Gripper Rods
Gripper Rigs is an essential tool for anyone that has a carpeted room. A carpeted room is, well, carpeted. Carpet means there are no problems with dirt from getting tracked in between the threads. But if you have a hardwood floor, the dirt can get tracked in all over the room because wood is so porous. That means the dirt doesn’t get trapped in the threads of the carpet. It tracks in all over the room instead.
The best way to protect your Carpets floor and your furniture is to have a floor covering that doesn’t trap dirt, moisture or grime. One of the best solutions for this problem is underway. You don’t have to use full sheets of flooring (though it certainly helps) because the purpose of the gripper rods is to secure the carpet to the frame beneath it. The underlay adds another layer of cushion and reduces the friction between the carpet and the hardwood floor.
To install the underlay, simply remove the old carpet and set it aside. Next you’ll need to line up the new carpet against the frame in the center of the room. Most professional installers will use wood shims to center the carpet as evenly as possible. And remember to use the same depth and width of spacers between your new carpet and old carpet to insure the proper fit and alignment.
Installing Gripper Rods on Concrete Floors
Once you’ve ensured the proper positioning, it’s time to set up your gripper rods. The two most common installation methods are the nailing-in or stapling-on method. Nail-in installation involves laying the plywood across the frame rails, using the recommended spacing for the area that you’ll be nailing in around the perimeter of the room. Nails are pre-drilled to prevent them from digging into the carpet when they’re used.
The second method involves placing strips of underlay behind the stairs where you want to nail in the underlay. Use the right type of underlay for your particular application, which will depend on whether the stair carpet is made of nylon, leather, or wool. strips of underlay can be laid diagonally, vertically, or even in an angled pattern to cover the entire frame. For strips, you’ll need to nail the strips to the stair railing using stainless steel or pliers. For the step-by-step guide to installing the gripper rods, check out the link at the bottom of this page.
Gripper rods, also called carpet tackers, can be used for a variety of mounting applications on concrete floors. The best part about using these rods is that you can adjust their height according to how much carpeting or other material you have to run over the area. This ensures that you don’t nail too much or too little carpeting over an uneven surface, saving you money in both the short-term and the long-term because you can make room for more next time around the room.