What is Carpet Stretching?
Carpet Stretching is the process in which you take a loose carpet and you pull it tighter to the tacks along the edges of the room the carpet is situated in. Hopefully, a carpet installed professionally shouldn’t need to be stretched as it should have already been installed tightly to the edges of the room in the first place. However, this isn’t always the case and a carpet can come to need stretching for a number of different reasons. We wanted to talk about some of those reasons and what you should do about them below!
Does Your Carpet Need To Be Stretched?
Sometimes in high traffic areas of a home, or in areas where maybe chairs or closet doors are constantly being pushed across the carpet surface, the carpet will start to pull away from the tacks at the edges of the room. This can become noticeable as the carpet may develop ripples along these high traffic areas and will be loose and less taut. The tacks on the edge of the room can also become damaged from the pulling and the carpet itself could also develop tears if not taken care of sooner.
If you start to notice any of these things in your home you may want to call a carpet professional to come and take a look at it. They will be able to then spot out some things that you may not have even noticed yourself. What you don’t want to do is ignore the problem. One, because carpet installation is expensive in the first place so it is a shame if it starts to pull, especially if it’s a new carpet! Also, it just looks bad. A wrinkly carpet is unsettling and not aesthetically pleasing at all. Plus, a wrinkly carpet with ridges could become a tripping hazard as well so it is smart to get it taken care of as soon as possible.
It is important to take care of a carpet in need of stretching as soon as possible. An older carpet that is stretched may just need to be replaced completely, but a younger carpet should have stretching done as soon as possible so that its lifetime can be prolonged.
Typically a carpet professional will determine what method of stretching needs to be used based on what they see in the carpet. The carpet may only need to be re-seamed or the tacking strips may just need replacement. A power kicker may then be needed to put the carpet back in place over the new tacking strips. Whatever the case may be, it is definitely recommended that a professional does the work for you as many of the tools required are not easily obtainable by those who aren’t professionals. It may seem like a simple job but it is actually pretty cumbersome and is best left to professionals who will be able to do it swiftly and with quality.
Carpet stretching probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind as a homeowner looking out to keep your property in good condition but it is very important for the quality of your rooms and for the safety of those walking along your carpets everyday. If you think your carpets need stretching or any other professional cleaning services, give us a call today at Maryland Carpets!