plush carpet for the three upstairs bedrooms because her kids play on the floor. Hard surface would have echoed like a gym in there. Has anyone else noticed these articles only quote manufacturers or designers, never the guys with knees full of padding who actually hear what customers want?

6

simontorres•27d ago

Why does nobody talk about the smell in old carpet padding?

I was in a house in Phoenix last week, built in the 70s, and when I pulled up the carpet the padding underneath just reeked. Like old dust and something else I couldn't place. It made me rethink using recycled padding for jobs, that stuff holds every spill and odor for decades. Has anyone else run into this or just me?

10

sandralee•1mo ago

Just got back from a home show in Tulsa - saw the wildest carpet pattern I've ever seen

Was at the Tulsa Home & Garden Show last Saturday and this one booth had a carpet that looked like a galaxy print. Blue and purple swirls with little silver flecks. The installer said they put it in a kid's bedroom last month and the kid thought it was glowing at night. Has anyone ever installed something that wild? I mostly do berber and plush, this was a whole different world.

22

paul_webb45•1mo ago

Hot take: that old guy who told me to stop using tack strips on carpet transitions was dead wrong.

My neighbor Bob said just glue and tuck it at the doorway, but after 3 months the edge came loose and I had to rip it all out and put tack strips in anyway, has anyone else had a glued transition hold up longer than that?

30

wesley_grant33•1mo ago

Power stretcher vs knee kicker for stairs, the knee kicker lost bad last week

I tried using just a knee kicker on a set of 14 stairs in a house downtown and it took me twice as long as usual because the padding was so thick. Switched to a power stretcher with the stair attachment and the wrinkles just melted away. Anyone else skip the knee kicker on stairs now?

24

nathan851•1mo ago

I used to fight loose carpet edges with a knee kicker for hours

For years I was dead set on using a knee kicker for every stretch, even on tricky doorways and closets. Then last summer on a job in a 1980s split-level, the customer's dad showed me a power stretcher trick with a long pole and a carpet shield. He said 'you're killing your knees for nothing, kid.' I tried it that same afternoon and cut my stretch time from 45 minutes to maybe 15. Now I only grab the knee kicker for tiny bathrooms or stairs. Anyone else ditch the knee kicker for certain rooms?

18

skylerc86•1mo ago

Found out the hard way my knee kicker was garbage

After fighting with stretch marks on a 12x15 living room in Phoenix last week, I finally swapped my old cheap knee kicker for a Roberts 10-45. The difference was night and day - no more re-stretching the same spot three times. Why do we skimp on the one tool that actually makes or breaks a clean install? Anybody else notice how much smoother a good kicker works on berber?

12

marymorgan•1mo ago

TIL carpet padding thickness matters way more than I thought

I was at a supply shop in Denver last week and the guy there told me that 7/16 inch padding is actually worse for most carpets than 3/8 inch. Found out the 7/16 can cause ripples and seams to show after a year. Anyone else learn this the hard way or am I the only one who didn't know?

29

xenar14•1mo ago

Wasted $200 on a power stretcher I barely use now

I bought a brand new power stretcher from a supplier in Seattle about 8 months ago thinking it would make my life easier on big rooms. Turns out, my old knee kicker works just fine for 90% of residential jobs and the power stretcher just sits in my truck. The thing cost me $200 and I've only used it twice. Has anyone else bought fancy gear they thought they needed but ended up regretting?