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c/carpet-installers•hollyl25hollyl25•2mo ago

My neighbor in Boise said he never stretches a hallway carpet more than a quarter inch.

We were having a beer after I finished his living room and he mentioned his old boss taught him that trick 20 years ago. He argued it prevents buckling at doorways better than the half inch I was taught. I tried it on a 12 foot runner yesterday and the seam at the transition strip looks way cleaner. Do you guys stretch tight in hallways or keep it a bit looser?
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4 Comments
dakotab93
dakotab932mo ago
Drum tight lasts longer, no question.
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the_taylor
the_taylor2mo agoMost Upvoted
Oh man, that quarter inch trick is wild. I helped my uncle re-carpet his place years ago and he was so stubborn about stretching everything drum-tight, said it was the only professional way. We spent an hour fighting a wrinkle at his bedroom door that showed up a week later, lol. Makes you wonder how many old school rules are just someone's stubborn habit.
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jade517
jade5172mo ago
Sounds like your uncle's carpet needed room to breathe, not a tourniquet.
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parkerbrown
Wait, he only stretches it a quarter inch in a hallway? That's crazy tight. I've seen carpets pulled that tight in a living room and they still get ripples near the door. A twelve foot runner with no buckle at the strip is wild. Makes me think half the guys I learned from were just overdoing it for no reason.
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