Top to bottom always. This’ American’ way of fitting stairs has only become popular in the last 20 years. Let gravity do the work , as for the awls, totally pointless and not required. If you’ve bolstered it in-properly a kicker should be nowhere near a flight of stairs.
What they said 👆🏼 Capenters must be crying seeing them awls, but credit where its due these guys are proper pro's and I watching and learning from them. But top to bottom preference for me,
I'm from old school. Top down is the correct way if your good with working your weight and a stair bolster (imho). Plus if the flight is to be done in the correct way i.e. one piece, there should be a full return at the bottom, or at least a half return. That provides for moving the tread. Of course that was when there were really decent carpets that lasted for years and years and the customer could have a fitter come in and move stair treads two to three times during the carpets lifetime. A kicker is 'not' designed for use on straight flight stairs, its simply pointless. A fitter should be able to get 'drum tight' stairs using his own weight and a stair bolster correctly. All edges should be tightly crimped. Just my opinion. I should add, I started in 1975, last fitted late 2009, not a single complaint over all those years, not a single re-stretch, just lots of great recommends from customers. I did do a three year appenticeship when I first started. We fitted more or less every type of floor covering, soft or hard, carpet, tiles, vinyl. We also did borders etc. Body carpet and broadloom, we had an industrial tracked sewing machine that took 30ft runs for body carpet. Carpet was mostly top end, although lots of 70oz + twists (pile weight) the last 15-20 years. I went self employed in 1981 and never looked back, was always very busy. I wish I was fit enough to still be on my knees, but life is life and it doesn't always go as planned. If your customers are happy and you get lots of recommends, your doing fine. Its a material, feel it and fit it the way your taught or how you feel you can get it done to the highest quality workmanship. Every tradesman is different, but we all get it done to a high standard.
You sound like my teacher who worked at Britons in the 80s...... He taught me all the ways to fit carpet to Brintons standards!! But he never taught me how to bodge a job which you couldn't put gripper down coz the floor was too soft or hard.... So I learnt off of other people!! I learnt that the end result should always be.... TIGHT, FLAT AND NEAT......
@@monkeyswift100 I couldn't teach anyone to bodge a job, it just isn't in my head space. It's as quick to do it right as it is to do it wrong. Try gluing the gripper down, or even back in the day we had skirting gripper. I learnt and fitted; ring and pin, doddle ring, set back gripper (not good), fully pasted (hotel, embassy type), we did a lot. It was a true trade back then, still is, for many fitters, especially commercial work.
I mainly do top down as well. If you want to keep your body in decent condition I would recommend it as well. Just look at the weird angles you get yourselves into when bashing the knee kicker 10 times per step. Its definitely doing damage on your body. Same sort of principle to layers that only want to knee kick an entire house rather than just doing it properly and power stretching.
Thank god after 45 years fitting I thought I was going potty seeing all these Americans fitting bottom upwards and also thousands staples very DIY in my opinion!
Guy’s with all due respect this up & down challenge is very ridiculous on so, so, so many level’s 🤷🏼♂️,I’ve installed flooring all over the world & the way he uplift’s those stairs after the install.......well that just prove’s this is so clearly wrong in every single way 🤯... They literally just fall off!, both method’s used here could be massively improved & this is why stair’s are so loose & baggy in so many home’s across the UK & the world 🌎... Great content though 👍🏻, wish you guy’s the all the best...quality logo intro I love it 💪🏻🔥... Hopefully very, very soon we can all do a video about any type of flooring from aggregates to floor sanding or even carpet repair’s 😎 etc 👍🏻... All the best!, have a great weekend... This video has won me over so I’ve Subscribed guy’s 👍🏻...
I fitt from top down (old fashion) few things I noticed.. both ways wher tight and adequate as russ said. One big difference that I saw was the time it took sal compared to russ was well worth doing it top down (putting the owl's in ext) in a 'real world' situation where time is money 💰 top down could be considered the winner. HOWEVER being able to do it both ways makes you a top tier fitter because you have that In your arsenal. Good video guys !!
So these "real world" steps, where you say the risers are very tight and loads of tension. You have made your steps without a nosing so the underlay on the riser is fully against the riser so it is always gonna sound tight when ya flick it
Considering time,top to bottom is faster i think. In old houses of London with different steps of each staircase,top to bottom works better as we can arrange our carpet according width.
