Hot take: that old guy who told me to stop using tack strips on carpet transitions was dead wrong.

My neighbor Bob said just glue and tuck it at the doorway, but after 3 months the edge came loose and I had to rip it all out and put tack strips in anyway, has anyone else had a glued transition hold up longer than that?

2 comments

2 Comments

pat_hall871mo ago

Glue only at a doorway? Yeah no. That's a temporary fix at best, not a real solution. Tack strips have been the standard for like 50 years for a reason, they actually hold the carpet tight and stop it from fraying at the edges. Bob probably meant well but he gave you bad advice, that's on him. Carpet transitions take way more abuse from foot traffic and vacuums than people think, so glue alone just isn't enough unless you wanna redo it every few months. You did the right thing ripping it out and doing it proper, now it'll actually stay put.

jamies451mo ago

Ah man, this is one of those things where people just go for the quick fix without thinking about what actually holds up over time. It reminds me of how everyone uses duct tape for everything now instead of just buying the right fastener for the job. Like, yeah, duct tape works for five minutes but you're gonna be back at the same problem next month. Tack strips are basically the screws and anchors of the carpet world, they've been around forever because they actually work. People skip them thinking glue is faster but they just end up doing the job twice.