Question about power stretchers vs knee kickers on a 40 yard stretch, the kicker lost bad

Sean Ward · 2026-10-20T12:00:04.126172+00:00

Last month I did a 40 yard hallway and two bedrooms in a rental over in Gary and I tried to get away with just my knee kicker to save setup time. Big mistake. The backing was a thick action back and by the third room the carpet was walking loose off the tackless in the doorway, you could see a ripple from the front door clear to the kitchen. I pulled it all back up, rented a power stretcher from the supply house on 45th for $35 a day, and redid the whole thing in about 4 hours. The stretch was so much tighter and the seams laid down way flatter, no more bouncing when you walk on it. My knees are still paying for that first attempt and I'm kicking myself for not just grabbing the stretcher from the start. What do you guys do on smaller rooms, do you still drag the power stretcher out or is the kicker fine if you tail it into the corners right?

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Question about power stretchers vs knee kickers on a 40 yard stretch, the kicker lost bad | Carpet Installers - Pinecone Attack