Overheard a guy at the supply house saying he never uses a power stretcher on stairs

Honestly, I was grabbing some seam tape at Carpet City in Akron and this installer was telling his buddy he just kicks it in with his knee. Ngl, that's how you get callbacks for popped staples and wrinkles in six months. I've been using my Roberts 104 for stair jobs for fifteen years and never had a single issue. Anyone else run into guys cutting corners like that on the basics?

4 comments

4 Comments

irisowens3mo ago

Yeah, that's a wild thing to brag about. I read a forum post a while back where a guy said the same thing, that power stretchers were for flat rooms only. It blew my mind. The whole point of the tool is to get the right tension, and stairs need that more than anywhere with all the turns. Skipping it is just lazy work. How do these guys sleep at night knowing the job isn't done right?

leewalker3mo ago

But have you ever tried to use one on stairs?

max_brown1mo ago

Oh man, tell me about it! I tried using a knee kicker on stairs once and it was a total disaster... wrinkles showed up within two weeks and the customer was so mad. The whole idea that power stretchers don't work on stairs is just crazy to me. I actually tried setting one up on a staircase last month and it's totally doable once you figure out how to brace it against the wall or a door frame at the top. People who skip it must not care about their work lasting more than a month. It's like they're asking for callbacks and unhappy customers. I can't believe some folks still argue it's not needed when the difference is night and day.

daniel_gonzalez3mo ago

Yeah, when @irisowens said that skipping it is just lazy work, that really hits the nail on the head. It's not about being tough, it's about the carpet failing. Those sharp bends on the stairs put a ton of stress on the material, and without a real stretcher to lock it in, you're just relying on hope. I've seen the results of that knee-kick method, and it always looks terrible after a few months of people walking on it. Using the right tool is the difference between a professional job and a hack repair waiting to happen.