c/carpet-installers

Tried using a spur roller for the first time on a commercial job

Everyone swears by power stretchers for commercial carpet, but I grabbed a spur roller last week on a 2000 sq ft office install in Phoenix. Figured it would speed things up, but man, I got a ton of ripples near the seams that I had to go back and fix. I think power stretchers are still the way to go for bigger rooms, at least for me. Has anyone else had luck with spur rollers on heavy traffic carpet?

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charles442•1d ago

I keep seeing installers skip the tack strip on stairs

I was doing a redo on a house over on Elm Street last month and had to fix three steps where someone just glued the carpet down with no tack strip. That stuff might hold for a year or two, but it always pulls loose at the nose where people step. How many of you still tack strip every stair or have you seen shops skip it for speed?

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sageadams•7d ago

Swapped my knee kicker for a power stretcher six months back and it saved my back on a big commercial job.

I used to rely on my knee kicker for every room, even the wide ones. Took about three hours to get a 20x15 foot office hallway flat. Then a buddy talked me into renting a power stretcher for a 40 foot long corridor. Cut the time in half and my knee didn't ache for days after. Has anyone else switched and noticed a big difference on wide open spaces?

c/carpet-installers

Tried using a spur roller for the first time on a commercial job

I keep seeing installers skip the tack strip on stairs

Swapped my knee kicker for a power stretcher six months back and it saved my back on a big commercial job.

I finally realized why some guys swear by glue-down methods over tack strip

Bought a cheap knee kicker on Amazon and it actually held up for 6 months

Just dropped $80 on a decent power stretcher and it saved my back on a big job

A customer in Boise showed me a different way to stretch carpet last week

Lost $300 on a bad seam roller last month

Old timer told me to stop stretching against the grain and I fought him on it for 2 years

Old timer told me to stop fighting the seams and I wish I listened sooner

Tried a power stretcher on a tight spiral staircase and almost threw it out the window

That "you need a power stretcher" comment I overheard at Home Depot made me rethink my whole setup

Old Bob from my first crew taught me something I still use

Overheard a homeowner say stretch-ins are just for looks

New guys keep trying to seam carpet without enough tape overlap on the backing and it's already pulling apart on me 6 months later

That nylon carpet seam I tried a new method on and it actually held

Three weeks ago I had a carpet job that nearly made me quit

Customer complaint about a seam gap changed my whole method

Chat with a 30 year installer got me rethinking how I cut

Had a seam split open on a job last Tuesday, check your glue temp

Showerthought: That customer complaint about my seam placement made me totally rethink how I plan layouts

Update: A customer's floor vent comment last week changed my whole approach

Got absolutely stumped by a 1970s sunken living room with a weird, non-standard step-down height.

Just finished a job where the homeowner insisted on watching me seam the entire 800 square foot living room while eating a bag of chips.

Just dropped $350 on a knee kicker with a wider head