Question about stretcher spikes - been installing them backwards for 5 years

I was doing a bedroom in St. Louis last Tuesday, using my power stretcher like I always do. Old timer walks in to give an estimate on the living room next door, watches me for about 30 seconds, and asks if I know the spikes are supposed to face forward into the tack strip. I told him of course they do, but then I looked down and realized I had them angled away from the wall this whole time. Five years of pulling carpet tight by brute force when the tool was designed to hook in properly. Made no sense why I always fought with corners and doorways. Felt like an absolute moron standing there. He showed me the difference on a scrap piece right there and the grab was instant. Has anyone else had a moment where you found out you were using a basic tool wrong for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_scott4415d ago

Is it possible the old timer was just being polite and you were actually doing it right for certain carpet types? I've run into situations where the "correct" way depends on the padding thickness and carpet stiffness, and sometimes reversing the spikes actually works better on really soft pads because it stops them from grabbing too hard and ripping the backing. Like, I had a plush carpet that would always pucker with the spikes facing forward until I tried them backward by accident, and it laid perfectly flat. Not saying you're wrong, just that there might be more to this than a one-size-fits-all rule.

dylan_patel15d ago

Has anyone else tried flipping the spikes on really cheap carpet where the backing just shreds no matter what you do?