Abstract: A hand-operated carpet stretcher has a first handle securely attached to an otherwise conventional gripping head engagable with a carpet, and a second handle securely attached to a drive member or mass. The gripping head and drive member are interconnected by a telescoping shank supported on a skid. The shank has an outer, elongated tube connected to the gripping head, and an inner shaft connected to the drive member and terminating in a hammer that is slidingly received within the outer tube. During operation, a carpet installer holds the drive and head handles, and thrusts the drive member in a forward direction towards the gripping head while the tubes telescope together. After a period of free travel during which the drive member develops momentum, the hammer strikes an abutment or anvil provided within the outer tube adjacent to the gripping head. The sudden impact of the hammer on the anvil causes the gripping head to move in the forward direction, thereby stretching the carpet.