- Make sure the surface to be carpeted is
smooth and clean. Scrape up any paint or joint compound, and sweep and
vacuum the floor thoroughly.
- If possible, remove the doors from the
room so you won't have to work around them. Having the doors out of the
way will also make it easier for you to cut off the bottoms of the
doorjambs if necessary.
- Measure the longest walls in your room.
Multiply the length and width, and divide by 9 to determine the square
yardage. Add 10 percent to allow for errors, irregularities and pattern
matching.
- Nail tackless strips 1/2" from the wall.
Cut the strips to size with a strip cutter or heavy snips. Don't install
tackless strips across thresholds or doorways; the tacks on the strips
are sharp and could poke through the carpet and hurt your feet. Tackless
strips come in a variety of widths, thicknesses and heights. Make sure
you're using the correct size. If you're installing carpet over a
concrete subfloor, use masonry tacks or epoxy adhesive to hold the
tackless strips in place.
- Lay out the carpet pad perpendicular to
the direction you plan to install the carpet, and staple it near the
tackless strips with a staple hammer.
- Staple the seam of the pad, alternating
staples so that they aren't beside one another. Stretch the padding so
that the pieces are butted tightly together.
- Feel through the padding to locate the
tackless strip, and use a utility knife to cut away the padding along
the interior edge of the strip so that all the tacks are exposed.
- Measure the room at its longest point,
and add 3" to the measurement. Take the carpet outside if possible, and
notch the back on both sides at the appropriate length. The carpet will
be easier to handle outside. You might want to have someone help you.
- Roll the carpet with the back facing
outward until the notched areas show. Then run a chalk line from notch
to notch. Cut the back of the carpet along the chalk line, roll up the
carpet, and take it back inside.
- Roll out the carpet into the room. Keep
it as straight as possible.
- Cut away excess carpet, but leave about
3" extra next to the walls. Lay out any additional carpet needed to fill
the room.
- Where the carpet edges join, you'll need
to create a seam. The seamed edges of both carpet segments must be
straight. Check the edges: don't assume that a factory edge is straight.
Place a piece of seaming tape under the seam, adhesive side up. Heat the
seaming iron to the temperature recommended by the tape manufacturer,
and rest it directly on the tape for 15 to 30 seconds. Then slowly slide
the iron along the tape, and press the seam into the melted glue behind
the iron. After the pieces are joined, place heavy objects on the seam
to hold it in place as the glue dries.
* Seams should run parallel to the room's main light source. And make
sure the pile of both pieces leans in the same direction.
- Dry-fit the carpet, butting one end
against a wall. Use a carpet knife to trim the carpet to fit around
obstacles.
- Attach the carpet to the tackless strips
at one end of the room, using the
knee kicker. Place the face of the
knee kicker against the carpet about 3" away from the wall, and
forcefully strike the padded end to stretch the carpet over the tackless
strips.
- Trim excess carpet with a
wall trimmer,
which rests against the wall and provides a straight cut at the correct
spot. Use a stair tool to press the cut edges underneath the baseboard
trim.
- Use the
power stretcher to attach to the
strips on the other side of the room. For corners and alcoves where the
power stretcher can't reach, use the knee kicker and
stair tool.
- When all the carpet is in place, cut out
vent openings. Attach shoe molding around the room if desired.
Here's a tip for installing carpet into an
alcove at the end of a room: At the point where the carpet extends into
the alcove, fold it at the depth of the alcove before you begin rolling it
up. Then roll toward the folded section. When you unroll the carpet, start
at the end of the room closest to the alcove.
After your carpet is installed, you may
want to think about installing baseboard or molding. They really set
the room off and make it look great. Ask a Power Pac Rentals sales
associate for advice on how to install baseboard or molding. We
carry all of the tools necessary to get the job done.
Did you
find what you are looking for? If not, type in a new search term
below to search our site or the web!
If you still aren't totally confident in
your knowledge of laying carpet, follow the link below. It provides
a thourough step by step guide with pictures on how to install carpet.
Carpet Installation Guide
*From from www.hgtv.com |
