Can you restretch and repair carpeting?

Is part of your carpet rippled or wrinkled? Have these “speed bumps” in your living, dining or media room become an eyesore or hazard in your house? Ninety-eight percent of the time your carpet have ripples in them is from poor installation. Because carpets have a poly-propylene backing that’s glued together with glue means your carpet will relax over over 3 to 5 years after installation if the installer did not use a “power stretcher” to make sure the carpet is “drum tight” right from the start.  Since it is very flexible, installers just use a knee kicker to get it tight enough to last for up to 3 years. It is a faster way of installation, so that’s why they do this. Rest assured it is NOT from over-vacuuming or over-cleaning.  (We cleaned a customers’ carpet twice a month for 4 years and it never rippled, because it was installed correctly from the start.) The good news: Your carpet can be fixed without costly replacement! What’s happening to my carpet? If the ripples are left to grow tall enough to be tripped over then delamination can occur. In short, the glue that holds the plastic backing to your carpet can dry out. The backing can pull away from the carpet fibers. This is called delamination. Delamination causes the ripples or wrinkles. If there is delamination in the ripples or wrinkles then they can never be stretched tight again. Our extreme weather in Colorado speeds up the process. Humidity in the spring and summer helps the glue on your carpet to relax. This can also happen if your carpet is improperly cleaned with too much water and not dried thoroughly. When we all crank up our heat in the winter, hot, forced air causes the glue to dry out and delamination occurs. Sometimes, you’ll see ripples in your carpeting shrink with weather changes. If they don’t shrink and you can’t push those ripples back down, you’ll need to get your carpet stretched to fix it. When do I get my carpet stretched? Everyone wants their home to be snug, cozy and safe for the holidays. It’s the number one time of year to clean our homes, decorate with holiday cheer and get ready to welcome family and loved ones. We don’t want to worry about warning everyone to avoid the carpet wrinkle hazard by the dining table! Plus, if your carpet is rippled, walking over it can cause further damage because delaminated carpet doesn’t flex up and down when you use it. Don’t let carpet wrinkles cause injury or damage your carpet. Best to get your carpet repaired and stretched as soon as you notice permanent wrinkles. What is involved in the repair and stretching process? Our professional carpet installers will remove your carpet from the tack strips that hold your carpet down. We will assess your carpet and make repairs where possible. Then, our technicians will professionally stretch and reattach your carpeting with specialized equipment. This process will remove wrinkles and renew your carpet; you won’t have to spend a lot of money on new carpeting and installation. Get your repairs done by technicians who care A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning has been in business for over 30 years. Our technicians are certified by IICRC – The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. The IICRC is the guardian agency of the carpet cleaning and repair industry. Each one of our team members is courteous and friendly. They are also IICRC trained which means they are dedicated to their work, uphold the highest standards and receive ongoing education about the latest repair and cleaning techniques throughout their careers. We would be happy to answer any of your questions about carpet repair and stretching. Call us today at 720-344-2870 for a free estimate or simply schedule an appointment.

