Carpet grippers are a very useful albeit often overlooked accessories that can be used in the home. When installing a new carpet or placing an area rug in a room, it is helpful to use solutions that work to keep these coverings in place. Carpet grippers help prevent movement that can make a room look messy and present a safety hazard to those who walk through a room. There are a variety of carpet and rug gripper solutions available, some options are easy to install yet some others are a little more complicated.
Before you begin to search for carpet gripper and prior to making a purchase, it is a good idea for consumers to have a basic understanding of the benefits of each type of gripper and the installation methods associated with each. It is also advantageous to shop around and if an individual is interested in buying carpet gripper to get a good idea of the cost before making a purchase. High street retailers apply huge profit margins to carpet gripper and other flooring accessories including metal door strips and carpet underlay. Some well known high street retailers charge over £3.00 per 1.52m length of carpet gripper.
What is a Carpet Gripper?
"Carpet gripper" is a term that can refer to various solutions designed to keep carpets and area rugs in place. For wall-to-wall carpet, a carpet gripper, also known as a gripper rod, tack strip of carpet fixing strips can refer to the tack strip used to stretch and hold a carpet in place against a wall. For area rugs, a carpet gripper can refer to a gripper mat which is designed to hold and secure a rug to either a laminate, wood, tile surface or a carpet.
A look at each of these options in a bit more depth, including the techniques and ability needed to use them, can greatly facilitate the purchasing process.
Gripper Rods for Carpets
Gripper rods or Tack strips were invented by Roy Roberts in 1939. This product revolutionized the power stretch method still used today for installing tufted carpet. "Gripper Edge" and "Smoothedge" were original trademarks made famous by Roy Roberts and his companies. A gripper rod is a thin piece of wood, between 1 to 2 metres (3.3 to 6.6 ft) long and about 3 centimetres (1.2 in) wide, studded with hundreds of sharp nails or tacks used in the installation of carpet. They are nailed down with the tacks facing up, to the perimeter of the area being fitted with carpet. After the carpet underlay is installed, the carpet is cut to fit, stretched over the area and firmly anchored to the edges of floor via the gripper rods. The strip has two functions first, the tacks grip the carpet and permanently hold it in place and second, the carpet edge is jammed into the small gap usually about 5mm between the tack strip and the wall which gives it a finished look with minimal effort. This method allows a high quality, long lasting installation to be completed quickly and easily.
The Requirements for Installing Gripper Rods
Installing gripper rods requires a certain amount of do it yourself skill. Anyone thinking about buying and installing carpet grippers of this type needs to have a general understanding of joinery and tools. Gripper rods are usually 5ft in length but will require cutting down when necessary, this can be done using a wood saw or gripper shears. The placement of the gripper rods in relation to the skirting boards is particularly important. A careful measurement of the thickness of a carpet should be taken. The strips must then be placed at a distance that is approximately two-thirds of thickness of the carpet. This is to ensure that the carpet can be tucked down and jammed between the skirting board and the gripper rod itself. The sharp points on the gripper rods should always point towards the skirting board. These points also grip the carpet as it is stretched over them and keeps it tightly in place. Gripper rods come with nails pre-installed. Dual purpose gripper rods not only have wood nails in them but masonry nails as well and will usually be tough enough to hammer into floor screed. If the floor is too hard to nail into for example if there are stone or ceramic tiles on the floor, then you can use gripfill or a gripper adhesive to secure the gripper rods in place. It is important to make sure that the gripper adhesive sets before you install your new carpet.
Tools Needed for Installing Carpet Gripper Rods
Consumers who are buying carpet gripper rods to install themselves will need a collection of basic household tools, including a hammer, extra nails, and a small saw. If they are also fitting the carpet they will require a specialist tool called a carpet stretcher or knee kicker. This tool allows you to stretch a carpet tightly from one carpet gripper to the next.
Rug Grippers and Rug-to-Carpet Grippers
There are various types of rug grippers including plastic mats which are placed under each corner of an area rugs to keep it in place. There is a certain type of rug gripper which is designed to keep an area rug in position on top of a carpet, this is called a rug- to-carpet gripper. This is usually a PVC coated, polyester mat featuring a honeycomb or similar design and creates enough friction between the area rug and the carpet that the area rug stays in its position and does not move or buckle. Other rug grippers act as the gripper between an area rug and smoother surfaces, such as parquet, Laminate or a marble floor. These rug grippers may be a bit thicker and are excellent accessories for preventing spills and trips with an area rug that can otherwise slip.
Sizing Rug Grippers to an Area Rug
Rug grippers are sold in a whole range of shapes and sizes and usually sold in large rectangles that come slightly smaller than popular sized area rugs but one of the more common sizes is 120 cm by 170 cm. The rug gripper usually comes on a roll so if you have an unusual sized area rug that is not a standard measurement of area rug it can be cut down to the required measurements using scissors or a sharp utility knife.
Buying a Carpet Gripper online
Online retailers offer a wide variety of flooring accessories and the internet is a great resource for purchasing carpet grippers, and Flooring Direct is a great example. We do not have expensive retail stores that force us to charge extortionate prices for our accessories and carpet gripper. You can rest assured that the carpet gripper we sell is of a high quality and standard.
It can benefit you to take the time to get to know the company whom you are interested in doing business with online so why not take a moment to visit our ‘about us’ page. Speak to one of our helpful representatives, and review the feedback other customers have submitted about us through Trustpilot.
Conclusion
Carpet grippers provide a varied collection of solutions for individuals wishing to integrate carpets or rugs into their home or business. From the basic, as with an area rug gripper, to the more intricate, as with a gripper rod, carpet and rug grippers can offer a reliable solution that will keep Carpets and Rugs secure and in place for the long term. Buying carpet grippers, gripper rods, rug grippers does not need to be an overwhelming process.
In fact, by using online retailers, a consumer can find a carpet gripper or a gripper rod quickly and easily. Thanks to Flooring Direct, the process of finding a carpet gripper that improves the quality of a home need not be a daunting one. You can place an order through our website or via one of our sales team and your purchase will usually be delivered to your door within 48hrs. We offer a fully tracked delivery service and endeavor to offer excellent customer service.
