That time a tack strip caught me off guard in a rental in Tulsa

I was replacing a worn hallway carpet in a 1970s rental near downtown Tulsa, and about halfway through pulling the old padding, I hit a section where the previous installer had nailed the tack strip to a heating duct, not the subfloor. The strip popped loose and shot up, slicing my knee open through my work pants, and I had to stop and patch the duct with foil tape before laying the new carpet. Has anyone else run into tack strips fastened to something they shouldnt be, and how do you check for that before you start pulling?

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grace_hunt843d ago

Yikes, that duct trick is a new one and I have seen some real hack jobs. Best move is to slide a flat bar or stiff putty knife under the strip before you yank, and if it gives too easy or feels springy, stop right there. A magnet run along the floor also snitches on hidden nails so you know what you are dealing with.

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