My uncle swore by using a 3-inch putty knife for stretching carpet in tight corners.
He said it was the only way to get a clean pull without tearing the backing. I tried it on a job in a small apartment in Tacoma last month and it actually worked way better than my usual tools. What other weird tools have you guys found that help with tricky spots?
That line about the junk drawer is so true. I read a blog post by a carpet guy who used a plastic spatula to tuck carpet under baseboards without leaving marks. He said the soft edge was perfect for vinyl floors where metal tools scratch. @the_terry mentioning the dinner fork makes total sense, it's the same idea. Sometimes you just need something thin and gentle that won't wreck the material.
That butter knife trick is a classic. I read a forum post years ago where a guy used a dinner fork to tease out carpet fibers after a seam got mashed down. Sometimes the best tool is already in the junk drawer, right?