TIL a trick for dealing with that stubborn carpet seam tape

I was working on a big job in a new apartment building over in the West End last Thursday. The hallway was long, maybe 80 feet, and the subfloor was just a bit uneven. I laid the seam tape down like always, but when I went to heat it, the glue just wouldn't melt right in one spot. I was about to pull it all up when the building super, an old guy named Frank, came by. He saw me struggling and said, 'Kid, hit it with your iron for a count of five, then lift and press with your knee right on the seam.' I tried it, holding the iron steady for five full seconds, then putting my weight down through my knee. The seam sealed perfectly flat. Has anyone else found a better way to get a solid seal on those tricky, long seams?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_fiona1mo ago

Wow, Frank and @blakem13 are totally right about the pressure, but what about the tape itself? I had a seam fail once because the tape was old stock from a cold storage unit. The glue was just dried out before I even started. Now I always bend a piece in my hands first to check it's still pliable and sticky. A good tape with fresh glue makes that knee trick work way better.

phoenix19829d ago

@blakem13 nailed it with the heat spread thing. Old tape is the devil, I toss any roll that feels stiff. Fresh glue and a quick knee press never lets me down.

adam_thompson5329d ago

Oh man, I mean I get what you're saying but I've had the opposite luck with the knee trick. Idk, maybe it's just me but I've found that if I don't use a roller and just press with my knee, the tape shifts a little and leaves a tiny gap.

blakem131mo ago

Frank's trick works because the knee pressure spreads the heat before the glue cools. A lot of guys forget that the iron just melts the glue, but you still need to bond it under pressure. I've seen guys use a rolling pin from the kitchen for the same idea on big floors. The key is getting that weight down fast while the adhesive is still hot. What kind of iron are you using, a standard household one or a proper seaming iron?