Tired of being told to stretch every carpet 2% more

I heard a guy at the supply house last Tuesday swear that yanking power stretchers until the carpet screams fixes everything. I've installed 14 years in Phoenix and that just causes seams to pop in the dry heat. Anyone else think the 2% rule is a myth for textured berber?

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uma68510d ago

Stop believing everything you hear from the guys at the supply house. That "scream" trick is just a fast way to tear the backing or blow out seams, especially on textured berber in Phoenix where the heat already makes the glue soft. The 2% rule is a starting point, not a magic number, but it's there for a reason. Carpet needs some stretch to stay flat, but too much just makes it fight itself. I've seen more callbacks from overstretched jobs than understretched ones. Stick with the 2%, use a good power stretcher, and save the extra yanking for the gym.