Stretch your Carpet to Remove Wrinkles
At Sloane’s Carpet Secret we never take for granted the importance of hiring pros to properly install your new carpet to improve its performance and increase its longevity. One of the common complaints we hear—carpet wrinkles—happens for a variety of reasons, but the good news is it can be fixed either by yourself or by hiring a pro.
What causes carpet to wrinkle?
The main culprit for rippled carpet in Colorado is actually humidity! Most people think it’s a good thing to regularly steam clean carpets; however, the moisture from steam carpet cleaners can cause the latex backing on carpet to expand. When there’s not enough tension on the carpet, buckles become visible. Other common causes of carpet wrinkles are missing or damaged tack strips. Avoid dragging heavy items or furniture over carpet, because doing so can cause tears in the backing or you might dislodge the tack strips. If you see wrinkles and it’s been under a year since the carpet was installed, contact your installer and they should be willing to come out to fix it for no charge.
How do you fix carpet wrinkles?
You can hire a professional to stretch your carpet, but it’s also something do-it-yourselfers can tackle with the proper tools that are readily available to rent from local home improvement stores. Regardless of who does the work, don’t leave wrinkles unattended for long or damage will result, and it won’t be hidden once it is stretched back into shape. Here’s what you do:
1) Get your tools: You need to rent a power stretcher kit and knee kicker at an equipment rental store, and then purchase a carpet knife at a home improvement store. You’ll also want work gloves, needle-nose pliers, pry bar, flat-head screwdriver and staple gun.
2) Remove all furniture from the room so you have bare carpet. Use the pry bar to remove the baseboard molding.
3) Use the flat-head screwdriver and pliers to remove the staples holding the carpet to the tack strips. Continue detaching carpet until you have only one side attached.
4) Inspect the tack strips to make sure all are in good condition. Replace if necessary.
5) Set the power stretcher at the base of the wall that still has the carpet attached. Secure the teeth of the power stretcher six inches away from the opposite wall. Push the lever down to set the teeth into the carpet. Continue stretching in 18-inch increments first toward any side that has a door, and then move back to the opposite wall.
6) Cut out excess carpet from underneath.
7) Embed the carpet into the tack strips.
8) Re-attach the molding.
How to Use this Information
Whether you do the work yourself or hire a professional carpet installer, stretching your carpet must be done when wrinkles start to appear to ensure the longevity of the carpet. When it’s time to replace your carpet, please call us at 303-300-9555 or contact us online to learn all about Sloane’s Carpet Secret.
What have you done to preserve the life of your carpet?