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Update: I just finished my 500th seam with a Roberts 10-12 and I'm starting to think the obsession with power stretchers for every job is overblown.
After a 1,200 square foot glue-down in a Phoenix office building last month where the client's concrete slab was too uneven for a proper stretch anyway, hitting that number made me realize a quality knee kicker and proper seaming technique can save a ton of setup time on certain commercial jobs without sacrificing the final look.
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taraross1mo ago
Tell that to my knees. They feel every single one of those 500 seams. Still got a Roberts 10-12 in the van for smaller spaces and repairs. Watched a crew spend half a day setting up power stretchers on a wavy slab last year, only to get maybe a quarter inch of real stretch. Sometimes the fancy tool is just for show.
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phoenix_bailey1mo ago
Exactly. A lot of guys just use power stretchers because they're told to. They're great tools, but not the right tool for every floor. Knowing when to use a kicker is a real skill.
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karencampbell1mo ago
Totally agree, saw the same thing on a glue-down last week where the slab was a mess. All that setup for a power stretcher was just wasted time.
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