Master Tradesman Lee Peters explains the revolutionary new Pro-Stretch carpet installation system
Lee Peters says “that carpet installation is changing.” He says, “it’s not the same job it was when I started in the trade 50 years ago.” In the days of hand sewn carpet seams the pole stretcher and the hot iron revolutionized the industry. “In those days,” Peters continues, “nobody thought anything of picking up the new technology.” He goes on to explain that a new wave of carpet technology is now available to move the industry in line with other trades. “With this new system,” he explains, “from the tack-strip application, through cutting, seaming, pattern matching, and stretching…the job will no longer be the same.” The system Lee Peters, owner of Lee’s Custom Floors, 50 year journeyman carpet fitter, and patent holder on the Pro-Stretch carpet air stretcher is referring to is a set of procedures and tools that contemporary carpet fitters have at their disposal in the carpet installation process.
Not all of the tools involved in the revolutionary carpet installation process are made by Lee Peters. In fact a crucial element of the process is the Kool Glide seaming tool with Sinch® Technology. “The Kool Glide iron is a perfect compliment to our system of carpet installation,” Peters explains, “with the Kool Glide you get perfect seams very easily and you can always go back to a section of seam if you have to.” The Kool Glide uses radio waves to heat a specially designed seaming tape allowing seams to be reheated from above the carpet pile. “Of course,” Peters smiles, “it’s even easier with our Air Knife and Seam Squeezers.” The Air Knife is a tool designed by Peters to precision cut today’s synthetic carpet backings. Other manual tools tend to fray the carpet backing and produce a noticeable gap in seams. With berber materials the Air Knife is able to consistently find and follow the row of the backing providing truly invisible seams. Peters also explains how the Air Knife allows for partial rows of backing to be trimmed in order to allow for invisible seams on high density plush materials. The feat is accomplished in conjunction with the Butt Buddy, a tool invented by Peters to assist in the cutting of butt seams. Using the straight edge of the Butt Buddy as a guide the installer is able to prevent pile damage while cutting right next to the row. Since the pile is not damaged and the cut is tight to the row the carpet pile from each side of the seam is able to lock together and disappear.
Once the invisible seams are in place it’s time for the carpet to be stretched precisely to manufacturer specifications. Peters muses that “Most people associate carpet installation with knee kicking.” This is an image which he hopes to replace in peoples minds with the picture of an air powered carpet stretcher firmly engaging the carpet with it’s teeth and stretching it aggressively onto the tackstrip. Gone are the days of loose sagging carpet that can be lifted from the floor. With Peters’ Pro-Stretch tools the carpet is simply and effortlessly stretched to between 1 and 1 ½ percent in length and width: drum tight. “The best thing is the guys don’t have to risk serious knee injury to get the perfect stretch!” It’s a win-win situation that the world’s carpet fitters have been learning about from videos and explanation on CarpetAirKicker.com The site is visited by hundreds of installers monthly from all around the world. “Most of our visitors are from the US, Canada, England and Australia,” says Peters.
However, despite the great advantages of this new system of carpet installation to the carpet fitters, perhaps the biggest winners are the home owners. Finally, everyone can enjoy invisible seams and the benefits of properly stretched carpet. “We’ve launched a consumer education program to educate home owners on the benefits of the Pro-Stretch system. We emphasize the life, appearance and wear of the material. Any way you look at it the consumer wins with proper installation methods.” Peters says. And for Peters the customer is the most important person in the material chain. “It’s the consumer who ultimately lives their lives with our products.”•