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Old pro told me to wet the seams before stretching, I thought he was nuts
Back in March I was doing a living room in Tacoma, 12 by 16 foot, and the guy I was subbing for kept telling me to mist the seams lightly before I powered stretch. I figured he was just wasting my time, but I tried it on one row and the carpet laid down so much flatter, no ripples at all near the joins. Turns out the moisture relaxes the backing just enough to let the hooks grab better. Has anyone else used this trick or do you just rely on the power stretcher alone?
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kim_ramirez31mo ago
That trick makes sense when you think about how everything works better with a little give. Same thing happens with wood flooring, if you don't let the boards breathe a bit before locking them down, they'll fight you all day. Even in my line of work, I've seen drywall tape lay flatter if you wipe a damp sponge over the seams first. It's like the material needs a second to soften up before it gets forced into place. Most guys just muscle through and wonder why things ripple, but a small step like that saves a ton of rework later. Have you tried it on any other surfaces or just carpet so far?
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