Two days on a single seam - were my expectations just too high?

I had a job last Thursday where I was trying to hide a seam in a Berber carpet on a staircase. I figured it would take me maybe an hour, tops. Four hours later I was still pulling my hair out because the pattern just would not line up no matter how careful I was with the measurements. Some guys tell me to just use more glue and power stretch it, but I've seen those seams pop open after a year. Do you all spend the extra time to get a perfect pattern match or is close enough good enough for Berber stairs?

3 comments

3 Comments

williamb2917d ago

Berber stairs are a whole different beast cause the loops mess with every measurement you take. Tried using a chalk line and a straight edge to mark the backing before cutting and it helped me line things up way better. Also ditch the power stretcher for stairs, use a knee kicker to ease it into place instead of forcing it. If the customer is paying for a premium install then perfect pattern match is the only option, otherwise you're just asking for a callback.

blair59716d ago

Man I used to swear by the power stretcher on stairs, thought it was faster and tougher. Then I had a Berber job where the loops got all jacked up from the pressure and I had to pull the whole run and do it over with a knee kicker. That chalk line trick you mentioned actually got me thinking different too, I always just used a tape and eyeballed it which cost me time fixing sloppy cuts later. Your straight edge idea is simple but I bet it saves a ton of headache on pattern matching. Ever try using a laser level instead of a chalk line to get more consistent marks on the backing?

robertb4717d ago

Haha "Berber stairs are a whole different beast" ain't that the truth @williamb29, I still got the scars on my knuckles from the last time I thought I could just eyeball it. I tried the chalk line trick on one set and ended up marking the backing wrong by like half an inch because I was too busy looking at the pattern instead of the line. The knee kicker tip is solid too, I once used a power stretcher on a stair riser and bent the nose so bad I had to rip it all out and start over. Customer wasn't paying premium that day, but they sure got a free lesson in my stupidity.