As I've always said it's easier to go down a hill than it is going up!! I was taught to fit top down as it's less stressful on your knees, the way your doing top down is wrong (in my opinion) I have a different method that makes the step tighter. I can't see how fitting bottom up is good for the carpet putting all those awls in the carpet making loads of holes!
@@TrimTuckCarpets I don't see how they have any purpose once the carpet has been tucked down, plus you couldn't use them on new builds the stairs would just split in half.
@@Dave-xr4iz they hold the carpet in the Gully of the gripper. If you don’t have them in and you kick hard it can come Out slightly - the awls hold it securely in place once your stretching away. Hope that makes sense
So would you guys do winders any different, would one of you start on the riser and kick it on to the tread and the other fitter start on the tread and bolster. It onto the riser. Good vid enjoyed.
Fitting bottom up seems ludicrously over labour intensive with no demonstrable benefits. The obvious downside being extra wear on tear on your knees..No small consideration if you're planning a few decades on the tools. As for the competition as to which method gave more stretch or tension, well that's somewhat spurious as the correct tension isn't necessarily more. Rather, it's just enough.
Hey Trim and Tuck Tream - your videos have been a great help for my DIY project: fitting carpet on my winding staircase (not even on straight step, all steps winding). Here in Germany fitting carpets with grippers is almost completely unknown. I had to Order grippers and underlay from abroad. And all my know how is from videos of the UK/US… Anyway here is me fitting one of the winding steps: m.th-cam.com/video/4RmVH96e3Nk/w-d-xo.html Thanks again so much Sal @ Team
I do top down. I use a stair stretcher like one of the other commenters. Also, after setting the stretcher, I use both hands on the carpet tool and bear straight down with my body weight to hook on the riser tackless. I wear a heavy leather glove to protect my hand from the stair tool. Keeping the stair tool at a slight angle, means all your upper body weight is stretching an inch or so of carpet, not the full width of the tool. When you walk up or down the stairs, the carpet is stretched downwards... so why kick the carpet bottom to top? There isn't a right or wrong way. Do what works best.
I have fitted many carpets over the years but did my first staircase recently , I'm only a DIY enthusiast So I went bottom up and I adding grips on the sides aswell , I hooked on the bottom the used my bodyweight against the kicker step by step to get it done I also cut the carpet 2" wider and did a final trim and tuck at the end. Came out great
Basically when he fitted top down second time, he bolstered more carpet into gripper and ran out of carpet ! Still just as tight and without all the holes from awl and possible damage from stretcher, especially if you catch it wrong and it slips.! Top down has worked all these years, why copy American way, soon we'll be firing in 50 staples per step 😂😂 both looked good as long as the customer is happy.
Stretching the hell out of steps working down up is awful for tons of reasons. Never mind the effect on ur body. Most carpets today can't be stetched that hard cause they just aren't made well. You can stretch it at start like that sure, give a few weeks of walking on it and stair movement, the backing starts to tear at the grips, everything gets loose. Them awls should be thrown into the bin, no chance in hell id put pin marks in carpets. You may aswell tack gun it like the Americans do.
@Lee Fitchett I'm fitting 20 years the industry won't change, money is king, these guys do this kinda fitting cause they charge big money for there time, its fine to do 'special fitting" for people that can pay there fee. Doesn't work in the real world.
@Lee Fitchett i work for a shop we are slammed out everyday, if we worked like these we would make no money and be home at 8 everynight, stairs is top down 20 mins max haha
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Top to bottom always. This’ American’ way of fitting stairs has only become popular in the last 20 years. Let gravity do the work , as for the awls, totally pointless and not required. If you’ve bolstered it in-properly a kicker should be nowhere near a flight of stairs.
What they said 👆🏼
Capenters must be crying seeing them awls, but credit where its due these guys are proper pro's and I watching and learning from them.
But top to bottom preference for me,
I'm from old school. Top down is the correct way if your good with working your weight and a stair bolster (imho). Plus if the flight is to be done in the correct way i.e. one piece, there should be a full return at the bottom, or at least a half return. That provides for moving the tread.
Of course that was when there were really decent carpets that lasted for years and years and the customer could have a fitter come in and move stair treads two to three times during the carpets lifetime.
A kicker is 'not' designed for use on straight flight stairs, its simply pointless. A fitter should be able to get 'drum tight' stairs using his own weight and a stair bolster correctly. All edges should be tightly crimped.
