Talked to an old-timer at a supply house and he changed how I lay tack strips

Guy at Crown Carpet Supply in Denver told me he never nails tack strips tight to the wall, leaves a finger gap for the pad tuck. I always slammed them right against the baseboard, now I see why my seams kept peaking on stairs. Anyone else pick up a habit like that from a random conversation?

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dakota1604d ago

Went through three carpet installs before someone finally told me the same thing about the stair nose. That finger gap works great for the pad, but it's not the whole story. The real trick is leaving about 3/16 inch between the tack strip and the wall. If you nail it flush, the pad bunches up and makes that hump right at the transition. I also stopped using the little plastic spacers that come in the box, they're too thick. Just use your index finger as the gauge and you're good.