Tried a power stretcher on a tight spiral staircase and almost threw it out the window

Had a job in a 1920s house near Portland last week with this tiny winding staircase. I thought the power stretcher would save time but it kept slipping on the turns and I spent 45 minutes fighting it. Ended up using a knee kicker and hand stretching each step like the old days, got it done in half the time. Has anyone else found that power tools just don't work on weird old stairs?

3 comments

3 Comments

sullivan.spencer17d ago

Hard disagree here. Power stretchers are the only way to go on spiral stairs, you just have to know how to set them up. The trick is to use the stair treads as your anchor point instead of the kick plate. I wedge the stretcher head against the riser above and lock it in at a sharp angle so it cant slide. Took me a few jobs to figure it out but now I can fly through tight turns faster than any knee kicking. The hand stretching approach is way more work and your wrists will be sore by the end of the day. Sounds like you just didnt have the right technique down.

jackson.matthew16d ago

Figured out how to keep that head from popping off yet on the real tight turns? I've seen guys wedge it against the riser but then the tail end starts lifting halfway through the pull and you lose all your tension. Also curious how you handle the last couple stairs going into the landing with that setup. Seems like the angle would get too shallow to hold anything.

ivan_mason17d ago

Man, have you actually tried angling the stretcher head that sharp on a tight turn though? Seems like the thing would pop off the riser if the carpet has any stretch to it. I get what you're saying about the anchor point but I've seen guys gouge the drywall behind the riser doing that on old stairs. How many turns are you talking about before it starts feeling sketchy?