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Carpet Laying And Estimating Website

Other manufacturers of tackless strip, under license to the Roberts Company, are U.S. Tackless Strip, Ace Tackless Strip, Edgemaster Strip, and Wenlyn Strip. Metal tackless strips are "Anchorage," "Karas," and "Ankr-Trim." The word "Tackless"' is a registered trademark of the Roberts Company. Some special-purpose strips are thicker than 1/4 in.

In this chapter, then, the tackless method of installing wall-to-wall carpet will be accorded its deserved prominence, although other methods still current among experienced carpet layers will be described also.

THE TOOLS YOU NEED FOR CARPET LAYING

With the shift in emphasis toward the tackless strip method has come a change in the number and type of tools required by the carpet laying mechanic.

Fig. 8.1. The tools of your trade—and don't depend on the housewife for any of them. By the numbers, they are: (1) power stretcher; (2) knee kicker; (3) scraper or plane, also known as trimmer; (4) spreader; (5) putty knife; (6) staples; (7) stapling hammer; (8) 6-ft steel tape; (9) T-square or carpenter's square; (10) folding rule; (11) 50-ft linen-metallic tape measure (12) pipe wrench. Also (13) screw drivers; (14) awls; (15) hack- saw (16) needles; (17) carpet thread; (18) tweezers; (19) beeswax; (20) chalk; (21) Ankorite tool; (22) thimbles; (23) chalk line reel; (24) pinch bar or molding lifter. The final dozen are (25) nap shears; (26) carpet knife; (27) reverse curved knife; (28) Stanley utility knife; (29) sharpstone; (30) paste bottle and paste; (31) Tackless Strip shears,- (32) pliers; (33) claw hammer; (34) carpet hammer; (35) carpet shears; and (36) nails and tacks. Check your tool box now for missing items!

At the same time, however, many of the tools in use before the advent of tackless strip are still very much in evidence for cutting, trimming, seaming, measuring, squaring, etc.