There probably are a couple dozen reasons why an extra row of strip is advantageous, and maybe three that I can think of where it might be a detriment. Two of those issues are the picture framing effect and wear issues at thresholds; though both can be overcome using simple techniques. The other, not so easy to overcome, is if the job can't handle the additional $20 in expenditures.[/QUOTE]
Its not like this is a bid job. I'm sure the extra $20 wouldn't even be noticed. But in High's case he already has one row down. Just add a row of cheap tackles behind it. I'm sure on a room that big he will be glad he did. It makes it so much easier to hook.
Picture framing I think depends on the thickness of the pad. I push 3/8 so its not as noticeable.
Daris
I double strip whenever I think it needs it. If I
think a job needs it, I'd eat the $20 before I'd consider not doubling it.
I like how much easier it is to hook the carpet when double stripping.
On the job today, we got the rest of the "new" carpet out and all of the "newest" carpet up and into the room. There's a full 150 yards up there in that new master bedroom suite.
Wowee, what an effort it was to get a 30 footer up those stairs and into the house. It had to go through the living room, then into the narrow hallway and then immediately into a 90 degree turn and pull it up the stairs.
Rolled up the 12 foot way, there was no chance a 12 by 30 carpet this dense could be bent to get it into the stairwell........... so we had to snake it.
Slowly we turned, step by step, inch by inch...............
Niagara Falls! (hope someone gets this, because yes, I actually did want to strangle
somebody)
Anyway, we unrolled the carpet in his pristine shop area, and re-rolled the carpet the long way and into a much longer and more flexible and hopefully easier shape to handle. ...... a 30 foot long snake. It worked. Ha ha...... glad no cameras were rolling.
The diagram is not to scale. The red lines are seams.
There were two long parallel seams on the right half of this large and very open upstairs living space. (
A and B in the diagram) Both seams from this
new carpet installation
were still stuck to the pad. That alone tells you how well it was stretched with the stinger method......... I hate that tool even tho I actually make money fixing this stuff.
Every two feet along the walls, there are two bumps that I can easily feel through the pad where his double tipped stinger puffed up the OSB a lot.
I'm not at all sure where this trade is headed with the younger guys learning from the hackers. The young fella that originally did this job, actually does pretty good finish work on these installs and his seams look pretty good. (and no, of course they are not sealed...... who ever does that?)
His stretching tho, like all the others whom jobs I am now routinely fixing, tell me that I may be perpetually employed. Kind of a happy/sad statement.
Make note tho, this job is
mainly being replaced because the original carpet was fuzzing. Customer did not expect that. He wants perfection, and also wasn't totally happy with some seams. Personally tho, I thought the seams looked pretty good.
I simply see the stinger as not being capable of stretching the carpet nearly tight enough, and especially so in a room this size.
Seeing the amount of elongation from the tackstrip pins on the backing of the carpet that I just removed and the bulges in the OSB Subfloor told me that he actually
tried to stretch it tight................ but he hadn't released the seam tape from the pad, so there's no way he could get it stretched tight across the width or length of the room.
I think the stinger jockeys just stretch around rooms starting from a corner and going around the entire perimeter of the job, stretching a little here and a little there, with no real understanding of the real goal.
...........it might have taken 6 months of regular use or possibly two years before wrinkles would begin forming. Who knows............... I would guarantee tho, this carpet would have needed restretching.
Wouldn't this layout be a fun one to restretch? $$$$$$$$
Oh yes.......... I will be double stripping the job. I was curious what your thoughts were on room size on the topic presented.
