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Al Bundy

wrote in
ups.com:

JerseyMike wrote:
the wall to wall carpet in the master bedroom was installed about 13
years ago and still is in great shape, but has slowly started to
ripple in spots. someone told me to try and run an iron over the
areas w/ a towel between the iron and the carpet. is this something
that will work or do i need a carpet guy to comein and restretch it
and retack it down?

thanks for any tips,

mike........

Hello Mike: It probably needs to be restretched professionally. Old
carpet is weaker than new carpet and can be ripped accidentally if
overstretched. If tack-strip was used at the edge, which is the usual
case, then it will be fairly simple to pull up one corner of the
carpet, restretch, and force the carpet back down onto the tack strip.

[During college years I helped a cousin lay carpet, and learned
something very important: I will never attempt to install carpet
myself. There are hundreds of ways to screw up, and I think I know
most of them.... :-) ]

Best -- Terry

There are hundreds of ways to screw up, and I think I know
most of them.... :-)

That I can believe. There are wrong and right ways & directions to
stretch it. Existing carpet I would suspect could have additional issues.
Maybe like pulling a seam apart even.

One thing I've seen is where things got wet at the tack strips at some
point. The nails begin to rust and eventually let go. Nothing to
restretch to. Need new tack strip. If in concrete, tad more tricky to
nail.

Just some observations...