How to Flatten Wrinkles in Carpet

Improperly installed wall-to-wall carpeting often has wrinkles and bulges. These wrinkles not only look bad, they are a safety hazard and cause people to trip. Wrinkles even make it difficult to vacuum and clean the carpet. You can eliminate these wrinkles with a process called carpet stretching.

two-by-four wood board
Power stretcher
Knee kicker

Instructions

- 1
  Place a two-by-four wood board against the baseboard of the wall behind you. Place a power stretcher on the floor. Brace the back end of the stretcher against the wood board.
- 2
  Connect the extension tubes to the power stretcher. The number of tubes you need to connect varies, depending on the size of the room.
- 3
  Position the stretcher at an angle in the direction of the room's door. Put the stretcher head 6 inches from the wall in front of you.
- 4
  Press down on the stretcher head lever. The head's teeth dig into the carpet backing. Press down firmly to stretch the carpeting and remove the wrinkles.
- 5
  Release the lever. Push the carpet backing against the tack strip to reattach it. Angle the power stretcher 18 inches to the right or left. Repeat the stretching process as you move across the room.
- 6
  Lay a knee kicker on the floor 6 inches from the wall. Bend down, and force your knee into the knee kicker's rubber backing. This embeds the carpet into the tack strip. Press against the carpet with your hand for a few seconds to hold it in place. Move the knee kicker along the edge of the wall, and repeat the process to secure the carpet.
- 7
  Move the wood board to the opposite wall, after you finish securing the length of the carpet with the knee kicker. Brace the stretcher against the wood board, and stretch the width of the carpet. After you stretch the width of the carpet, secure it with the knee kicker.

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Carpeting