I was dead wrong about power stretchers for stairs

For years I only used knee kickers on stairs because I thought power stretchers would just tear the carpet or mess up the pattern. A guy I sub for in Columbus told me to try his on a set of 12 stairs last month. Man it saved me almost an hour and the fit was way tighter than I ever got with a knee kicker. I still think they're overkill for small landings but on a straight run of stairs I'm converted. Anyone else stubborn about using one tool over another for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenixk6417d agoMost Upvoted

You ever actually try getting a tight fit on a curved staircase with one though? I still feel like the knee kicker gives me more control on tricky spots.

fionafoster17d ago

Oh man, I hear you on curved stairs. That's the one place I still haven't fully trusted a power stretcher. Have you ever tried using a smaller, manual stair tool for just the curved part and then switching to the power stretcher for the straight sections? I wonder if that combo would save time without sacrificing the fit.

wendy_lee4815d ago

Yeah, I used to think the power stretcher was just overkill for any stairs period, but a buddy talked me into trying it on a straight run and I kind of changed my mind after that. For curved spots though, I'm with you, I still grab the knee kicker every time. The manual stair tool combo idea is interesting, I never thought to switch back and forth like that mid job. Might just give that a shot next time, I bet it'd be faster than fighting the power head on the curve.