Carpet Installation Tools, Cutters, and Stretchers

Getting carpet to lie flat without wrinkles or gaps depends on how it's stretched into place. A knee kicker works the carpet into position in short sections at a time, which suits smaller rooms, stairs, and tight spots where a longer tool can't maneuver. A power stretcher covers much more ground per pull and applies more even tension across a larger area, which matters most on bigger rooms where a knee kicker alone would leave inconsistent tension from one end of the room to the other.

Blade choice depends on the cut being made rather than the carpet itself. Hook blades are built to trim carpet backing cleanly along a wall or transition, while loop pile cutter blades are shaped specifically to cut through berber and looped carpet without snagging or pulling the loops apart. Napping shears handle a different job entirely, trimming stray fibers at a seam rather than cutting through the carpet itself.

Roberts and Better Tools cover most of this page, spanning knives, blades, stretchers, and knee kickers. Crain adds more cutting tools, blades, and specialty knives. Tajima, DTA USA Group, ZIP-UP, ProKnee, and QEP round out the remaining knives, adhesives, and installation accessories.

If you're not sure which stretching tool or blade fits your job, give us a call and we'll help you figure it out.