Loading…
2
My uncle told me to always stretch carpet with a power stretcher, never a knee kicker, and after 3 years I think he was only half right
When I started doing installs back in 2019, my uncle who ran his own crew for 20 years told me a knee kicker was for hacks and I should use a power stretcher on every single job. I followed that rule for 3 years until I got a small bedroom in a rental in Boise, about 10 by 12, where the power stretcher was more hassle than help. I used the kicker and it laid flat with no wrinkles after 6 months of a tenant walking on it. Now I'm not saying kickers are better, they will wreck your knees and stretch is never as tight on big rooms. But for small closets and repairs I think the old rule is too strict. So which side are you on, power stretcher only or does a kicker still have a place in the truck?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
dakotawells20d ago
Remember when everyone swore you had to power stretch every job no matter what? I was the same way for years and would drag that thing into closets and tiny bathrooms. Then I did a repair in a hallway where a knee kicker got the carpet tight in five minutes and the power stretcher would have taken me half an hour with all the setup. It made me realize the tool matters less than what the room actually needs. My uncle's rule made sense when he was training me because he did not want me cutting corners on big open rooms. But calling a kicker a hack tool for every single job is just wrong.
1
the_anna20d ago
Ha, is this really the hill people want to die on? A kicker in a hallway doing the same job in five minutes sounds less like corner cutting and more like just using your head.
1