Power stretcher vs knee kicker on a big living room job

I used to think a knee kicker was fine for everything... until I got a call back on a 20x30 living room in Oakwood where the carpet was already rippling after 3 months. Switched to a power stretcher on the redo and stretched that thing tight as a drum with no wrinkles anywhere. The difference is night and day, especially on rooms over 15 feet wide. Has anyone else had to eat a callback before they learned to drag out the big tool?

3 comments

3 Comments

leo_black761mo ago

I read somewhere that carpet manufacturers actually void warranties on rooms over 12 feet if you don't use a power stretcher. That stuck with me because it's basically saying the knee kicker is just not designed for spans that wide no matter how good you are with it. On that 20x30 room you mentioned, even a perfect knee job is gonna have 10-15 feet of unsupported stretch which is where the ripples sneak in over time. Power stretcher is definitely the way to go for anything bigger than a standard bedroom.

robertcarr1mo ago

Yeah that warranty thing is a big deal. I've seen guys try to argue with manufacturers over ripples in a 15 foot room and get shut down hard because they couldn't prove a power stretcher was used. The knee kicker just can't get that consistent tension across a wide span. Even if you're strong and take your time the carpet will relax differently in the middle vs near the walls. Have you ever tested this yourself by marking the carpet before stretching and measuring how much it moves?

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umar491mo ago

My buddy tried stretching a 16 foot living room with just a knee kicker last year and had the carpet re-ripple within 6 months. The manufacturer rep @robertcarr came out and instantly pointed to that spot in the middle where the kicker couldn't reach, no questions asked. He marked a line on the backing before starting and after the knee job it only moved about an inch in the center versus almost three near the walls. Power stretcher would have evened that out way better.