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Used to think power stretchers were overkill for small rooms. Changed my mind after a living room job in an old house.
Last month I had a 12x15 living room with hardwood underneath. Figured I could save time with just a knee kicker since it wasn't a huge space. The first seam looked fine but by the third day there was a ripple near the door. Had to pull it all back up and rent a power stretcher. Smooth as glass after that. Now I run one on any room over 100 square feet. Anyone else waste time learning this lesson?
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ramirez.vera3d ago
Old houses settle weird and straight walls can be deceptive. Knee kickers only stretch 6 inches ahead of you at a time, so that tension never really gets locked in across the whole floor. With a power stretcher you can anchor it on the opposite wall and pull all the slack out in one go. Makes me wonder how many other installers have walked away from a job thinking it was flat only to get a call back two months later.
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