Honestly, I was cutting my tack strips wrong for a solid decade

Tbh, it finally clicked last Tuesday on a job in Tempe. The homeowner pointed out a tiny gap along the baseboard and asked if it was normal. Ngl, I was using a regular hacksaw and just cutting them straight across. My buddy came over, saw me doing it, and said 'Dude, you gotta cut that angle on the end so it butts up tight in the corner.' I felt like an idiot. How many corners have I messed up over the years because of that? Anyone else have a basic thing they were doing wrong forever?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor_moore1mo ago

Nah, a straight cut is fine. That tiny gap gets covered by the carpet anyway.

rowan_anderson1mo ago

My buddy tried that last year and his whole floor squeaks now. The gap wasn't covered and it lets the boards shift. He ended up having to pull the carpet back and redo the cut anyway.

garcia.miles11d ago

Blew out my knee trying to do this exact thing on my stairs. Left about a quarter inch gap thinking the carpet would just stretch over it, but nope. Now every time I walk down, there's this weird little thud like the step is saying "remember you messed up." My wife brings it up every time we have company. I just smile and tell them it's a custom anti-intruder sound system.