Signs Of a Poor Carpet Installation & How To Fix It

A properly installed wall-to-wall carpet looks great and does an excellent job of tying a room together. On the flipside, a new carpet with poor installation makes a room appear disjointed and unfinished. With decades of experience in all things carpet, A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning knows the signs of a poor carpet installation, and how to fix it. Signs Of a Poor Carpet Installation Padding Installed Incorrectly A professional carpet installer should have no trouble installing carpet padding, whose multiple benefits include extra cushion for the feet, protection against matting of the carpet fibers, and a reasonable level of stain protection. However, when installed incorrectly, the carpet padding will be bumpy – a problem that transfers over to the carpet when it is laid atop the padding. Wrong Equipment A big red flag to watch out for is a carpet installer who shows up at your home with a knee-kicker instead of a power stretcher. The latter looks like a jarge jack, whereas the former “kneepads” that the installer uses to “kick” the carpet and padding into place. In this case of man vs. machine, the machine wins every time, with the power stretcher able to achieve a much smoother, tauter install than even the best knee-kickers. If you recently had carpet installed by someone using knee-kickers, a good test of their quality is to go to the middle of the room and try pulling up the carpet as high off the floor as you can. If you’re able to pull it up more than an inch, the carpet is too loose and wasn’t installed well. Miscellaneous Signs There are several other signs to be wary of when judging whether a carpet has been installed correctly. Some of the most common are frayed/fuzzy edges where the carpet meets the wall, carpet seams that don’t match or are misaligned, carpet that’s too loose (mentioned above), and ripples/bumps/ridges in the carpet. Often times, repairing any of these mistakes is a time-consuming, costly endeavor, and it may be difficult getting the installer to cover the cost. Tips For Fixing The Problem The more effort you put into finding the right carpet for your home, the more likely you are to properly vet your installer options and make the best choice. Choosing quality over cost is always a smart move, especially since you’ll rely on your carpet to contribute to your home’s warmth, vibrancy, and aesthetic appeal. Given the time and expense involved, you should take as much time as possible to find the right carpet and the right installer so that the job is done correctly the first time. When seeking a reputable carpet company to fix a bad installation, there are some “must-haves” to keep in mind: Knowledge of and expertise with the latest specialty tools Experience with properly cutting carpet, accounting for heating and cooling registers, and removing baseboards, all in the name of alleviating the problem quickly and cost-effectively. Current state licensure Good referrals Strong Better Business Bureau rating Trust The Carpet Experts In Englewood If you have an improperly installed carpet in your home, trust A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning to remedy the situation. Our expertise transcends carpet cleaning services, allowing us to evaluate your carpet and determine the best course of action. In some cases, we may not need to replace your existing carpet, thus saving you big bucks. Contact us today for a free quote and to make an appointment.  Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”

The Benefits Of Restretching Carpet

Many people, especially first-time home buyers, contact A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning and ask, “What is carpet stretching?” We always reply with a concise definition, and explain the many benefits associated with restretching a carpet. Budget-Friendly By utilizing the carpet stretching techniques perfected by our carpet cleaning professionals in Littleton, you’ll see how cost-effective it is to rectify any number of problems. Minor stains, loose strips/corners, burn marks, buckling, holes – you name it, and we have a remedy. Instead of resigning yourself to buying new carpet, take advantage of our competitively priced local carpet restretching service. In short order we can easily refurbish an entire room full of carpet. Longer Life It’s no secret that the better you are about caring for your carpets, the better they’ll look and the longer they’ll last. Along with more well-known cleaning approaches like vacuuming and stain removal, it’s necessary to take prompt action when your carpet begins showing signs of buckling or wrinkling. Contact our nearby carpet repair company and our leading-edge carpet restretching services will restore your carpet to its original flat, wrinkle-free state, thereby helping it last longer. Healthier Environment Your carpet accumulates more dust, dirt, pollen, and other detritus than any other place in your house. The older a carpet gets, and the longer it goes without cleaning, the more potentially harmful particulates it hosts. This leads to unclean air that’s bad for everyone – especially the elderly, people with allergies, and toddlers. Plus, the longer you wait to restretch your carpet, the higher the chance of mold and mildew gaining a foothold. Everyone desires a healthy home environment, and restretching the carpet goes a long way towards achieving this. Prevent Injuries Old, unstretched carpeting develops folds, bubbles, and gaps that create a serious risk of trips and falls. Instead of rolling the dice and risking injury, your carpet should be professionally restretched so that the chances of a mishap are nil. It’s a small price to pay compared to the worst-case scenario. How Can Our Local Carpet Company Help? The general idea of restretching a carpet might seem simple: just pull the carpet taut to remove the wrinkles and tighten any loose ends. However, as with most home repair projects, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Our certified experts use state-of-the-art tools and techniques that help trim away excess carpet and padding. With more than 30 years of experience, we possess as much or more carpet restretching expertise than most companies in the Denver metro area. We deliver excellent results that wouldn’t be attainable by a homeowner trying to restretch carpet himself. We provide our services at a very competitive price, done on your schedule and with the utmost professionalism. Have Your Carpet Restretched Today It costs a good deal of money to replace carpet. That’s why it pays to have your carpet repaired and restretched by professionals. Contact A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning today for answers to the question, “What does it cost to stretch carpet?” and to make an appointment with our veteran team. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”

