Stop grinning

[highup]

The carpet is 5/16 so I put the gap at 5/16.
If I go right the grin can get worse because it makes the angle of the carpet bend sharper. This tuck is a long the warp the seam direction, parallel to the seam direction. I'll probably have 4 carpet to tile doorways like this.
The other six doorways will fold across the carpet weft, or width. They don't want to grin as much.
The tackstrip is about 3/32 below the tile height. Not terrible, maybe not avoidable.

 

[C.J.]

So what do you do? Do you take your stair tool and try and pry up underneath the row that’s causing the grin, thereby closing up the smile? Maybe take a sharpie to the exposed backing.

 

[highup]

I may have figured it out....
...maybe

---

 

[C.J.]

Do you latex the backing beforehand for a little extra durability while playing around with the grinning row.

 

[highup]

I'm installing the pad today, then positioning the carpet and hopefully trimming and sealing the seam edges so that I can seam it together tomorrow.
It's a big bedroom. 23' by 18' plus a 7'6 by 10' walk in closet.
How's this new box of tackstrip looking for doing one bedroom?

 

[highup]

Do you latex the backing beforehand for a little extra durability while playing around with the grinning row.

I might lightly latex the backing, then dry it with a hair dryer before tucking it in.
I discovered that if I tuck it in, then put some stretch towards the tile, it sorta compresses the loops and closes it a bit better. Because of the room size and mostly because I want this tile edge perfect, stretching it going to be interesting. I'd like to stretch along the blue area once in each direction, then very gently stretch towards the tile and that entire wall so I can find tune the tile edge... Then eventually do the main or heavy stretch away from that wall.
I know that's backwards, but to make the carpet stretch on this wool felt pad, I will have a handful of 2 or 3 foot wide strips of 6 mil black poly under the carpet so it slides and stretches well. I'll put the poly at angles, so as I stretch, I can pull them out one at a time as I move along.
I use the heavy poly under the carpet to make positioning a breeze. It's like somebody greased the floor, making positioning much easier. I'll need to stay tack the carpet to straighten out a wave in the pattern too, so again... With the poly temporarily under the carpet, the pad can't act like Velcro.
Here's a non scale sketch of the room.
Because this room is over 18 feet wide, I played it in two strips....... There's gonna be $1400 in waste in this room. (5.5 by 24 scrap)
Ask me if I care.

 

[highup]

I got the pad installed and used a little pad glue as Daris and MSLI mentioned. Being wool pad, I'm even wondering if I should have sewn the seams. David did that in one of his videos. Might have been for an area rug.....
Here's what I did at Bandon Dunes a few years ago to make the carpet movable and easier to position. It worked really well there, so I'm doing it here. This is the master bedroom. It's 18' 6" by 23. You're not shaking or kicking this sucker into position without a little help from some flattened dinosaur products.
...maybe you, but not me.
I can leave these under the carpet until everything is in its final position, even after the seam is completed. The carpet rows aren't perfectly straight so these will also help the carpet slide when I have to temporarily do some stretching to make the rows straight. Without the plastic, how does one stretch woven carpet over felt pad?
I can begin stretching, then progressively pull these strips of plastic out as I move along.
I was hoping to get the carpet into position today and get the seam edges trimmed and sealed. It's moving slow, so I may as well go do that tomorrow so I can do the seaming and begin stretching on Tuesday.
They have room two ready now, so when I get this one completed I'll move on down the hall and get working on that one.

 

[MSLI]

I discovered that if I tuck it in, then put some stretch towards the tile, it sorta compresses the loops and closes it a bit better.

Nice discovery ! ! and great idea with the plastic.

 

[C.J.]

I know carpet breathes so maybe this is a non issue, but it doesn’t look like enough staples in that 1/4”. A leaky plant, some dog piss or enough of a change in the environment could cause an issue down the road. Seen it happen before.

 

[highup]

I know carpet breathes so maybe this is a non issue, but it doesn’t look like enough staples in that 1/4”. A leaky plant, some dog piss or enough of a change in the environment could cause an issue down the road. Seen it happen before.

It's OK, they will have 103 feet of carpet leftover from these 5 bedrooms

 

[highup]

Honestly, I never paid attention to the staples. It's a bit late now since the pad is stapled down and perimeter glued. There is one or maybe two more rooms done this way. The others will have 1/2 inch plywood. Possibly they also added construction adhesive. This carpenter thinks on a different level than most.
Tho this is a second home, it will never go unheated.
The area shown is an outside wall where the bed will go..... hopefully it's stapled differently only on perimeter locations.

 

[highup]

Nice discovery ! ! and great idea with the plastic.

The plastic gets re used in the other 4 bedrooms. I started doing this with a Karastan woven over slab rubber pad.... The kind with that hairy fleece stuff on it. I couldn't even get a piece to move by myself in an 11 by 14 room. I padded other rooms that day and returned the following day with the plastic. I've done that ever since ....like 15 or 20 years ago.
I tried 6 mil this time. I think 3 is enough.
Notice how I can pull some pieces out thought doorways to eliminate folding the carpet back. I can leave those in place until the last minute. To aid in stretching that direction.... Towards the left and where I'm holding the camera. Gonna be a fun one..