Hot take: Stretch-ins are overrated for most residential jobs

I was at a supply house in Phoenix last week and overheard a guy bragging about doing a full stretch-in on a 12x15 bedroom. Man, that's overkill for a rental property. I've been doing direct glue-down on slab for the last 8 years and get zero callbacks on houses under 2000 square feet. Anyone else ditch the power stretcher for glue in dry climates?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_gibson8d ago

Direct glue down has its place, no doubt. But mixing dry climate with no callbacks doesn't mean stretch ins are useless. That 12x15 bedroom might be overkill for you, but try that same glue job in a house that settles over time or has big temp swings from the AC cutting off. The carpet will wrinkle up eventually. You're probably getting away with it because Arizona slab is stable, not because stretch ins are bad. Stretch ins give you that extra tightness that keeps the carpet from rippling when the humidity changes or the house shifts, even in dry places.

nancycooper8d ago

@claire_gibson sounds like you've been burned by a glue job that went south before.

miles_roberts4d ago

So you're saying the glue job is fine as long as your house doesn't shift or breathe at all? What happens when those slabs crack or the humidity spikes for a week straight?