Old school tack strip vs new stuff just isn't the same anymore

I was pulling up some carpet last week in a house built in 1982 and the tack strip was still holding strong after 40 years. Compared that to a job I did last month in a new build near Austin where the strip splintered just from me tapping it with my knee kicker. Has anyone else noticed the newer pine tack strips are way softer than the old oak ones?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella_scott9613d ago

I saw a flooring contractor on YouTube saying the old oak strips came from older growth forests and were way denser, while the new pine stuff is basically farmed fast and brittle. Idk, it matches what you found with the splintering for sure.

shanec6113d ago

Is it possible the new stuff just wasn't installed right in that Austin house?

ward.anna13d ago

100% agree with you. Had a similar nightmare with new pine flooring in my own place, it started splintering within six months of installation. The contractor even admitted the old-growth oak from my neighbor's 1920s reno was way tougher and barely scratched. It's just not the same quality anymore.