Just my opinion. I should add, I started in 1975, last fitted late 2009, not a single complaint over all those years, not a single re-stretch, just lots of great recommends from customers.
I did do a three year appenticeship when I first started. We fitted more or less every type of floor covering, soft or hard, carpet, tiles, vinyl. We also did borders etc. Body carpet and broadloom, we had an industrial tracked sewing machine that took 30ft runs for body carpet. Carpet was mostly top end, although lots of 70oz + twists (pile weight) the last 15-20 years. I went self employed in 1981 and never looked back, was always very busy.
I wish I was fit enough to still be on my knees, but life is life and it doesn't always go as planned.
If your customers are happy and you get lots of recommends, your doing fine. Its a material, feel it and fit it the way your taught or how you feel you can get it done to the highest quality workmanship. Every tradesman is different, but we all get it done to a high standard.
AMEN 🙏🏻, however crimping is not a method I would support, well done on your amazing service to the flooring trade 👍🏻...
@@SolsMadeEasy If your way gets good results then,. way you go. :)
You sound like my teacher who worked at Britons in the 80s......
He taught me all the ways to fit carpet to Brintons standards!!
But he never taught me how to bodge a job which you couldn't put gripper down coz the floor was too soft or hard....
So I learnt off of other people!!
I learnt that the end result should always be.... TIGHT, FLAT AND NEAT......
@@monkeyswift100 I couldn't teach anyone to bodge a job, it just isn't in my head space. It's as quick to do it right as it is to do it wrong. Try gluing the gripper down, or even back in the day we had skirting gripper. I learnt and fitted; ring and pin, doddle ring, set back gripper (not good), fully pasted (hotel, embassy type), we did a lot. It was a true trade back then, still is, for many fitters, especially commercial work.
Am I missing something here. If you fit 2nd and your stairs are not as tight you’d have a bit left over top down all day long
I mainly do top down as well. If you want to keep your body in decent condition I would recommend it as well. Just look at the weird angles you get yourselves into when bashing the knee kicker 10 times per step. Its definitely doing damage on your body. Same sort of principle to layers that only want to knee kick an entire house rather than just doing it properly and power stretching.
I agree it has more of an impact on the body but I’ve fitted top down for years and I can definitely agree it has a better finish.
Thank god after 45 years fitting I thought I was going potty seeing all these Americans fitting bottom upwards and also thousands staples very DIY in my opinion!
@@TrimTuckCarpets top down has a better finish ?
Fake carpet fitters not one of you had a brew 🤣 good vid as always
Guy’s with all due respect this up & down challenge is very ridiculous on so, so, so many level’s 🤷🏼♂️,I’ve installed flooring all over the world & the way he uplift’s those stairs after the install.......well that just prove’s this is so clearly wrong in every single way 🤯...
They literally just fall off!, both method’s used here could be massively improved & this is why stair’s are so loose & baggy in so many home’s across the UK & the world 🌎...
Great content though 👍🏻, wish you guy’s the all the best...quality logo intro I love it 💪🏻🔥...
Hopefully very, very soon we can all do a video about any type of flooring from aggregates to floor sanding or even carpet repair’s 😎 etc 👍🏻...
All the best!, have a great weekend...
This video has won me over so I’ve Subscribed guy’s 👍🏻...
I fitt from top down (old fashion) few things I noticed.. both ways wher tight and adequate as russ said. One big difference that I saw was the time it took sal compared to russ was well worth doing it top down (putting the owl's in ext) in a 'real world' situation where time is money 💰 top down could be considered the winner. HOWEVER being able to do it both ways makes you a top tier fitter because you have that In your arsenal.
Good video guys !!
So these "real world" steps, where you say the risers are very tight and loads of tension. You have made your steps without a nosing so the underlay on the riser is fully against the riser so it is always gonna sound tight when ya flick it
If I’m not mistaken. There’s a nose in them steps.
As long as your neighbor likes it..
Considering time,top to bottom is faster i think. In old houses of London with different steps of each staircase,top to bottom works better as we can arrange our carpet according width.
Russ where did you get that bottom step for training on? And did you make them stairs ? Amazing
A friend made them.
@@TrimTuckCarpets even the bullnose ?
What weight and type is the mallet you’re using
As I've always said it's easier to go down a hill than it is going up!!
I was taught to fit top down as it's less stressful on your knees, the way your doing top down is wrong (in my opinion) I have a different method that makes the step tighter.
I can't see how fitting bottom up is good for the carpet putting all those awls in the carpet making loads of holes!
