Stair stretching

[Tile Tom]

I never strip the sides either. I also leave a 1/4" gap on the sides both for pad and the tackless. Sure makes it easier to get your knife in there if it needs a little trim.

Also my first bump is dead center. Then angle away left then right. Not saying it's by the book but it's served me well the last 25 years.

At this point of my life I'm basically tossing the "by the book" method's and doing shit "real world". I hate to sound cocky but I feel like i/we know a lot more than the schmucks that write the literature that comes with most of these products. When I look at the spec's on a product all I see is words that relive the manufacturer of having to stand behind their shitty products.... Call me crazy?

 

[Floorist]

I never strip the sides either. I also leave a 1/4" gap on the sides both for pad and the tackless. Sure makes it easier to get your knife in there if it needs a little trim.

Also my first bump is dead center. Then angle away left then right. Not saying it's by the book but it's served me well the last 25 years.

At this point of my life I'm basically tossing the "by the book" method's and doing shit "real world". I hate to sound cocky but I feel like i/we know a lot more than the schmucks that write the literature that comes with most of these products. When I look at the spec's on a product all I see is words that relive the manufacturer of having to stand behind their shitty products.... Call me crazy?

Exactly the way I do it.

 

[Incognito]

I never strip the sides either. I also leave a 1/4" gap on the sides both for pad and the tackless. Sure makes it easier to get your knife in there if it needs a little trim.

Also my first bump is dead center. Then angle away left then right. Not saying it's by the book but it's served me well the last 25 years.

At this point of my life I'm basically tossing the "by the book" method's and doing shit "real world". I hate to sound cocky but I feel like i/we know a lot more than the schmucks that write the literature that comes with most of these products. When I look at the spec's on a product all I see is words that relive the manufacturer of having to stand behind their shitty products.... Call me crazy?

Nope. Not crazy. You've actually arrived where you ought to be as an industry expert-----------in fact, one of the World's Foremost Authorities. Pat yourself on the back, you not only learned all the rules you've reached a status where you can see the exceptions.

Unless we're talking about brand new, state of the art products with an entirely different scheme of installation procedures the industry actually depends on your expertise rather than those who wrote up the specs and install recommendations. They're not idiots who write those sorts of things. There's just not enough room on the page to cover every possible contingency.

 

[highup]

I never strip the sides either. I also leave a 1/4" gap on the sides both for pad and the tackless. Sure makes it easier to get your knife in there if it needs a little trim.

Also my first bump is dead center. Then angle away left then right. Not saying it's by the book but it's served me well the last 25 years.

At this point of my life I'm basically tossing the "by the book" method's and doing shit "real world". I hate to sound cocky but I feel like i/we know a lot more than the schmucks that write the literature that comes with most of these products. When I look at the spec's on a product all I see is words that relive the manufacturer of having to stand behind their shitty products.... Call me crazy?

You're saying that you don't use Eveready batteries in your Eveready flashlight either ?
The instructions say to
Rules are to learn by, but experience gives you the real world knowledge.
Well, that and being here.

Even when waterfalling and using my stair stretcher, I push down to the center of the riser strip first, then go hard with my stair tool to the left, then to the right.
I typically lean harder right than left.

 

[C.J.]

I just wanna know if that means you mix patch on the floor.

 

[Floorist]

I just wanna know if that means you mix patch on the floor.

Not me

 

[DarisMulkin]

Yes I do or in half a basketball.

 

[highup]

I just wanna know if that means you mix patch on the floor.

Once in my life maybe?

 

[Tile Tom]

I just wanna know if that means you mix patch on the floor.

Sometimes I do. If it's just a handful of patch to hit a couple underlayment seams or touch up a couple spots, then yes.

Other than that it's mixed in a pail.

I've been to ardex training in Pittsburgh pa. We literally mixed a little on the floor to "play with"

 

[DarisMulkin]

I guess I don't understand the big deal of mixing on the floor, why is it such a taboo?

 

[Floorist]

I guess I don't understand the big deal of mixing on the floor, why is it such a taboo?

Just another mess to clean up?

 

[Incognito]

I guess I don't understand the big deal of mixing on the floor, why is it such a taboo?

I was so anal about prep I not only had to mix in the pail but the sides of the pail had to ALWAYS be cleaned as well. I'd have a shit fit when someone would use them and not clean thoroughly.

