We were discussing this subject on my radio show on floor radio the other day and I thought it would be a good idea to share it with you in print as well.

The subject arose for a particular problem with one of the fairly new “California Shags” becoming so popular today. This carpet product is constructed with a thick cabled yarn and a thinner frieze type yarn with a pile height up to 1½ inches. The issue of concern is that the cotton head (the smaller stationery teeth) on the knee kicker will leave a frayed area on the surface of the carpet. This condition will occur when the large teeth on the kicker are not dialed down far enough to engage the carpet and the cotton head grabs the face yarns when the kicker is used for a stretching tool. The frayed areas of the carpet will be along the perimeter walls and they’ll show up some time after installation. How soon they’ll show up depends on how much traffic the carpet gets and how often its vacuumed in the affected areas. The more abrasion the carpet is subjected to the worse this damage will look. This problem is easy to determine because it will always be along the perimeter of the carpet and it will be the shape and size of the kicker head. If the carpet is tensioned with a power stretcher, as it is supposed to be, and the kicker is used to position the carpet, as it is supposed to be, there will be no damage to the carpet. This type of carpet product can be installed as easily as any other if you don’t cause damage to it, such as that mentioned, by using the installation tools inappropriately.

Other types of damage created by using the knee kicker as the primary tensioning tool is yarn popping out of the carpet along the perimeter and at the seams or anywhere the kicker was used to stretch in the carpet - this would be with cut pile carpet. The yarns coming out of the carpet, which may take days, weeks or months to appear, are the result of the knee kicker breaking them free from the carpet. They’ll either come out by themselves or, if they come up but not out, they can be clipped even with the surface of the carpet with duck bill napping shears. These yarns are broken free by the action of the kicker banging into the carpet and then being pulled up and out of the carpet at which point the damaged tuft(s) are yanked loose. If this condition is minor it will be of no consequence to the integrity of the carpet. If the damage extends to the primary backing a repair will have to be made which, if your lucky, you can do with a small glue gun unless the damage is too large which will force you to put a patch in.

If the carpet is a looped pile construction the damage may be more extensive even if it’s minor. That may not sound like it makes no sense but let me explain. One small pull in a looped pile carpet will show up more because it is obviously inconsistent with the rest of the surface of the product. It is more noticeable and if not attended to will pull out more and zipper the yarn, that is, the yarn will run in the carpet and create a lineal void which will be very visible and difficult to fix. If the yarn only extends from the surface a little bit, the best thing to do is push it back in using an awl. It may be necessary to put a dab of latex on the base to hold the pulled loop in place. If the loop cannot be re-inserted in the carpet the first thought would be to cut it even with the carpet. This will make the loop pile a cut pile in that spot and it will always be visible. The other thought might be to trim the loop down low but this will leave a small “pock” mark or void in the carpet surface. Either way you have damaged the carpet and the problem is your responsibility. Even though this is a condition which is easy to repair, the best thing is not to let it happen at all. That can be accomplished by using the right tools and techniques to properly install the carpet.

The knee kicker can also leave scars in the face of cut pile velvet or plush type carpets that will not come out because the yarn has been disfigured and damaged. Steaming and grooming the carpet in these areas may help if the damage is minimal but it may be futile if the damage is significant.

With all of the problems that can be created with the knee kicker why would anyone want to risk using it as the primary device for tensioning carpet? The cost of a power stretcher is less than the cost of making repairs, possibly having to replace the carpet and certainly cheaper, by a long shot, than medical costs and lost pay from injured or broken down knees. Auto mechanics will invest in the latest and greatest power tools to make their job easier, most carpet mechanics won’t. Of course auto dealers know and appreciate the worth of an auto mechanic, while most carpet dealers don’t feel the same about carpet mechanics. How much money, material and goodwill do you think is wasted by not insuring these types of things don’t happen? Again we meet the enemy, and it is still us. Why?