Repairing Carpet vs. Repairing an Area Rug

Moving into a new home in Englewood or Denver is the experience of a lifetime, and everyone loves putting their own unique stamp on every room. Of course, there are a few “must-dos”, such as painting, moving furniture, and hiring an expert carpet cleaning company like A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning to ensure your new home’s carpet is nothing short of exquisite.  Make a “Fresh Start” Even if the previous homeowners were as clean as clean can be, making a fresh start is always a good idea. The carpet might look spotless on the surface, but within the pile and just above the pad may lurk dust, dirt, and dander that is overdue for removal. And what better time to take care of this than right before you begin moving all of your belongings into the house? In a broader sense, it’s a great feeling to know that the carpets in your new home have been freshly cleaned, and that you have zero worries regarding bacteria, mildew, odor, and the like. Do It For The Kids For homeowners with kids – especially toddlers – it’s mandatory to do a carpet deep-clean before moving in to a new house. Little ones are in perpetual pursuit of new experiences, and while they’re learning to crawl they are also learning about their surroundings while being in constant contact with the carpet. We’re definitely not suggesting that kids should be put in a bubble, because their immune systems will flourish. However, the fact that they can’t tell a thread from a piece of old dog hair means that they’re constantly putting things in their mouths, which is why it makes sense to address the carpet and give your kids a clean slate to grow upon. Invest a Little Instead Of a Lot No doubt there are a ton of expenses involved with a move, most of which are foreseen but some not. In fact, by the time you’re ready to move in, the last thing you may want to do is invest in having the carpets cleaned. But when you look at the situation from a financial perspective, you might warm to the idea. Cleaning the carpets before you move in requires no moving of furniture, so the process is faster and cheaper. Plus, you don’t have to endure the hassle of keeping kids and pets out of certain rooms for a time. Moreover, even minor carpet issues you spot during move-in – the kind you might shrug your shoulders at and say, “It’s not so bad” – can quickly become major issues. Rather than risk turning a small problem into a big one, and having to spend a lot more time and money fixing it down the road, it makes a lot more sense to hire a professional carpet company in Littleton to rectify any issues before you start unpacking. Enjoy Clean Carpets In Your New Home For some of the finest professional carpet cleaning in Denver, choose A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning. Working quickly and cost-effectively, our friendly team will expertly clean the carpets in your new home and help you make a fresh start from the ground-up.  Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”

Signs That It’s Time For Carpet Repair

While a quality, well cared-for carpet can last for years, there’s always the risk of an unforeseen incident moving carpet repair to the top of your to-do list. In instances like the ones covered below, it’s reassuring to know that A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning offers expert repair services to Littleton homeowners. Water Damage Not all water damage is a “death sentence” for your carpet. It all depends on the amount of water and the length of time the carpet is exposed to it, but if you’re able to remove the water and get the carpet dried quickly, it could be ok. The make-or-break is whether mildew and/or mold takes hold in the pad beneath the carpet. The faster the carpet and pad are dried, the better your chances of retaining a mildew-free carpet. In fact, our local carpet company utilizes high-power fans to maximize the chances of success. However, if mildew does begin growing, your only option is to replace the carpet. Loose Carpet Problems with loose carpet are often the result of poor installation techniques at the time the home was constructed, or when the previous homeowners had the carpet replaced before moving out. It’s also possible for an old carpet to lose its tautness after years of furniture and foot traffic. In all these scenarios, the key evidence for a loose carpet is rippling – small “waves” or bumps popping up in various parts of a room. Depending on the age of the carpet and the extent of the rippling, you may not need to replace carpet. Instead, we can assist with a “power stretching” procedure in which the carpet is restored to its smooth, flat state. If the carpet is already long in the tooth, then it could be more economical to simply replace the carpet instead of stretching it. Carpet Burns Thanks to modern fireplaces and a decrease in cigarette smoking, especially indoors, carpet burns aren’t nearly as common as they once were. But they still happen from time to time, and when they do the result is a burn mark or a hole that you’d like to make go away. The good news is, this is a simple fix for our carpet repair experts, even if the hole is rather large. We cut out the damaged carpet and replace it with either an exact match taken from excess carpet stored in your attic or basement, or from an out-of-the-way place like a closet. Then, we rely on our expertise to install the new piece so that it looks like it’s been there all along. Split Seams/Carpet Tears If you own pets, chances are you’ve come across a tear in your carpet or a mass of loose carpet fibers in a corner. These things happen when active pets are about, but they’re easily remedied. In some cases, i.e. a tear in the carpet, we’ll remove the torn area and replace it with a fresh piece. Or, in a situation where one of the carpet’s seams has split, we’ll patch up the seam and then power-stretch the carpet to remove any gaps. Contact a Local Carpet Repair Company As much as people like their carpet clean and damage-free, accidents do happen. But there’s no need to stress when professional carpet cleaning services are just a phone call away. A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning offers decades of experience in all facets of carpet maintenance, and before you know it your carpet will once again look brand-new. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”

