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.”
Five Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Carpet Repair Company
Interested in hiring a carpet repair company in Littleton? Here are five questions to ask before you sign on the dotted line. What carpet repair methods are you proficient at? Experience counts for a lot, especially in a service-related industry. Everyone wants to work with a company that’s “been around the block a time or two”, especially when it comes to solving difficult problems. You should ask your selected carpet repair companies about their level of proficiency in terms of replacing carpet, stretching carpet, fixing burn marks, alleviating water damage, and remedying split seams/carpet tears. Along with asking each provider directly, scan some consumer reviews to confirm that actual customers can back up the carpet repair company’s statements. Also, consumer reviews are a great way to gain an understanding of a company’s friendliness/customer service skills, punctuality, and reliability. How much training does your team have? You expect a carpet repair company’s owner or general manager to have extensive on-the-job experience, but ideally this experience level applies to the entire company. Ask each candidate company how much training their team has, inquire about any certifications, commendations, and awards, and ask to check the company’s employee qualification documents. You want someone who can not only do the job well, but provide experience-based recommendations for future carpet care, damage avoidance steps, etc. If a carpet repair company employees a few rookies, confirm that an experienced supervisor will be onsite throughout the job. Is your work guaranteed? This is another essential question a customer should pose to any service provider. In this particular case, you want to confirm a) that the carpet repair company offers a guarantee, and b) the specifics of said guarantee. It’s likely that most if not all of the companies you speak with offer a guarantee, but the conditions can differ from company to company. A good guarantee is one that extends for at least 30 days and pertains to any flawed work done during the repair. A guarantee wouldn’t ordinarily cover any new damage incurred in the 30-day period; that’s something you’ll likely need to discuss separately with the provider. Do you offer free estimates? Soliciting estimates from two or three different carpet repair companies is vital. This way you can compare cost, guarantees, experience, etc. and make an informed decision. It’s never a good idea to jump at the first offer you receive. Carpet repair firms, just like plumbers, roofers, and HVAC repairmen, want your business, and providing a free estimate either over the phone or in-person is par for the course. Are you bonded and insured? This question is black-and-white. If a company isn’t bonded and/or insured, cross them off your list. In this day and age, any professional carpet repair company should carry the requisite bonding and insurance in case something goes wrong during the job. For more information on carpet repair and to receive a free estimate for carpet repair in Denver, contact A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning at 720.344.2870 or use our online contact form to request your free estimate or to schedule your carpet cleaning, carpet repair or wool rug cleaning service appointment. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
What is Carpet Restretching?
If the carpeting in your home has become loose and lumpy over time, contact A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning for carpet restretching near Littleton. We have the tools and the expertise to fit, trim, and restretch your carpet quickly and cost-efficiently, returning it to its “like new” appearance in no time. Tools We Use Power stretcher: as you may have guessed by its name, this is the most important tool we use. Depending on the size and dimensions of your room(s), it does most or all of the stretching. Knee kicker: this is useful in tight spaces (i.e. less than 3ft. between the walls) where the power stretcher can’t fit. The knee kicker is less high-tech but just as useful for stretching carpet. Carpet cutter: superior to the average utility knife, a carpet cutter achieves clean, accurate edges Pry bar: we use this to remove the tack strip that attaches the carpet/pad to the floor Stapler: for reattaching the pad The Process Step 1 – Peel back the carpet and pad Using pliers, we separate one corner of the carpet from the tack strip and begin peeling back the carpet. Once a small segment of carpet begins peeling, it’s quite easy to peel the rest. One thing we’re careful is to not pull the carpet past a doorway, where we may risk breaking a seam. Step 2 – Remove and replace old tack strips The old tack strip is removed in 4ft. sections with a pry bar. If the tack strips are attached to a wooden floor, it’s a simple matter of prying them out. If the tack strips are attached to a concrete floor, we’ll use a chisel to penetrate the tack strips and then pull them up through the concrete nails. Once the old tack strips are gone, we’ll put down new ones. Step 3 – Reset and stretch the carpet First, we’ll use our utility knife to cut (resize) the padding so that it fits snugly against the new tack strips. The padding is then stapled in place, with a staple placed every 3” or so around the room’s perimeter and along the padding’s seams. Once the padding is in place, the carpet is rolled out and the restretching process begin. The power restretcher is activated and we begin stretching the carpet until it’s flat and lump/wrinkle-free. Once we’ve achieved optimum stretch, the carpet is reattached to the tack strip. Cutting the carpet With the carpet stretched to its maximum, we use a carpet cutter to remove the excess carpet that’s left over after the restretching process. The cutter is specially designed to hold the carpet against the room’s woodwork so that an accurate cut can be made, helping us avoid cutting the carpet too short or too long. When this step is complete, the carpet will look like it did when it was first installed. If you’d like a quote for carpet re-stretching or any kind of carpet repair, contact our specialists today. Also, don’t forget to ask about our monthly specials. Call us today at 720.344.2870 for a free estimate or to schedule your appointment. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
Five Common Carpet Repair Mistakes
