A builder told me my carpet seams were too tight

Was trimming a bedroom in a new build off Highway 99 last month when this guy walks in and says my seams will buckle in a week because I didn't leave enough slack. I've been stretching carpet for 12 years and never had a callback for that. Has anyone else run into a builder who thinks they know the job better than the guy on his knees?

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graym493mo ago

Did he actually measure the slack with a gauge, or just eyeball it?

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ericgonzalez3mo ago

Yeah I used to be the same way honestly, @graym49. I was one of those guys who thought my way was fine because I'd been doing it forever with no complaints. But then about three years ago I had a job where I stretched it tight like I always did and the builder made me come back and look at it after a heatwave. Sure enough there was a buckle right along the seam. Felt stupid because he was right, I just never caught it before since most houses have controlled temps by the time I'm there. So now I leave a tiny bit of slack especially on long runs near windows. It's humbling when someone calls you out and they're actually right even if it stings a little.

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