Make Your Carpet Perfect For Your Space

For a homebuyer, it’s not uncommon to move into a new place with new carpet that’s too loose due to poor installation. Nor is it uncommon for older carpet to loosen after years of use. In both cases, a professional carpet re-stretching from A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning is an excellent solution. What Is Carpet Re-Stretching? Bumps, ripples, and wrinkles are all symptoms of a loose carpet that’s suffering from old age or subpar installation. Carpet re-stretching is done to remove these imperfections and return the carpet to its natural state. To do this, our carpet pros use a power stretcher and a knee kicker to pull the carpet tightly to the edges of the room. When this is done, we use a carpet knife to remove any excess carpet. This knife is double-sided, superlatively sharp, and cuts through virtually any kind of carpet. Once the carpet is trimmed, it’s hand-tucked and then reattached to the original tack strip (the “framework” which helps hold the carpet in place). How Do You Know If Your Carpet Requires Re-Stretching? Obvious signs of a carpet in need of re-stretching include large, clearly visible wrinkles, buckles, and bumps. There are also less obvious signs too – one of the most common is the formation of small bumps in the vicinity of heavy furniture. Also, if you can left a section of the carpet up off the floor, a re-stretching is probably needed. You can confirm this by standing in the center of a room, grabbing your carpet’s fibers, and lifting. If the carpet raises more than an inch off the floor, you should consider re-stretching. Do You Have To Move Your Furniture? It’s pretty much accepted that in order to properly stretch a room’s carpet, at least 50% of the room’s furniture should be moved. The goal is to have enough open space so that the carpet’s imperfections are easily accessible, as well as the walls to which the carpet is being stretched. Why Consider Carpet Re-Stretching? There are three key advantages to having your carpet professionally re-stretched by our local carpet repair company: Safety Loose carpet and the ripples it creates can pose a safety hazard to everyone in your home, from little kids to the elderly. Tripping, falling, and sliding are all risks which increase when a home’s carpet isn’t taut. Lifespan A carpet with its own “topography” of bumps and ridges is far more prone to collecting dander, soil, and dust in the low sections between its various deformities. These materials cause your carpet to wear out faster than normal, especially if there’s a lot of foot traffic in your home. Appearance We can all agree that a flat, well-stretched carpet is much more pleasing to the eye than a carpet with visible wrinkles and folds. A good-looking carpet isn’t just satisfying for the homeowner, it’s also a nice thing to have when the time comes to put the home on the market. Re-Stretch With The Pros Our carpet company serving Littleton offers decades of experience in all forms of carpet installation and repair. We’ve helped thousands of Denver area residents restore and maintain their carpet so that it’s safe, durable, and looks good. Contact us today for a quote and to learn about our current service specials. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”

Should I Clean My Carpets Before Moving Out Of My Rental Unit?

Searching online for the best “carpet cleaners near me”? No doubt A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning will be at the top of your results, and for good reason. Our talented carpet pros have vast experience in cleaning and repairing carpet, as well as answering questions like, “Should I clean my carpets before moving out of my rental unit?” Carpets and Rental Units The best answer to the question of “To clean or not to clean my carpet?” is that you should consult with your landlord. The vast majority of rental leases contain a list of move-out stipulations, stating what you need to clean and what the landlord’s expectations are with regard to cleaning. Often times these stipulations are tied directly to your deposit, and failure to meet the landlord’s expectations results in a reduction in your deposit return. Specific to carpet, your responsibility to clean/repair/replace it before you move out is sometimes tied to the size of your apartment complex. It’s more likely that the landlord of a large complex will ask that you clean the carpet, and in some cases pay for any repairs or a full-scale replacement if necessary. The bigger the complex, the less time a landlord can dedicate to individual units, and the more expensive it becomes to ensure every tenant’s carpet is in good shape before they move out. It’s not unheard of for a landlord to hire his own cleaning company to deep-clean a unit before a new tenant moves in, a stipulation that should be mentioned in the lease. In this case, one of two scenarios are possible: the landlord pays for the cleaning out of his own pocket or an “upkeep fund” that every tenant gives a monthly amount too, or the landlord expects the outgoing tenant to pay for the deep-clean. The upside here is that you won’t have to lift a finger, but the downside is you’ll get less of your deposit back. In the majority of cases, a lease will call out what the landlord’s expectations are regarding move-out condition, and include a note regarding how your deposit-return could be lower if the unit isn’t cleaned to the lease’s expectations. Thus, you’ll have the option to either clean the unit yourself or hire a cleaning company, which comes down to whether you prefer to spend time or money. Other Items/Areas To Be Cleaned In addition to cleaning your unit’s carpet and other obvious tasks like wiping down the kitchen counters and scrubbing the toilet, here are some other areas that will require your attention: Tile grout The entire toilet (top, bottom, and back) Oven (some ovens have an auto-clean feature, but these don’t always do a complete, “landlord-friendly” job Cabinet shelves and all drawers, along with the tops of cabinets Refrigerator and freezer, and the top of the fridge We Have Your Carpet Cleaning Covered Rather than leave your deposit to the whims of your landlord, contact A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning and utilize our professional carpet cleaning services. We’ll have your carpets looking great, giving you peace of mind and a better chance of getting your full deposit back.  Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”

