carpet laying

I use regular scrapers, they work fine.

NT

Nope, they are very useful for most carpet laying where you are using gripper rods. I suppose they got the name due to the requirement to push the carpet well into the treads on stairs etc.

The larger one. The smaller ones are better for fiddly bits (i.e. like stairs!)

They do - as do bolster chisels. Having said that, the "proper" tools have the advantage of having enough weight of their own to "hammer" the more stout carpets into place, and are also smooth enough to not scratch skirtings etc.

I don't know why there are 2 sizes. I use a blunted 3" bolster chisel, which always works ok.

You can use these tools round the edge of rooms, but they are particularly useful on stairs - when you need to use a bit of welly to force the carpet into the corner between tread and riser when using two bits of gripper rod with the spikes pointing into the corner.

Thanks, but is there really much difference? IIRC one is 75mm and the other 90mm.

Provided you store it rolled, not folded!

Any idea how to remove the stair carpet without damage - in order to paint the adjacent woodwork?

Yes, once you've released the end (usually nailed or stapled down), you can pull it off the grippers, and roll it up, fairly easily - and then refit it when you've finished decorating.

Mine's been up several times, with no obvious damage.

I will resist the temptation to say 15mm... oops too late ;-)

Nope not much difference at all.

Lots of fitters seem to do stairs in short sections these days - typically two or three steps at a time.

True. I'm not sure whether that's a matter of policy, or simply the most efficient way of using the offcuts when the same carpet is laid in one or more rooms *and* on the stairs.

Probably policy - I have had them do just stairs, and they still cut it into strips. Probably means they can cut a section to width before fitting, and need not worry about it running out of square over a distance.