Carpet stretching is an art. It takes a lot of practice to get the perfect timing and execute precise moves that bring results. There are several steps involved in stretching a carpet, from laying down the padding to positioning and strolling over the carpet to stretching it again. Stretching it right before stapling it down is very important as the carpet may not have been cut to fit, as required. A wrong stapling move will make the padding loosen and move with the carpet, possibly damaging the installation.
Before stretching a carpet, you must measure your room carefully to ensure that it is large enough. If the room is small, you will probably have to use a power stretcher to stretch the carpets as opposed to hand-stretching with the help of a brush. A power stretcher is an expensive tool designed to accurately install wallpaper-sized carpets. The tool holds the carpet to the tack strip with a pair of taut tines attached. A slight force is applied to both the carpet and the tack strip, pulling it taut to a tight, holding position against the wall.
Power stretchers cannot clean carpets properly, so it is not recommended to use them for carpets stretching or carpet cleaning. Instead, hire a professional carpet cleaning or repair company to clean and repair your carpets for a fee. Carpet cleaning companies use high-end equipment to clean and extract stubborn stains, and professional carpet repair companies use these same equipment to repair damages. Carpet cleaning may be less expensive than carpet repair but it is often more effective in terms of quality, and may be a quicker and more efficient way to carry out carpet cleaning and repair jobs.
When your carpet is too long or has been stretched beyond its original specifications, it may be time to seek the services of a professional carpet stretching company. A reputable carpet cleaning company should be able to stretch your carpet at a fraction of the cost it would normally cost to cut the carpet into two sections and reinstalling them again. If your carpet has been stretched for aesthetic reasons, a carpet stretching company will be able to provide you with advice on how best to deal with the aesthetics of the stretched carpeting.
Some carpets have unsightly wrinkles and folds in their surface that can look a lot like spider’s webbed fingers, which can really devalue them. These wrinkles are usually caused by moisture getting trapped in the carpet and can look particularly ugly if they are located in areas where people are frequently walking around. In cases such as this, it is worth consulting a professional carpet stretching company, who should be able to remove the wrinkles using steam or a rug solvent. If you wish to avoid wrinkles, and their replacement, then you may wish to consider using a carpet shrink. Even though shrinking cannot lengthen rugs in their entirety, they can usually reduce the amount of wrinkle lines the rug has by around twenty percent.
The final technique in the four cleaning techniques above is the use of carpet stretching kits. These are available from many carpet cleaning retailers, and they work by applying a stretch to your rug. When applied, the material is pulled taut, and the stretching action leaves the strip of carpet behind. The kits usually contain a chemical that helps the material to contract even more, leaving you with a perfectly good looking piece of carpet back that has been stretched. Kits are widely available, and a quick Internet search should yield a number of options close to your home.