How To Make A DIY Homemade Knee Kicker Carpet Stretcher

I needed to install some carpet in my kid’s “secret room”. Since it was such a small space (about 5ft by 7ft) and I didn’t want to pay for professional installation, I figured I could try to do it myself.

I already had most of the materials for the project. The only thing I didn’t have was a knee kicker carpet stretcher. You need a stretcher to pull and stretch the carpet so it’s taught and doesn’t have wrinkles.

My local Menards had one for $50. Amazon had a cheap one for $40 (QEP 10408 Economy Knee Kicker). I figured no sense in spending the money when I could make one myself. Follow along and I’ll show you how I did it.

Here’s the one I saw on Amazon:

How to make a DIY homemade knee kicker carpet stretcher?

It doesn’t take much to build – you probably already have everything you need to make a knee kicker:

1. Wood – I used a 2×4
2. Screws – I used 1.25 inch construction screws for the carpet grippers
3. Drill
4. Padding – I used some scrap carpet padding

Step-by-step guide (with pictures):

1. Create the main body with a piece of wood approximately 2ft long.
   
   
   
2. For the section that will grip the carpet, drill some holes at a 45 degree angle into a section of wood and screw in some screws so they protrude through about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Since I used screws, this made it easy to adjust the depth. Attach this to the main body using a couple wood spacers and screws.
   
   
   
3. For the padded knee kicker, cut a few pieces of carpet padding and tape them to the end.
   
   
   

There you have it! Easy peasy. It worked great for my installation.

Image gallery below – click an image to expand.

Let me know in the comments if you are going to try to make one yourself.

Types Of Carpet Stretchers: Power Stretchers and Knee Kickers

The main function of carpet stretchers is to make sure the carpeting is flat and tight across the surface of the floor, with no wrinkles or folds that would make it unsafe and lead to premature wear.

Power Stretchers:
Power stretchers are professional tools which stretch carpet over a long span by using an extension pole and tensioning lever. This stretches the carpet from one side of the room to the other and can generally create more tension than knee kickers.

Knee Kickers:
Knee kickers are small tools, used by professionals and amateurs, that grip the carpet and stretch it closer to the wall by kicking it with your knee.