Carpet Burns: The Aftermath

Carpet burns, whether from a cigarette, fireplace embers, or a knocked-over clothes iron, are something that a homeowner is best-served remedying via the experienced carpet repair services of A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning. Even small burns that appear easy enough to fix on your own can pose problems if you lack the right tools and knowledge. Fixing Small Burns, Option One Small burns, depending on the heat of the burn and the object/substance that caused the burn, can be tricky even for a local carpet repair company. Assuming a straightforward small burn, i.e. from a curling iron, our carpet experts establish the burn’s dimensions and then use a special tool to carefully remove the burnt part of the carpet. When this is done, we visit the nearest wall or out-of-the-way spot in the affected room (i.e. a closet), and snip away as many carpet fibers as we need to fill in the space left by the burned area. Then, using a professional-grade glue, these fibers are adhered to the carpet in a quantity and density sufficient to make the burn appear like it never happened. Fixing Small Burns, Option Two Another effective way with which we address small burns, especially those caused by a cigarette or cigar ash, is to first utilize a premium sandpaper to sand away all visible burn marks. The mention of “sanding” conjures up in some people a notion of harshness, but rest assured our team has plenty of experience in this area, and we use a quality of sandpaper renowned for its ability to remove burn marks without damaging the carpet. In fact, this is one example of many for why you should hire a professional instead of going the DIY route: too much is left to chance, even if you consider yourself particularly handy. After sanding away the burn marks, we vacuum up any left-behind residue. Once this is done, we’ll take the same steps as in option one and cut away any remaining black fibers. In the even that there are scorch marks still visible, we’ll employ a premium-grade solution to the carpet – one that is very effective at removing signs of scorching, without damaging your carpet. This solution is blotted onto the affected area, then rinsed and allowed to dry completely. The final step here is the same as in option one: gather matching carpet fibers from other parts of the room and fill the vacated space with clean, healthy fibers. Fixing Large Burns Large burns are addressed on a case-by-case basis, but our approach is generally the same as for smaller burns. However, large-burn remedies involve the careful cutting and removal of the burnt piece of carpet, followed by the delicate act of installing and adhering a fresh piece of carpet to take its place. The new piece of carpet must resemble as close as possible the burnt piece, and great care is taken by our professionals to ensure a seamless fit in terms of color, fiber direction, and pile density. Burnt Carpet? Contact Our Carpet Experts For more than 30 years, our local carpet cleaning company has assisted Englewood and Denver homeowners with all manner of carpet cleaning and repair needs. No job is too big or too small, so contact A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning today for a free quote and impeccable service.  Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”

Should You Clean Your Carpet before Stretching?

