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Don't Tile Over This!


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Don't Tile Over This!

One of the great things about flooring is that you can sometimes install a new floor right on top of the old one. For example, if you have an old hardwood floor, you can often have carpet put down on top of it. You may even be able to have stone or ceramic tile laid down on top of the hardwood, too. This saves you the hassle of having to remove the original floor first. Keep in mind, this is just one of many clever tricks that flooring contractors know. You'll probably discover more of them on this blog, where it's our goal to share information about flooring.

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Carpet Stretching Is An Important Step In Carpet Installation

Carpet stretching is a job that has to be done when you want to install new carpet. It's the most difficult part of carpet installation, so you'll probably want to hire a carpet stretching service. Plus, special tools are needed that are too expensive to buy just to install carpet a single time.

Carpet stretching may also be done to revive an old carpet that has developed wrinkles. Stretching pulls the carpet tight again to give the old carpet a fresh appearance. Here's a look at how stretching carpet is done.

Tack Strips Go Down First

If you've already ripped up your old carpet, you probably saw the old tack strips and removed them. If you're installing carpet for the first time, you may not know what tack strips are. These are long, thin strips of wood that have pins attached to them that look like nails with the pointed side up. These strips are nailed to the floor alongside the walls in the room so the pins can snag and hold the carpet.

You can install tack strips yourself or let the carpet installer do it. Once those are in place, the carpet pad goes down, and then it's time to lay and stretch the carpet.

The Carpet Is Stretched Using Tools

One side of the carpet is attached to the tack strip which grips and holds the carpet in place. The carpet is then spread across the room so it can be stretched in all directions and attached to the tack strips against the other walls. Stretching is done using tools that grab and stretch the carpet and that pull the carpet toward the wall. These tools have teeth on them that grab the carpet fibers and pull the carpet where it needs to go.

One of the tools used is a knee kicker. This is used next to the wall when you want to give the carpet a final stretch and attach it to the tack strip. The carpet stretching service may need to trim away part of the ends of the carpet so the edges can be tucked under the baseboard once the carpet is tight.

Once the carpet has been stretched to all of the walls, the surface of the carpet should be smooth and tight. This same procedure can be used to tighten old carpet. The installer just has to lift three sides of the carpet from the tack strips and repeat the same process.

When finished, the stretched carpet stays in place against each wall because the edges are stuck to the tack strips and then tucked under the baseboard to keep everything held in place for years to come.

For more information, contact a local company, like Best Services, Inc.