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I’m about to lay carpet. It’s a simple job: no
seams but a big room 15’x18′. I’ll rent a power
stretcher. I get the basics but can someone with
experience offer any helpful tips? Thanks.
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Bird,
For the price of a power stretcher,you should be able to get a professional in to do the job right the first time. I worked two summers in tile and carpet laying and that is exactly what I would do now! Good luck.
*Funny, I cleaned and repaired carpets for about 1.5 years and that's what I was going to say! Hire someone! If you must do it yourself....Clean and sweep floor.Place tackless( points toward wall)about an 3/4 inch from wall.Lay pad.Duct tape seams.Staple just enough to keep from shifting.Cut so it doesn't cover(interfer with) the tackless. Roll out carpet and cut to rough size. Use a 2x covered with carpet or pad scrap to spread force of power stretcher base along base board. Start in middle and stretch across room. As you push down handle hope not to hear the base board get crushed into the wall! Lock head down and pull carpet across and down over tackless. Make sharp crease with wide carpet chisel and with new sharp utility knife blade cut in the crease.Loosen the head and repeat a few feet to the left and right.Move base till all the carpet is stretched in one direction, the do a side wall. Remember to pull carpet onto tackless on wall where the strecher base is first.Drink plenty of fluids and be sure to have wife as helper so you can yell at each other the whole time.Jeff.
*And then go out and use the bucks you saved for a couple of Cokes and an order of fries to share.Rich Beckman
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I'm trying to listen with an open mind but the cost
difference between a rental and an installer is a good $100.
I'm not trying to be cheap, just that if I hired someone to
do every job that made me swear I'd . . .
Okay, I already own the carpet. If I call a carpet shop,
they'll charge a premium to install. Any suggestions where I
might find a moonlighting installer?
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ROFLMAO!!!
*If you want to go ahead and save a few bucks, go for it. True ,it's not very complex, just usually turns out to be a pain in the ass. If you already have the carpet, you already know how heavy it is. Determine if you need a helper to manuver it and go from there. If you do get a loved one to help, set the ground rules first...you both should plan to be angry and sweaty at the end, agree that the carpet is the enemy and focus all hate toward it, not each other! Jeff
*Bird,I apologize for not being helpful. It is just that I was always a determined DIYer and a cheap bastard to boot. But I paid for the carpet layer. The yellow pages for my town of 30,000 people has five listings under carpet installations. I think three of them arei notalso listed under sales.If you're determined, I'm sure Jeff knows what he's talking about. Just don't cut it short!Rich Beckman
*And also, don't bleed on it.
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Hey guys, thanks. I'll be looking at the budget, but what
the hell is ROFLMAO?
Bir
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Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off.
FYI, the library has books with instructions on laying/stretching carpet.
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Bird,
While your at the rental place don't forget to also rent a carpet cutter (don't try using a utility knife) and knee pads. Don't worry, you'll still save $30 to $50 vs. having a pro do it.
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And don't forget buy a big box of band-aids for encounters with the tack strips.....
*Why no utility knife? A good carpet man travels light.Utility knife, heating iron(did ya know a wet T-shirt and a regular household iron on HIGH will work in a pinch?), a chisel , a knee kicker, and a streatcher.The streatcher should be stored loosely behind the seat of a pick-up or roll around the back of a van.A streatcher in a case is a sure sign of an amateur.I didn't stick around long enough to find out why, it just is.An accepted alternative is an old golf club bag.Jeff P.S. nix the knee pads, you're kneeling on carpet all day, all the other carpet guys will laugh!
*That $30-$50 you save will come in handy to pay the chiropractor to straighten you out when you're done.
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I'm about to lay carpet. It's a simple job: no
seams but a big room 15'x18'. I'll rent a power
stretcher. I get the basics but can someone with
experience offer any helpful tips? Thanks.