When we did rubber/lino anything that likes to expand or shrink and pull off the substrate it was really critical to get the correct water/powder ratio so the polymers could bond to the slab/ply.

Unless you were mixing on a nonporous surface that substrate is pulling moisture altering the prescribed ratio. Pails with dried patch inside REALLY suck the moisture out of your mix. I know it's not that critical for stuff like carpet, carpet tile, probably most VCT prep and felt backed vinyl. I just had my system for mixing and didn't want any variations from the theme. Caused a lot of grief with my co-workers as I just could not tolerate their creativity.

 

[highup]

I guess I don't understand the big deal of mixing on the floor, why is it such a taboo?

.....as you're explaining to the new home owner why you can't afford a disposable painting bucket so you're mixing slop "on the deck"
It just seemed to me a backwoods behavior.
...I'm thinking at least mix the patch on a scrap of "15# felt.
I've seen guys in the past, pix sloppy wet patch right on the floor they were going to install vinyl. It's creating a wet spot where the vinyl will be installed. Maybe in the end it almost always works out right.
It just seems tacky doing that in a new home.
I'm mixing the patch "on the deck" in a rental or a flip house...
.... Not a big deal.

Just curious how does one mix up 2 to 5 lb of patch on the floor?
Hell that can even be messy and made plastic bucket.
Nope, never caught on to that, never will.
.... Most likely because I'm doing so little installations these days.
I hate today's vinyl flooring. Not just the product but the insulation methods. As I type this I'm trying to remember the last piece of vinyl I've installed.
...... If it pops into my mind I'll mention it. It's probably been up minimum one year maybe three.
I'll get back to you when I can remember installing vinyl. People buy planks these days.

 

[highup]

I was so anal about prep I not only had to mix in the pail but the sides of the pail had to ALWAYS be cleaned as well. I'd have a shit fit when someone would use them and not clean thoroughly.

When we did rubber/lino anything that likes to expand or shrink and pull off the substrate it was really critical to get the correct water/powder ratio so the polymers could bond to the slab/ply.

Unless you were mixing on a nonporous surface that substrate is pulling moisture altering the prescribed ratio. Pails with dried patch inside REALLY suck the moisture out of your mix. I know it's not that critical for stuff like carpet, carpet tile, probably most VCT prep and felt backed vinyl. I just had my system for mixing and didn't want any variations from the theme. Caused a lot of grief with my co-workers as I just could not tolerate their creativity.

What I've discovered over time is patch hardens. If you mix it dry with warm water in a bucket it hardens quickly. That can be a great advantage not a negative.
If you mix it relatively close to what's recommended you will be fine all day long.
If you mix it like soup it's going to take forever to dry and will not dry or harden like it's supposed to.
For almost forever, and since I do small jobs, I always mix my patch in 5 quart disposable painters pails. If there are multiple pours, you rinse them out and clean the bucket. If conditions are right you might be able to use one a dozen times or sometimes only two or three times. It's not simply expensive the buckets, it's mixing in an efficient manner.
I've never done jobs where I'm mixing 50 lb bags of filler so those small 5 quart disposable pails work great.
When it comes to self leveling concrete of course, that has to be mixed in bigger batches but.....
...... I'd pay a dollar to watch somebody mix up a 50 lb bag of self-leveling concrete "on the deck"

 

[highup]

Want to hear something funny?
This topic was about using a stair stretcher.

 

[Tile Tom]

Not no mo

 

[Incognito]

I never actually installed carpet with tack strip and pad on stairs. That's always been where I bowed out and called a real carpet guy. Quite a few of those times I'd become the helper and put the strip and pad, then watch. I never wanted to do that. Seems really awkward and dangerous for your knees and back.

 

[Floorist]

I guess I don't understand the big deal of mixing on the floor, why is it such a taboo?

Just another mess toclean up?

 

[Floorist]

I never actually installed carpet with tack strip and pad on stairs. That's always been where I bowed out and called a real carpet guy. Quite a few of those times I'd become the helper and put the strip and pad, then watch. I never wanted to do that. Seems really awkward and dangerous for your knees and back.

Stairs were my favorite part of a job. Loved the double wrapped ones.

 

[highup]

Stairs were my favorite part of a job. Loved the double wrapped ones.

Get a thermometer and check your temperature Rusty. This might be something serious.