Old Bob from my first crew taught me something I still use

Back in '03 I was working with a crew in Boise and this old timer named Bob showed me how to stretch carpet in a tight hallway without a power stretcher... he just used his knee and a kicker in a way I'd never seen. Took me about 6 tries to get it right but he never lost his patience. Any of you guys have a trick like that from an older installer that's still stuck with you?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace_wright18d ago

Hate to hear you went through that knee issue, that's a rough one. Bob's method definitely takes some finesse and a lot of practice to get right without hurting yourself.

the_simon18d ago

Oh man, I actually read something about this in one of Bob's old newsletters from like 1997 (I found a scanned copy online, believe it or not). He specifically warned about using his method on anything less than a 4-foot-wide corridor because the knee angle gets too tight and you lose all your leverage. The newsletter even had a diagram showing where to place your foot to avoid catching the drywall, which is basically what Laura is describing here. Sounds like Bob knew his limit but people just assumed his technique worked everywhere.

laura_allen19d ago

That old Bob sound like he knew his stuff, but I gotta say something about the kicker and knee method. It might work fine on a straight run, but in a tight hallway you really gotta be careful with that knee. I've seen guys put a dent in the drywall or even crack the baseboard if they lean too hard. Plus, if you're not lined up just right, you can twist your knee pretty bad. I learned that one the hard way back in the day.