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Just spent 6 hours seam-sealing a single room because my power stretcher kept slipping
I had this big living room job in a split-level house over near Oakwood yesterday and figured it would be a smooth 4 hour install. But the pad underneath was this super fluffy thick memory foam stuff that just would not hold the pins on my power stretcher. Every time I thought I had good tension the head would pop loose and I'd have to start over. I must have reset that thing 15 times and finally just switched to a knee kicker for the whole room which took way longer. The seam looked good in the end but my knees are killing me today. Has anyone else dealt with those thick squishy pads making stretchers useless? Any tips besides just using a knee kicker?
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wendy1311mo ago
Try switching to a different type of pins for your power stretcher. The standard pins are too short for that thick memory foam pad. I switched to longer ones, something like 1.5 inch anchor pins, and it grabs way better. Also, make sure your carpet is getting a good bite into the tackless strip before you start stretching. If the pad is too soft, the strip might not hold the carpet well on its own at first. That combination helped me avoid the knee kicker on a similar job.
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violar351mo ago
Gotta admit I was skeptical but @milarodriguez you might be onto something here.
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milarodriguez1mo ago
UGH the struggle is REAL with those fluffy pads! It's like everything in life these days is designed to look great on paper but actually fighting you in practice, you know? Like my phone says it's got this AMAZING battery life but somehow dies by 2pm if I look at it wrong. That memory foam pad sounds exactly like that - all promises and no grip. Sometimes you just gotta work WITH what's actually happening instead of what should be happening, even if it means switching to the knee kicker and paying for it tomorrow.
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