How to Tell If Your Carpet Needs to Be Stretched

Have you ever noticed ripples, wrinkles, bubbles or other bunched up areas in your carpeting? If so, you’re not alone — this phenomenon occurs because carpet is meant to be stretched tight.

Once carpet loosens or begins to form any type of ripple, it requires stretching to adopt its former, natural shape. If you have noticed small bubbles or wrinkles in your carpet, the sooner you stretch it back into place or replace it, the better. Carpet buckling is unsightly and can quickly become a safety hazard for you, your family and your guests.

Fortunately, when done correctly, carpet stretching can restore your floor covering to its original condition.

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What Is Carpet Stretching?

Carpet stretching is the act of stretching a bunched-up carpet back to its original shape. A professional may stretch your carpet by performing the following:

Clearing out the room: If you need to temporarily move bookshelves, chairs, TV stands and tables to another location, the specialists at 50Floor will do the heavy lifting for you.
Vacuuming and shampooing the carpet: Carpets must undergo a full day of washing, shampooing and drying before the carpet stretching can commence.
Pulling out tacks and tacking strips: After peeling back the damaged carpet, professionals will pull the tacks, along with their corresponding tack strips, out of the pad.
Replacing tack strips with new ones: Carpet specialists will replace old tack strips with new ones before returning the carpet to its original position.
Using a knee kicker and power stretcher: The flooring professionals at 50Floor will use a power stretcher machine to smooth the floor covering and compress it along the wall. We then smooth out the carpet using a knee kicker for a finishing touch.
Trimming excess carpet edges: After the carpet edges are pushed down and fastened into the new tack strip, the extra carpet can be removed for a more seamless look. 50Floor will slide a cutter along the edges of the flooring for an even, precise trim.

What Causes a Carpet to Buckle?

Carpeting can come loose for various reasons, including age and exposure to moisture, humidity or excess heat. Other reasons your carpet may buckle include:

Poor installation: In some cases, your carpet may have been poorly stretched or improperly secured in place during installation.
Wrong padding: When installing new floors, padding is equally as important as carpet. If the two aren’t compatible, the rug may loosen or become rippled over time.
Heavy traffic: Traffic of any kind — kids playing, wheelchair activity or frequent footsteps — can cause even the strongest carpets to need stretching over time.
Moving heavy furniture: Sliding heavy furniture across your rug may cause it to loosen at the edges.

How to Tell If Your Carpet Needs Stretching

So how do you know if your carpet needs to be stretched? While there are some obvious signs, other indications are only apparent to the eye of a professional.

Common telltale signs your carpet requires stretching include:

A rippled, wrinkled or generally lumpy appearance.
Areas that don’t lie flat and smooth.
The rug piling up at the edges of the baseboards.

Why You Need to Work With Professionals for Carpet Stretching

Carpet stretching should be left to the professionals since it requires specialized tools, experience, strength and energy. A flooring specialist team can rectify carpet wrinkles and ripples within one day and deliver superior results.

Call 50Floor to Beautify Your Home With New Carpet

After years of wear and tear, your carpet’s fibers may start losing their tuft and texture. If you find that areas of loose carpet keep cropping up, it may be time to replace that old flooring rather than trying to stretch it. Other signs your carpet may need replaced include wrinkles, ripples, matting, fading, color loss and lack of padding support.