I finally listened to an old timer about stretch-in versus power stretching

Honestly, this 62 year old installer in Omaha told me my power stretcher was doing more harm than good on that tight loop pile, and after trying his method on a 1,200 square foot job last week, the seams laid flat for the first time in years, so has anyone else gone back to hand tools after trusting the machine too long?

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1 Comment

caleb_ross1214d ago

Old timer's been doing this since before power stretchers were everywhere, so he's got a point about feel and control. But saying it's doing "harm" sounds like a stretch to me, pun intended. Seams laying flat has more to do with your prep and the carpet itself half the time, not just the tool. I've seen guys nail perfect seams with a knee kicker on cheap carpet and watch a power stretcher mess up a high end one. Maybe your technique was off or that loop pile was just being extra stubborn. Glad it worked out for you though, but one job isn't exactly a scientific breakthrough.