The tack strip fact that caught me off guard last Tuesday
A rep from a supplier in Dalton told our crew that tack strip needs at least a 3/8 inch gap from the baseboard or the carpet will buckle in humid months. I always thought tight was better, but he showed us a job in Savannah where no gap caused a wave that took two tries to fix. Now I check that gap on every room before I even cut the pad.
That bit about the 3/8 inch gap rings true, I heard a similar thing from an old installer who swore the strip should never touch the base. He said the carpet needs room to move when the air gets heavy, otherwise it pushes against the wall and has nowhere to go. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather leave that small gap than deal with a wave later.