First off, some pictures of the carpet I am looking to re-stretch:
I recently finished remodeling a bathroom, and in the process moved a wall, so in the adjacent room we pulled up the carpet along that one wall. Now that we're done, I need to re-stretch and attach the carpet.
I had a quote from a company to re-stretch the carpet but I am also curious what sort of time/frustration it might take for me to try it myself. I'm fairly handy. I can get some tools from Harbor Freight (I know, I know) for fairly cheap, but wondering if this is a job that's just worth having a professional do. If I do it myself, I might save some money but if it's going to take me several hours, it may not be worth it. So, my questions are:
- Can this be done using only a knee kicker, or would I need a stretcher too?
- Is it possible to get the carpet taut without weird loose spots given that it's only one wall
- Any advice on tooling, tack strips, etc. would be appreciated
Looking for any advice, experiences, anything. I have a tentative appointment for the carpet company to come tomorrow afternoon so hopefully can cancel and save some money. Thanks!
Best Answer
No that quote is too high, especially the 300 side of the quote. You are paying a company, not the installer who gets less than half of that. You should seek out an installer and be able to get that done for ~100, which is reasonable.
Doing the job yourself will be a little more difficult than you might want to get involved in.
First you need to get the knee kicker, then tack strip, some reinforcement nails, something for the room transition (metal, wood, etc.).
Second you are dealing with Berber carpet, which will be difficult to stretch and cut. The berber carpet is stiffer than regular cut pile carpet, so any bubbles/wrinkles will be harder to kick out. The continuous fiber strand will be prone to snagging if not fully cut, pulling across the room and leaving a gap. Plus the chance of leaving cut marks on newly finished baseboards.
But this can be done if competent enough.
When cutting the tack strip, you can use tin snips. It won't damage them for the few cuts you will make. Lay the tack strip against the wall with a distance of 1/2" (approximately the width of your finger). Make sure the tacks are leaning towards the wall, so as to catch the backing of the carpet when stretched over it. The gap you left is where the carpet will be tuck into when trimmed.
If nailing into concrete, make sure you use smooth deliberate hammer strokes so as not to have nail deflection. If nailing into anything harder than concrete, use a 5/16" masonary drill bit and use 3/4"stub nails to secure the tack strip down. Use reinforcement nails where ever necessary.
Before laying the carpet down, make sure the padding is up to but not on the tack strip. Trim if necessary.
When stretching the carpet with the knee kicker, try not to drag your knee or you'll end up with a really sore knee/carpet burn. After each knee kick you will rub/press the carpet onto the tack strip, using a hammer that is clean, to secure it. Keeping the knee kicker perpendicular to the wall, when kicking.
For trimming the carpet, you will want to have a very sharp knife and take your time. For this small of a job you can use a utility knife. Fold the carpet back from the wall without pulling the carpet off the tack strip. Without pressing down too hard on your knife, make a cut a 1/2“ from the fold along the wall. If you have trouble cutting the Berber strands, you can cut them with a scissor. When done with a section, tuck it in with a spackling/paint tool (a 3-n-1 will work as well).
Just take your time if you do this on your own.