The master installer who told me to toss my power stretcher was onto something

I overheard this old timer at a supply shop in Cleveland say power stretchers are overrated for most residential jobs. He claimed the knee kicker does a better job on rooms under 15 feet because you get more control on the seams. I tried his method on a 12x14 living room last Tuesday and the results were cleaner than anything I got with my power stretcher. The seams barely show and I didn't have to fight with the damn lever in tight corners. Has anyone else dropped the power stretcher for a knee kicker on smaller rooms?

3 comments

3 Comments

paul_lane806d ago

12x14 is the perfect size for that method. Stretching tight before the kick is the secret.

lunah866d ago

You ever actually try wrestling a power stretcher in a 10x10 bathroom? That old timer wasn't full of it. For anything under 15 feet the knee kicker gives you way better feel on the seams because you're not fighting that heavy frame. I switched to a quality knee kicker for smaller rooms about two years ago and my callbacks for seam issues dropped to almost nothing. You just have to make sure your carpet is stretched tight before you kick, not after.

rowangonzalez6d ago

Wait, are you saying you stretch the carpet tight with the knee kicker first and then go back for the seam, or do you combine both actions in one pass?