The awls don’t do no damage. However I went over the top just to give it a right kick 🤣 but normally it’s only a few
@@TrimTuckCarpets I don't see how they have any purpose once the carpet has been tucked down, plus you couldn't use them on new builds the stairs would just split in half.
@@Dave-xr4iz they hold the carpet in the Gully of the gripper. If you don’t have them in and you kick hard it can come
Out slightly - the awls hold it securely in place once your stretching away.
Hope that makes sense
@@TrimTuckCarpets it shouldn't come loose if the grippers are tight. But it all comes down to the customer being happy with the job end of.
Is it any wonder us carpet fitters are wrecked come a Saturday night
So would you guys do winders any different, would one of you start on the riser and kick it on to the tread and the other fitter start on the tread and bolster. It onto the riser. Good vid enjoyed.
I have a video you can watch where I do a winder. It’s call having tension is key.
Christ just get on with it
🤣🤣🤣
Fitting bottom up seems ludicrously over labour intensive with no demonstrable benefits. The obvious downside being extra wear on tear on your knees..No small consideration if you're planning a few decades on the tools. As for the competition as to which method gave more stretch or tension, well that's somewhat spurious as the correct tension isn't necessarily more. Rather, it's just enough.
Hey Trim and Tuck Tream - your videos have been a great help for my DIY project: fitting carpet on my winding staircase (not even on straight step, all steps winding).
Here in Germany fitting carpets with grippers is almost completely unknown. I had to Order grippers and underlay from abroad.
And all my know how is from videos of the UK/US…
Anyway here is me fitting one of the winding steps:
m.th-cam.com/video/4RmVH96e3Nk/w-d-xo.html
Thanks again so much Sal @ Team
I do top down. I use a stair stretcher like one of the other commenters.
Also, after setting the stretcher, I use both hands on the carpet tool and bear straight down with my body weight to hook on the riser tackless. I wear a heavy leather glove to protect my hand from the stair tool. Keeping the stair tool at a slight angle, means all your upper body weight is stretching an inch or so of carpet, not the full width of the tool.
When you walk up or down the stairs, the carpet is stretched downwards... so why kick the carpet bottom to top?
There isn't a right or wrong way. Do what works best.
I fit like your southpaw! Is that wrong?
Only if your customer has a way of measuring tension!
Did u say 9mm thick carpet with a 18mm gripper gap from tread and riser
Bought a crain stair stretcher . Either that or was buying a wheel chair.
I have fitted many carpets over the years but did my first staircase recently ,
I'm only a DIY enthusiast
So I went bottom up and I adding grips on the sides aswell , I hooked on the bottom the used my bodyweight against the kicker step by step to get it done I also cut the carpet 2" wider and did a final trim and tuck at the end.
Came out great
Can you use awls from the top down to get more tension and stretch??
It's not about winning, it's obvious ur bro buddies lol
It wood have bin fair if u did each others way of fitting
Basically when he fitted top down second time, he bolstered more carpet into gripper and ran out of carpet ! Still just as tight and without all the holes from awl and possible damage from stretcher, especially if you catch it wrong and it slips.! Top down has worked all these years, why copy American way, soon we'll be firing in 50 staples per step 😂😂 both looked good as long as the customer is happy.
I’m surprised you haven’t banged a hole in that carpet
Stretching the hell out of steps working down up is awful for tons of reasons. Never mind the effect on ur body. Most carpets today can't be stetched that hard cause they just aren't made well. You can stretch it at start like that sure, give a few weeks of walking on it and stair movement, the backing starts to tear at the grips, everything gets loose. Them awls should be thrown into the bin, no chance in hell id put pin marks in carpets. You may aswell tack gun it like the Americans do.
@Lee Fitchett I'm fitting 20 years the industry won't change, money is king, these guys do this kinda fitting cause they charge big money for there time, its fine to do 'special fitting" for people that can pay there fee. Doesn't work in the real world.
@Lee Fitchett i work for a shop we are slammed out everyday, if we worked like these we would make no money and be home at 8 everynight, stairs is top down 20 mins max haha
Don't rubber stamp us. 😉 I hate staplers.
@@perrygriffin2371 i can do top down and bottom up in around the same speed?
This took so long for 4 steps bro could get the whole stair done in that time
🤣- this was a demonstration we wasn’t trying to be fast. We was putting the either top down or bottom up theory to the test.