Warning: Dont use a power stretcher on old pad without checking first

Ruined a whole living room install last Tuesday on a 1970s house. The pad was so brittle it just shredded under the pins. Customer watched me pull up 15 feet of carpet before I realized what was happening. Had to replace the pad on my own dime. Now I always do a quick hand test on old pad before I bring the stretcher in. Anyone else run into this with older homes?

2 comments

2 Comments

patriciareed9d ago

Did you try pulling up a corner first to check the pad's condition before you even started for the day, or did you just trust the carpet looked fine from the top? I've had that same sick feeling when the pad crumbles under the pins like old cardboard... it's almost always in houses from the 60s or 70s where they used that fluffy, almost felt-like pad that was basically a ticking time bomb. What kind of pad was it specifically, like a jute or a hair pad, or was it one of those bonded foams that just turns to dust?

caleb2629d ago

Oh man @patriciareed you're bringing back bad memories lol. I learned that lesson the hard way too, now I always pull a corner before I even unroll my tools. That fluffy felt pad from the 60s is the absolute worst, it just turns to dust the second you touch it. I had one job where the bonded foam pad was so old it basically looked like dried out breadcrumbs under the carpet. You can't trust anything from the top, those old pads hide their rot real good until you're already in trouble.