How to Install a Carpet

The first thing to do is plan before you install a carpet. Prepare the surface of the floor. Plan the area where you will install your carpet.

Clean the surface of the flooring. Tighten some loose boards. Take down any door that will be affected by the installation.

Vacuum an old carpet first before you remove it. This will prevent the dust from going everywhere as you remove it. Use a knife to cut the carpet into strips.

Cutting the carpet will make easy to remove. It will also remove the tackless strips. Make sure you clean the surface thoroughly before installing a new one.

Start by installing the tackless strips in the perimeter of the room. Make sure you leave the front of doorways open. Leave about ½ inch of space between the wall and the strips. Leave the same space measurement between the tacks or pins also.

They should face the wall. Tackless strips have rows of tacks. This is why you don’t need to “tack” the carpet down.

You can then lay down your underpads in strips after tacking. This is done by overlapping the tackless strips. Never overlap the underpads as you staple the underlay.

This is considered when you staple along the inside of the tackless strips. Put duct tape at the edge of the seams. You can then cut your carpet. Make sure you an extra 4 to 6 inches overlapping the wall. These make it easier to adjust your carpet accordingly.

Cut the carpet by folding it over itself. You also need to cut its backside.

You would need another carpet if your room is quite big. Use the same procedure of cutting the carpet. Repeat having 4 to 6 inches not only overlapping the wall but also overlapping the other carpet.

Use a sharp knife to cut both pieces of carpet. This will ensure you will match them perfectly along the sides. Put a seaming tape underneath the area of the two carpets.

Activate the adhesive by using a seaming iron. Carefully seal the edges using a rolling pin or carpet roller. This will keep the carpet initially firm in place.

A knee kicker is used to attach the carpet on the edges of the carpet. A knee kicker is a tool which has “teeth”. It will grip the carpet.

It also has a padded butt in the other side of the tool. The tool is used to stretch the carpet over the tackless strips.

This will make it more stable. A carpet stretcher will then help you finish up your installation.