Carpet Installation

Removing old carpet is pretty easy, and doesn’t take a long time. It is probably the easiest part of the job. Use the below steps to help you move along quickly.

To take up old carpet cut the carpet into long pieces, about 3 feet wide. This can easily be done with a carpet knife. Once you have made your cuts, place your hook knife into a corner near the wall with the tip facing down, and pierce the carpet with the tip and gently rock the knife away from you and pull backwards. The carpet should release from the corner fairly easily. It also could take a few tugs to get it out, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come right up. When it does loosen, grip the edge firmly and pull up and towards you.

Once you have this down and you have removed the carpet from the edges, roll up the sections and carry out to a waiting trash can, or dumpster.

When removing carpet from steps, follow the above steps, but always start at the top and work your way down.

To take up old pad, you can do the same as you did for the carpet, cutting it into manageable pieces with your carpet knife. You should be able to then grip the corner, and pull back. While pulling back you can release the staples holding it down by sliding a hook knife sideways along the floor.

Roll up these pieces and dispose. Disposal can be done on-site or you can load your truck to take the scraps to the dump.

For removing glued carpet you can follow the same instructions. In addition to the above tools, you can use a scraper to help release the adhesive.

There are some things that need to be done prior to carpet installation. Preparation for carpet installation involves heating installation area, moving any furniture or objects, taking up any old carpet, and floor preparation. Proper preparation will produce a better quality installation.

The area where carpet is being installed needs to be as hot as possible. Turning up the furnace the night before will be enough. If no heating system is in place, space heaters should be used. The carpet to be installed should also be exposed to that heat. This allows the carpet to stretch better when installing, preventing buckles from forming later.

All furniture and objects should be removed before installation. A lot of household can be moved with two people. Others will require a dolly or several people. Pool tables and solid wood entertainment centers have been the most challenging in my experience. The plastic pads that are put under the corners of a piece of furniture to help it slide are sometimes helpful.

In addition, old carpet and padding will need to be removed. Please check out “How to Remove Old Carpet” to get instructions on doing this easily and efficiently.

In some jobs, floor preparation must be done as well. This is minimal, and most jobs site will not require this step, but it is necessary for a good result in some jobs. Floor preparation usually involves sweeping and or shop vacuuming, leveling the floor, and in some cases tightening the sub floor with a few screws. Most major repairs fall under carpentry and are not done by the majority of installers.

The floor should also be swept and if needed a shop vacuum can be used to get large debris. When the floor is cracked or has small sharp drop-offs, a floor leveler is often the best solution. DAP Web patch 90 or similar floor leveling compound should be used. To level the floor here are a few simple instructions to ensure a flawless leveling job.

Near the area to be repaired, pour a pile of the powdered patch onto the floor. Using a flat trowel or float, indent the peak of the pile. The pile should resemble a science fair volcano project. Pour water from a container into the center of the pile while knocking down powder from the edge into the water. Keep mixing and adding water until you have a thin paste. Hold the trowel or float in your hand with your wrist tilted forward. Spread some paste over the uneven area. Place the long edge of the trowel on the higher part of the floor, keeping the trowel at around a 45 degree angle. Lightly drag the trowel lightly across the damaged area to where the floor is good. Rotate your wrist moving the trowel back around and across, slightly overlapping the last stroke. Continue applying less and less pressure until floor is smooth. Repeat again as needed and then let dry.

In addition to leveling the floor you may also have to repair any squeaks you might hear when you walk throughout the room. When this situation does occur you can easily place a few screws to keep the squeaking at bay. To stop a squeaking floor, first walk around the room and note any squeakiness. When you hear a squeak put a screw where you were stepping, this should stop the squeaking, if it does not add an addition screw. The screws should follow the same pattern as the nails in the sub floor. After you feel you have finished try to do one last round before installation.

Good preparation is important prior to the start of installation. Carpet needs to be as warm as possible to ensure proper stretching; cold carpet will buckle later when the temperature gets hotter. Most imperfections on the floor will show through the carpet after installation. Proper preparation will make the carpet look and feel better as well as extending is life and preventing the need for repairs.

Removal of old flooring is the beginning step to installing new carpet. To do this efficiently and correctly some specific tools are needed. They include a carpet knife, hook knife, metal clamps, hammer, molding bar, channel locks or pliers, floor scraper, broom and dustpan.

Carpet Knives: Carpet knives are commonly used to cut up old scraps of carpet, so that can easily be removed from the job site. There is a double sided razor knife that is made for carpet use, the blades are sharper than normal utility knives, useful when cutting through the rough, hard carpet backing. The blades can also be replaced easily. You will probably go through a lot of blades so be sure to stock up!

A Common Carpet Knife

Hook Knife: A hook knife, also called a “hawk bill”, can be used to pry the edges of the carpet up, removing pad staples, and scraping small debris from the floor.

Metal Clamps: There are clamps that are designed specifically to grab old carpet when pulling it up, these are particularly useful when removing glued down carpet.

Hammer: A hammer is used to knock down staples and to remove tack strip.  I would recommend using a 22oz or larger hammer when installing carpet.

Molding Bar: A molding bar is used to remove molding on the edges of the carpet. These can also be used to pull staples out of the floor.  Look for one that is about 8 inches that will fit well in a toolbox.

Molding Bar used to pry off molding

Channel locks or pliers: These are especially helpful when needing to remove staples from the old flooring. I like to keep a medium sized pair of each (channel locks and pliers) with me on a job.

Floor scrapers: As the name implies, are used to scrape old carpet, glue and objects off of floors.  A large scraper with a 6 to 8 inch blade and long handle is good to have on hand.  A small one with a short handle can be kept in a toolbox for times when it’s not necessary to drag out the big one or when there are tight spaces.

Broom and Dustpan or shop vacuum: These are important to have at all job sites, they should be used to clean up the remaining bits and pieces on the floor after removal is completed.

These tools are important to have, and even more helpful for a novice. Most of these tools you should already have in your garage, for the others, it might be worth it to buy, especially if you are planning on doing a large area, or a whole house.

So go gather your tools and get ready to do some carpet removal. For some advice on how to best remove carpet or some helpful tips please see this article (How to Remove Carpet).