Around 90% of American people use carpets for their houses. This has an interesting history. At times, Americans would use wood for their floor to cover the rough wood floor. Generation after generation, it is still an embedded feature of an American house.
As the wood surface is rough, carpets get wrinkles or buckle up after some time. For that reason, the carpet needs to get stretched. Additionally, stretching prevents the accumulation of dust or soil inside the wrinkles.
A mass of wrinkles or ripples on the carpet look awkward. Moreover, if you have children aged 4-5, your panic will raise high. But you need not worry about this issue.
Why?
Because, in this article, we will take you on a round trip to “can carpet be stretched without moving furniture?”
You May Like: How Long Does Carpet Last On Stairs
Is carpet stretching worth it?
Before heading towards the carpet stretching, let me clear your glass of doubt that whether stretching is worth it or not?
Well, Stretching is the solution for carpet buckling and wrinkling, as well.
Usually, when the carpet is buckled or wrinkled, it is likely to get stumbled. Even more of that, you may get insecure while you have children in your house. So, it’s more than necessary for you to stretch your carpet.
Then, a mass deposition of dust and soil will spoil the lifespan of your carpet. To add, you will have to change your carpet frequently. That’s pretty expensive, isn’t it? So, when you stretch it and make it plain, there is less expectation to decay the carpet fast.
Last, you will be messed up seeing your carpet uneven. Because a sound mind grows up in a beautiful and sound environment.
So all the reasons above advocate that it is worth stretching the carpet.
Carpet stretching tools & materials
Power stretcher: Power stretcher is a wall-to-wall stretcher that spreads tension over the surface of the carpet. It has a mop-like pole set on one side of the wall and the other part has a lever to stretch carpet. Mechanics use it for large areas. You can customize the size of the pole by reducing the pile of its handle.
Mini Stretcher: Mini stretcher is the reduced version of a power stretcher. To conclude, it has no prolonged handle like a power stretcher.
Knee-kicker: Unlike a power stretcher, it has no lever. This is to work manually to stretch the carpet. Meaning, one part of it has a soft pad to kick on and the other part has a hook to grip the carpet. You will have to kick the stretcher with your knee.
Other handy tools are work gloves, flat-head screwdriver, carpet knife, pliers, pry bar, and yardstick.
Knee-kicker as a DIY tool
First, you need to place the knee-kicker right 4-5 inches away from the wall. Make sure that the knee-kicker is grounded properly, otherwise, the carpet will be obliquely stretched.
Second, angle your knee 15 degrees and Kick right over the pad. The carpet will go stretched.
As a well-wisher, We must say that a knee-kicker affects the back and knee as well.
Factors regarding stretching without moving furniture:
There are a few factors to impact stretching furniture without removing furniture. For instance-
- Quantity of the furniture
- Weight of the furniture
- Size of the furniture.
- Location of the furniture
The process of stretching carpet without moving furniture
Before going into “how to stretch carpet without moving furniture?”, we need to know the functionality of stretching. And when do we need to stretch the carpet? Well, People usually stretch when the carpet earns wrinkles or waves on its surface.
Someone may prefer to start from the doorway to the parallel of the wrinkles. Others prefer to start from the privileged side. It depends on the situation.
First, you will have to pull up the carpet edge from the tack strips. So that it gets a way to move forward.
Second, We will have to use a power stretcher to stretch the carpet. The endpoint of the long pole will be set in the opposite direction of the stretching. The working end of the tool has a lever to grip the carpet.
Now, pressing the lever down will create tension on the carpet. The carpet will go further. And cut the excess carpet with a carpet knife.
The final touch is to tuck the carpet under the tack strip. The stretching is done.
Do I have to move furniture to stretch carpeting?
Well, All we want is that the carpet is properly stretched. That’s why the room needs proper space to spread the tension over the carpet. So why, 50% of the furnishings would ideally need to be cleared to reach the wrinkles or buckling of the carpet. Because little space in the room makes it a burden to stretch the carpet. Even after that, the carpet will hold ripples as before. The reason is that you can’t reach under the furniture.
To be cautious enough, Make sure you displaced your knick-knacks and breakable objects. They are fragile and tend to break down while stretching the carpet.
Last, unplug all the electric gadgets. Though it’s in the last, keep it in the priority that you ensure a safe environment for work.
Overall, to get a precise result, you will have to make your room spacious and safe.
Heavy and large single furnishings
Carpet stretching works through tension. The power stretcher creates tension over the carpet. So that ripples or wrinkles submerge. But this can be tough if a room has single giant size objects like a large pool table, a big piano, a sectional sofa, or a large aquarium. These, all, prevent stretching from everywhere.
To note, a power stretcher can work regardless of heavy items. Mini power stretchers can work well outside of the objects. However, there will be a flaw in the work. How? Course down.
As the stretcher would try to stretch past the large object, it would grab the carpet. In the outcome? The carpet will get unbalanced tension, and it will rip.
So, Remove all the large single furniture and objects beforehand as well. Otherwise, the result of carpet stretching before and after will be horrible.
The theory is the same with large furniture. Because, large furnishings give less space to stretch carpet. So, keep the objects which are portable by hand.
More on FlooringWest
What Is Jute Backing On A Rug
Mohawk Carpet Everstrand vs Smartstrand
How To Keep Rug From Moving On Carpet
Conclusion
To be transparent, you can stretch the carpet with furniture, no doubt. But there are lots of cautions added with it. For instance, it depends on the number of objects in the room. If they are in large numbers, make 50% empty.
On the other hand, if you want to work along with that furniture or giant-size properties, you may rip your carpet. This will create extra costs for your income.