refitting carpets after work

[Scott_D]

Possibly the job I hate most.
I have a Back boiler change to combi coming up and need to lift the landing and bedroom carpet.
Do you use a knee kicker? get a carpet fitter to sort or just lay it back as best possible and let the customer deal with it?

 

[Ben-gee]

I bought a kneekicker in screwfix, it makes it pretty easy to make a neat job if it.
Only trouble is I have now fitted three carpets at home from scratch - this is far harder than I thought and I find it stressful, I know I know - why have I done three then?
As they say , Rubbish happens and before you realise it you’re fitting another carpet....

 

[oz-plumber]

Provide proper customer service & charge for it.

Tell them a professional carpet layer will be used to relay the carpets that have been taken up.
Get a rough price off one and double it.

If you try and put it back yourself, they may not be happy and you will end up wasting time and money getting a professional to do it

 

[Ben-gee]

It was being let down by a professional carpet layer that led me to buy the knee kicker.
As the carpet has been fitted properly before and you are just re-stretching it onto the grippers - it really isn’t difficult with the correct tool.

 

[Pickwickpick]

Yep I do it myself, have laid a fair few carpets over the years out of necessity when skint in crap rental accommodation. Its pretty straightforward if you've got a knee kicker and have even McGuyvered a diy kicker in an emergency which worked fairly well (although did hurt my knee...). I really don't like relying on others after a few let downs, its stressful.

 

[Ben-gee]

Me too, in our first flat I did a carpet with a kicker I made out of 18mm ply with nails through it, screwed onto a bit of 4 by 2 with a load of underlay gaffer taped to the end.

 

[king of pipes]

Depends on the job if its Mr & Mrs spic and span its got to be professionally re fitted , if not then you can possibly get away with replacing them yourself , the thing i hate is when you take the carpet up and backing or the underlay turns to dust pina . Kop

 

[oz-plumber]

I find the kickers ok for a corner or 1/2 a room.
When the whole carpet has to be taken up, it sometimes has to be stretched to go back into place.
Kickers can sometimes do damage to the carpet in this situation.

It does greatly depend on what the customers are like and expect.

 

[Ben-gee]

True.
I find Mrs spic and span usually has “our carpet fitter” - who may have already removed it in preparation for “our plumber” who will be followed by “our decorator” . These are great customers- extremely fussy and picky but don’t mind paying for a good job.