Power stretcher vs knee kicker for long hallways - I changed my mind after 12 years

I used to swear by the knee kicker for hallway installations. Always thought power stretchers were overkill for narrow spaces. Then last month I did a 40 foot hallway in an old house in Portland and the knee kicker left me with wavy spots I couldn't fix. Had to pull the whole thing up and rent a power stretcher. The difference was night and day - smooth as glass and took half the time. Any of you guys had a situation where you switched tools and wondered why you waited so long?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowangonzalez28d ago

You ever try stretching a hallway with a knee kicker on old hardwood floors? That wavy issue is exactly why I switched too... the kicker just can't get that even tension over long runs. I learned the hard way on a 35 foot job last year, had to redo a whole section because it looked like a roller coaster. Power stretcher is definitely the way to go for anything over maybe 15 feet, especially in older houses where the subfloor might be uneven. Just make sure you pad the ends where it hits the wall so you don't dent the baseboards.

finleythomas28d ago

Is that like the older I get the more things need power tools to get done right?