When the subject turns to carpet stretching and carpet repair in Littleton, few companies have as much experience as A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning. Carpet stretching is something we’re adept at, and clients often ask if they should clean their carpet before stretching. Here are some thoughts to consider. To clean or not to clean (before stretching) An oft-repeated opinion touted by homeowners and more than a few carpet retailers is that a carpet is best cleaned before stretching. The thinking is that once a carpet has been stretched, cleaning it will “undo” some of the stretching and cause wrinkles dents, and folds to reappear. However, this is incorrect. It’s better to clean a carpet after stretching. Here’s why: Cleaning loose carpet is tough Many of us have tried vacuuming a rug: in the bathroom, by the front door, or in the mudroom. The operative word is “tried”, because vacuuming a rug is hard. It’s loose and unattached, and it almost always bunches up when a vacuuming is attempted. The same is true for carpet: the looser the carpet, the harder it is to clean. Folds and ripples in carpet can pose a frustrating challenge to even the best vacuums. The same is true if you want to clean your carpet with water and attempt to first dispense and then suction up moisture with a cleaner’s wand. The water finds its way into the carpet’s imperfections, and oft times it’s virtually impossible to dry before it seeps into the carpet and pad. And when this happens, you have a bigger problem on your hands than just a dirty carpet. Thankfully, none of these problems exist with a good, tight carpet that’s fold/wrinkle-free and can be easily vacuumed. Post-stretch de-wrinkling It’s not uncommon for carpet wrinkles to appear and then be ignored for a while.  Either the wrinkles are in an out-of-the-way place like a basement or a guest bedroom, or they’re simply forgotten about due to other, more pressing daily matters. Maybe you thought once or twice about remedying those wrinkles, but didn’t want to spend the money. Whatever the case, wrinkles left unattended will eventually create visible lines – the kind that are clear as day when the carpet is finally stretched. Removing these lines is a tall order, and one that can’t be accomplished without first stretching and then cleaning the carpet. Wrinkle-lines won’t go disappear if you try to clean them when the carpet is loose, but they will vanish if they’re cleaned by an experienced carpet cleaner after the carpet is stretched. There’s no doubt in the minds of the professionals at A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning: the best approach is to clean your carpet after it’s been stretched. Not only does this approach save time and money (not to mention aggravation) since the carpet is good and taut, it also allows you to rid your carpet of unsightly lines created by unattended wrinkles when the carpet was loose. For questions about carpet stretching and carpet cleaning, and to receive a free quote, contact our expert carpet cleaning team today. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”

Can You Re-stretch Carpet with Furniture in the Room?

We welcome questions from our customers, and the titular query – “Can you re-stretch carpet with furniture in the room?” – is a common one. Here’s a look at how A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning approaches carpet re-stretching when furniture is present. Overview The short answer is yes, we can re-stretch carpet with furniture in the room. However, there are some variables that could change this answer to a “Yes, but…”. For example, the exact amount of furniture will certainly affect the job, as will the weight of the furniture and the size/shape of the room where the carpet is. Another thing to consider is the location and layout of the ripples you want to remove from the carpet. Our Approach Using a power stretcher, our standard approach is to stretch the carpet away from the door/entryway and towards a wall that runs parallel to the ripples. This results in carpet that stays tight in the face of repeated cleanings, foot traffic, and repeated cleanings. When the wall is reached, our technician takes the following steps: Pull the carpet up from the tack-strip at the base of the wall Stretch the carpet until all ripples are smoothed out Reattach the newly-stretched carpet to the tack-strip Trim the carpet as necessary Tuck the carpet in to establish a seamless look In the optimal scenario – say, a room with several lightweight pieces of furniture (i.e. a standard bedroom or a study) – we can do all of this without moving the furniture because a) there’s no danger of anything falling over and/or breaking, and b) we’ll have enough room to maneuver around the furniture, access the ripples and have a clear path to the wall we need to stretch toward. And even if a clear path isn’t available, we can easily slide any impeding furniture out of the way. When must furniture be moved? There’s an industry rule of thumb that says in order to properly re-stretch a carpet, 50 percent of the room must be clear of furniture. Thus, a small room containing lots of furniture will require some moving before we can re-stretch. Also, if a room contains electronics, a curio with fragile items inside, or anything fragile for that matter, these items must be removed from the room and put in a safe spot until we’re finished re-stretching. Our state-of-the-art power stretcher can re-stretch carpet even when items like beds and couches are present. However, things get dicey when we need to work around very heavy pieces like pool tables, treadmills, and big fish tanks. Items like these are so heavy that they can cause the carpet to rip while we’re engaged in re-stretching. One solution is to do a “partial re-stretch”, which means stretching areas of the carpet that are unaffected by large objects. However, a partial re-stretch requires more work (and at times, a seam because we’ll need to reattach the re-stretched carpet to the un-stretched areas) and is consequently more expensive. Therefore, we recommend relocating these cumbersome objects before we arrive at your home. We understand that some things are too heavy to move without professional help, so if necessary we’ll work around these pieces. A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning provides expert carpet re-stretching and carpet repair in Littleton. Contact us today to discuss our rates and schedule an appointment. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”