Some jobs are best left to professionals. However, sometimes the lure of saving money and trying to handle a problem right away are too strong to ignore. Here are five common carpet repair mistakes we’ve seen from people who opted for the DIY route instead of calling the pros at A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning in Littleton. Incorrectly Restretched Carpet While it’s true that a homeowner can rent/buy the tools necessary to restretch his own carpet, the process is still complex and physically intensive. Several mistakes can occur: for example, when first pulling up a corner of the carpet from the tack strip it’s attached to, some people pull too hard and unravel the carpet fibers. Another common error is when a homeowner pulls the carpet up too far and passes through a doorway. Doing so risks breaking the seam that attaches the room’s carpet to the hallway carpet, and if the seam breaks you’ll need a professional to fix it. Waiting Too Long to Remove a Stain Carpet stains should be addressed immediately, lest they become permanent or render themselves extremely hard to remove. Some stains become embedded in a carpet’s padding and/or pile. Other stains, especially from liquids that contain acids, will actually eat away at a carpet’s fibers. Even if you tried to address the stain right away and failed, the smart move is to call in a professional carpet cleaner. Renting a “Generic” Carpet Cleaner It’s not uncommon for homeowners to visit a rental shop or grocery store and rent a “generic” carpet cleaner when they want to try and remove a stain or give their carpets a once/twice-a-year cleaning. The misconception here is that a standard carpet cleaner can achieve the same quality and thoroughness as the machines used by professional carpet cleaners. In truth, they don’t really come close. Another problem with renting a carpet shampooer or steam cleaner is the fact that many of these machines lack adequate service. At best, an un-serviced machine will have minimal effect due to clogs and/or damage. At worst, it could exacerbate the carpet issue, especially when you consider that an uncleaned machine could very well be bringing someone else’s dirt and grime into your home. Using the Wrong Carpet Cleaner In one’s haste to clean a dirty carpet before the dirt/stain sets in, it’s not unusual to grab something from your home or off the store shelf that you think will serve as an adequate carpet cleaner. Unfortunately, what sometimes happens is that a homeowner uses a “non-carpet” household cleaner that ends up making the situation worse. This is especially true if you mistakenly use a cleaner that contains bleach and/or other harsh chemicals, which can permanently discolor carpet. Mistaking Carpet Deodorizer for Carpet Cleaner If something happens to your carpet and you’re out of carpet cleaner, note that carpet deodorizer is not a suitable substitute. Deodorizer powder/spray isn’t useful for removing stains or cleaning dirt. The powder especially can be a pain since the average vacuum cleaner won’t suck it up, leaving it to accrue in the carpet and possibly make the carpet look even dirtier. Contact our experienced carpet repair company today for all of your carpet and upholstery needs. Call us today at 720.344.2870 or use our online contact form to request your free estimate or to schedule your carpet cleaning, carpet repair or wool rug cleaning service appointment. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
Repair Options: Carpet Patching vs. Carpet Stretching
Carpet patching and carpet stretching are two common remedies that A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaners has years of experience with. If you’re in need of carpet repair near Littleton, CO, you may be wondering how these two solutions differ, and which one is right for you. Let’s look closer at both approaches. Carpet Patching Carpet patching is the process of replacing a section of wall-to-wall carpeting that’s been permanently damaged by a spill, fire, or other accident. Instead of purchasing all-new carpet and dinging your budget, the goal of carpet patching is to isolate the affected area, remove it, and replace it with a matching section of good carpet. The process typically works like this: Our experts measure the damaged area in order to determine the exact size for replacement. After measuring the replacement space, we’ll tape around the area, ensuring that the tape’s inside edge matches our measurements. At this point, we’ll also procure a replacement piece. Ideally, you’ll have extra carpet left over from the installation – maybe in the attic or crawlspace. If not, we’ll “farm” the replacement piece from another part of the room – an inconspicuous area such as under a bed or inside a closet. With a special cutting tool, we’ll cut out and remove the damaged section, being careful not to cut the padding beneath. Using the measurements taken earlier, we’ll cut the replacement patch. Then we’ll prepare the existing carpeting to receive the patch, carefully set it into place, and use a carpet brush to smooth the entire area in order to conceal the patch’s seams. Carpet Stretching Wrinkled, loose carpeting isn’t just ugly to look at – it can also be a safety hazard, especially if you have small children running around. The best way to remove those wrinkles is to have a professional carpet company like A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaners stretch your carpet and make it look brand-new again. Here’s a summary of how this works: Our carpet experts pull up the ends of the carpet and stretch it until it’s taut. The carpet is lifted by employing a few different tools that help separate the carpet at its edges and detach the carpet from the tack strip. Stretching the carpet requires a large power stretcher to remove the folds, followed by a smaller power stretcher (aka, a “kicker”) to take care of any particularly stubborn wrinkles. Once the carpet is taut, we’ll use our tools to remove any excess material around the carpet’s perimeter, and then put the carpet back in place. The carpet is then secured with an industrial-grade staple gun that prevents it from “relaxing” again in the future. Due to the labor and tools necessary for carpet stretching, we highly recommend hiring A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaners for the job. Trying to do this by yourself or with a friend could permanently damage the carpet, or even worse, lead to injury. If you need help with carpet patching, carpet stretching, or carpet cleaning near Littleton, CO, contact us today for a free quote.