How do you work it out. Was shown 2/3s of the thickness of the carpet ? Does this work on all thicknesses of carpets. So a twist at 10mm you would want approx 6mm away. A saxony at 20mm you would want 14mm?
I would base it on the compressed thickness of thon carpet Some thicker carpets are very lightly piled and soft and others dense and firm
For me generally its 6mm every time regardless of how thick the carpet is. Really heavy duty carpet like Adams Fine Worcester Twist, I might lean a little toward 7mm. 8mm is always too wide, for any carpet For a thin £6.00 m2 felt backed crap carpet I reduce it to 4mm. As a guide, the carpet should be wedged in so tight it should be difficult to pull out. Always obtain complete pin engagement before tucking.
We don’t normally have more than a 6mm gap. The thicker carpets look crap if you leave a big gap. Soft as synthetic anyway. Some loops we make it tighter than 6mm too Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
2 to 3mm pushing to 5 or 6 for the thickest carpets,i know fitters that put it 10mm from the wall for an 8mm carpet... shocking
2 to 3mm gap? Bloody hell you must be working with the cheapest stuff available and using a paint scraper as a bolster. Stair tools are 3mm wide.
I dont tuck with a stair tool i tuck with a plastic bolster,specifically made to not mark skirtings... i dont generally work with expensive high end stuff on new builds so 4 to 5mm is for sensations or 42oz Oakland's etc
2mm gap....serious? Do you need to stand up and pull with 2 hands to pull you plastic bolster out each time
I have recently been accused as being negative. So: On a positive and constructive note to help others: I have for a few years now, used a curved stair tool to tuck. They are made by Crain and require a different technique than the standard and traditional stair tool or bolster that is straight. Once the different action, position and motion of the tool is acquired, there is no contact of the tool with the skirting board, and the curvature of the advanced design actually stretches the carpet over the gripper and into and under the 45% angle of the gripper edge. There is usually no further need for aesthetic attention to the carpet edge, or for engaging the carpet to the gripper pins, as the tool does this in one clean sweep.
Since gripperrods were developed, stair tools have been used to fix carpet into stairs. At that time, carpets were turned or hemmed around flat areas and fixed with tacks about every 4 to 6 inches. When gripper began to be used around the perimeter of rooms the same tool was universally used to tuck. So while they have historically been referred to as stair tools, they have for many decades been dual purpose. So a stair tool is not a tool only for stairs. The curved crain one was developed as a more sophisticated tucking tool rather than a stair tool but is still described by the company as a stair tool.
I always wondered what that bent bolster was for. I only use it for tucking under rads lol! I like plastic bolsters or eye witness/tucking knife. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If you pin engage the carpet before or after cutting, the curved bolster will stretch the carpet right round the angled part of the gripper, and tighten it further onto the pins. This eliminates the need to then use the bolster to push the carpet on to the pins after the tuck, or to finish off with an awl, as the tool does both. It speeds up the fitting process.
A stair tool is surely for stairs and a tucking knife is for tucking ?? Yes u can use a stair tool but it’s 2 or 3 times thicker than a tucking knife ! Your not supposed to be ramming the carpet home merely tucking the edge of carpet over the back edge of the gripper where the pile opens up and helps trap the carpet providing uve got the gap correct . Hence the angle on the back edge of gripper allowing for the pile to expand into a larger gap than is at the back edge of the gripper . Using a bolster is simply down to speed . IMO the art carpet fitting is like learning to drive , there is a proven / certified way it is required to be done to pass your test but once you’ve passed ..... one hand comes off the wheel mirror , signal ...nah don’t bover and your rushing around at 100mph getting stressed by all the plonkers driving like miss Daisy . Stop take deep breath and chill ! Quality takes time , do a good job , charge the right money and live a happy life
5mm gap unless a Saxony one then allow a couple mm more, always use a lion knife to tuck and a bolster to set on the gripper
Lino knife?! I use kicker ,bolster and lino knife when fitting carpet. I use both the bolster and lino knife to tuck the carpet in fairness.
checked mine today with a tape and its about 5mm from the wall, guess i thought 2mm was bigger than it is lol
