I was cutting my tack strip wrong for a decade

I always used my linoleum knife to score and snap it, thinking it was fast. Last Tuesday in a Phoenix condo, a piece snapped back and sliced my thumb open bad enough for three stitches. The ER nurse, who used to do floors, said her old boss swore by a hacksaw for clean cuts and no kickback. I tried it on the next job and it was slower, but the strips fit tight in the corners with no gaps. Has anyone else switched tools for tack strip and had a better result?

2 comments

2 Comments

angelaellis27d ago

Remembered my dad using an old wood saw on tack strip once, just to try it. Made a horrible noise and left these fuzzy edges that snagged on everything.

dylanwilliams27d ago

Ouch, the part about the strip snapping back for stitches is my nightmare! I've definitely had a few close calls with that scoring method, feeling like a genius until it almost takes a finger off. Switching to a hacksaw felt like going from a race car to a bicycle at first, but you're right, those perfect corner fits are so satisfying. My own dumb moment was trying to use tin snips once, which just mangled the strip into a sad metal sandwich.

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