Pro tip: using a heat gun on carpet seams before stretching

I used to fight with stubborn seams that wouldn't flatten out no matter how much I stretched them. Then a guy with 30 years in the trade told me to hit the seam area with a heat gun for about 10 seconds before stretching, and it made the backing way more pliable. Has anyone else tried this trick on tight seams?

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john_murphy3mo ago

Ten seconds is a good starting point but I found out the hard way that going over 15 seconds can melt the backing and leave a tacky mess that attracts dirt forever. I tested it on a scrap piece of olefin carpet and watched it bubble up after 20 seconds. Another thing nobody mentions is that you need to keep the heat gun moving in a circle pattern, not holding it still even for a second. I ruined a corner of my own living room carpet doing that. Also make sure the carpet is dry before you hit it with heat, moisture trapped in the padding turns to steam and loosens the adhesive under the seam tape. Learned that from a water damage claim I dealt with.

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felixh452mo ago

Watch the speed of your movement too. I've seen guys blast a seam with a heat gun at full throttle and buzz through the area in two seconds thinking faster is better, but that just scorches the surface while the tape underneath stays cold. Slow and steady circles at about 6 inches per second work best on the stuff we sell at the store. Also check the heat gun nozzle diameter, using a wide flat nozzle spreads the heat way more even than those skinny ones that come with most guns.

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