The Carpet Conundrum: A DIY Nightmare

It's Friday afternoon, and our protagonist is in high spirits, eager to tackle a task they've been putting off. They approach their carpet, noticing that it has flipped up slightly in the corner. With a sense of determination, they say, "I really got to get to that." But as fate would have it, their weekend getaway becomes a near-fatal encounter with a piece of carpet.

The next morning, our hero descends the stairs, ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead. However, their excitement is short-lived as they hit the tread and watch in horror as the carpet flips right off, sending them flying into the air. "Oh yeah," they exclaim, "I go flying screaming like a school girl!" The impact leaves their knee in a sorry state, and it's clear that this won't be a minor setback.

The aftermath of the accident becomes clear when our protagonist is told to spend six weeks in a brace and undergo eight weeks of physical therapy. With a mix of frustration and amusement, they exclaim, "Can you help me?" But before we can indulge their plea for assistance, they assertively state that they think the situation requires medical attention. They then confidently declare, "I can do the carpet no problem."

Our hero takes a moment to reflect on the seemingly innocuous piece of carpet that has led to this predicament. They observe that there should have been a strip of wood in place to hold the carpet down, which would have prevented this catastrophe. They sarcastically remark, "This thing went flying farther than I did." The term "tackless" is introduced, explaining that it refers to the modern equivalent of the ancient practice of driving tacks through the carpet.

The hero then launches into a detailed explanation of how tackle strips work. They emphasize that these strips are designed with tiny ring shank nails, which are driven into the tread at an angle. To ensure proper installation, they advise against taking the ring shank nails and driving them in the same holes, as this would compromise their effectiveness.

The next section delves into the process of installing tackle strips. Our hero demonstrates how to slide the strip about a quarter of an inch to the left before tacking it down. They also explain how to pull the carpet tight, working around the nose of the tread and pushing it into the wall. A specialized tool called a kicker or knee kicker is introduced, which is used to secure the tackle strip in place.

The hero showcases their expertise by adjusting the kicker's settings and demonstrating its effectiveness in securing the carpet. They then proceed to use a chisel to drive additional nails, ensuring that the rest of the treads are securely fastened.

In a tongue-in-cheek moment, our protagonist remarks, "Because it's you, I'll staple off the rest of these treads because I don't want you getting hurt." This quip serves as a reminder that even with their expertise, there is always room for improvement and consideration for others.

As our hero finishes the installation, they reflect on the ordeal, stating, "Don't worry, you owe me one way or another." The tone of this statement shifts from frustration to amusement, as if to say that the experience has been a valuable lesson in perseverance and problem-solving.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enall right so it's a friday and i noticed that this carpet has flipped up a little bit in the corner yeah so i say i really got to get to that but i go away for the weekend monday morning i come down the stairs i hit this tread right here it flips right off the carpet oh yeah i go flying screaming like a school girl my knee is a mess i bet you that was a pretty sight it was not good so they're telling me six weeks in this brace another eight weeks of physical therapy so can you help me oh yeah but you know i really think you need to see a doctor no not my name oh yeah yeah i can do the carpet no problem so there should have been a strip of wood right here to hold the carpet down that is right here and this thing went flying farther than i did all right well that's called a piece of tactless that's a tackle strip that holds the carpet to the tread you know i want to talk to the guy that named this you know maybe i hit my head but this is a piece of wood filled with nothing but tasks and they're called tackles because years ago when they installed carpeting they would drive tacks through the carpet now they don't have to do that with this tactless strip all right now this piece of wood is loaded with tips of nails that are on an angle all right and you point those to the wall that you want to attach the carpet to on the bottom there are tiny little ring shank nails the ring shank nails are driven into the tread now i want to make sure when i install the tackles i don't take the ring shank nails and drive them in the same holes they won't hold so what i'm going to do is take the tackle strip and slide it about a quarter of an inch to the left then i'm just going to tack it down okay now the next thing i want to do is i want to pull the carpet up tight and i want to work it around the nose of the tread and push it into the wall now to hold it there before i lock it into the tactless i'm going to use this tool right here it's called a kicker or knee kicker it's padded on this end right here and this end right here you can see these little tacks sticking out the big ones are adjustable so depending on the thickness of the pile of the carpet and get down into the pad all right so now i'm going to adjust that right about there i'm going to take the kicker drop it on the carpet and i'm going to push in and push on it now you can see that it's nice and tight here now i'd simply take my chisel now i'm going to move down close drive it in again and kick it again all right now because it's you i'll staple off the rest of these treads because i don't want you getting hurt thank you screaming like a little girl and what do i owe you for this well don't worry you owe me you'll pay one way or the otherall right so it's a friday and i noticed that this carpet has flipped up a little bit in the corner yeah so i say i really got to get to that but i go away for the weekend monday morning i come down the stairs i hit this tread right here it flips right off the carpet oh yeah i go flying screaming like a school girl my knee is a mess i bet you that was a pretty sight it was not good so they're telling me six weeks in this brace another eight weeks of physical therapy so can you help me oh yeah but you know i really think you need to see a doctor no not my name oh yeah yeah i can do the carpet no problem so there should have been a strip of wood right here to hold the carpet down that is right here and this thing went flying farther than i did all right well that's called a piece of tactless that's a tackle strip that holds the carpet to the tread you know i want to talk to the guy that named this you know maybe i hit my head but this is a piece of wood filled with nothing but tasks and they're called tackles because years ago when they installed carpeting they would drive tacks through the carpet now they don't have to do that with this tactless strip all right now this piece of wood is loaded with tips of nails that are on an angle all right and you point those to the wall that you want to attach the carpet to on the bottom there are tiny little ring shank nails the ring shank nails are driven into the tread now i want to make sure when i install the tackles i don't take the ring shank nails and drive them in the same holes they won't hold so what i'm going to do is take the tackle strip and slide it about a quarter of an inch to the left then i'm just going to tack it down okay now the next thing i want to do is i want to pull the carpet up tight and i want to work it around the nose of the tread and push it into the wall now to hold it there before i lock it into the tactless i'm going to use this tool right here it's called a kicker or knee kicker it's padded on this end right here and this end right here you can see these little tacks sticking out the big ones are adjustable so depending on the thickness of the pile of the carpet and get down into the pad all right so now i'm going to adjust that right about there i'm going to take the kicker drop it on the carpet and i'm going to push in and push on it now you can see that it's nice and tight here now i'd simply take my chisel now i'm going to move down close drive it in again and kick it again all right now because it's you i'll staple off the rest of these treads because i don't want you getting hurt thank you screaming like a little girl and what do i owe you for this well don't worry you owe me you'll pay one way or the other\n"