What To Know About Carpet Stretching

If you have carpeting in your home, you may benefit from having your carpet stretched. Carpet stretching is a process that involves pulling the carpet tighter and resecuring it to the anchor strips located along the perimeter of the room.

In most cases, if a carpet is professionally installed, it will be tightly secured against these strips initially, but over time it loosens. Stretching can extend the life of your carpet and take away potential hazards.What To Know About Carpet Stretching

Why stretch your carpet
Like anything, carpets change as they age. In high traffic areas, the carpet can pull away from the tacking strips that anchor it to the subfloor. In some cases, seams between strips of carpeting may also come apart. Sometimes the tacking strips can become damaged and no longer perform as well as when it was new. And as it ages, carpet fibers wear out, stretch, and loosen. While it might not be worn out, it can reduce the aesthetic appeal of your room. It can also increase the safety concerns and make certain areas of the room more prone to tripping.

Does your carpet need stretching?
There are some obvious signs a carpet should be stretched. You may notice that your carpeting appears to be wrinkled, rippled, or lumpy in spots. Carpet should lay flat and smooth across any floor. You may also notice that it’s pulled up along the edges of the room. It should have a tucked in appearance without carpet fibers poking up along the baseboards.

Why timing is everything
When carpets show signs of needing stretching, timeliness is everything. The more wrinkled or relaxed it becomes, the more of a tripping hazard it creates. That can be especially dangerous for active houses, or homes where elderly live. If carpeting doesn’t lay flat, it may also snag and develop other signs of damage. It can wear unevenly and decrease the lifespan of your carpet.

If you believe your carpets need stretching, the best way to move forward is to contact a professional carpet installer. They can help you determine if stretching is necessary or beneficial. They can determine which methods will correct the problem best. For example, reseaming a carpet may be all that is required.

Remember, carpet restretching takes on a considerable amount of strength and energy. It also requires the right tools for the job.

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What Does Carpet Stretching Mean?

Have you ever noticed bubbles, wrinkles, ripples or other bunched up areas in your carpeting? And once you notice a small problem, have you ever wondered why it seems to increase in size very quickly?

It’s because carpeting is meant to be stretched tight. And once it begins to loosen, and forms any type of ripple, it needs stretching to bring it back into shape. As you walk on a small bubble within the carpet, it moves up and down far more than it should. And as it moves, it continues to loosen up the carpeting even more. Pretty soon small bubbles turn into large waves that are not only noticeable, they can quickly become a tripping hazard too.What Does Carpet Stretching Mean?

When bubbles begin to form, the sooner you stretch them back into shape, the easier the process will be. In smaller places, a knee kicker may be all that is needed to put carpeting back into place. However, the larger the room, the more necessary a power carpet stretcher becomes. Power stretchers reach all the way across, butting up against both walls. One side will be flush against the wall, the other end has a head with a lever. When the lever is pushed down, the carpet is stretched. This is a very powerful tool; if too much pressure is applied it can rip or pull the tack strip off.

Loose carpet doesn’t mean you have a poor quality carpet or that it wasn’t installed correctly. Carpeting can come loose from a variety of reasons:

  • Heavy traffic – If your carpets get a lot of use above the norm – heavy foot traffic, wheelchair activity, kids playing – even a great carpet can eventually need stretching.
  • Moving heavy furniture – If you slide heavy furniture across your carpet, it can cause it to ripple and loosen at the edges.
  • Wrong padding – In many cases a homeowner will put all of their budget and research into choosing a quality carpet without thinking about the padding. Padding is equally important; if you choose a carpet and padding combo that don’t work together, it can allow the carpet to loosen and become rippled.
  • Poor installation – If your carpet was improperly installed, it may need stretching. In some cases it may not have been stretched into place during installation, or was improperly secured in place.

Once your carpets begin to ripple, it will only keep getting worse. Carpets are intended to lie flat, and once they begin pulling up, even normal walking on it will only exacerbate the problem. The only way to keep them looking their best, and help extend their useful life, is to fix the problem as quickly as possible.

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