“Flooring is the foundation of any beautiful room. Start with a great carpet, and the rest will fall into place!”Carpet installation.
The quote is true because carpets make your home feel more indulgent and luxurious. It makes people get to know your lifestyle and personality.
But sometimes, its beauty wears out over time due to spills, dirt, and much more.
The only way to restore the glamorous and cozy look of your home is by replacing the carpet itself.
So, if you want to install carpet in your house, you can find the best local flooring expert near you, who will install the carpet as per your needs.
But if you have decided to do this project yourself, here is how to pre-plan, get specialized tools, remove your old pads carpet, and install a new one along with tack strips in your home.
By the end of this DIY, you will be ready to rock and roll!
HOW TO PLAN A CARPET INSTALLATION?
Installation can be a final decision to go for, however, it is important to plan the things to be sure about your decisions. Considering the same, we are here with the factors that you need to consider in your planning.
We are certain, this will make you sure and confident and ready to go for carpet installation.
1. Budget
If you are like us, you would want to know the cost of carpet installation. Firstly, you will have to measure your floors to get the exact quote for carpet and padding.
Once you know the exact price, you can form a budget for it.
2. Make a Plan
Installation planning before the actual installation is a must. So, what needs to be done is
determine what would be the best day to install your new carpet by keeping few things in mind few more tasks going to accompany like:
- old carpet removal,
- furniture removal, and
- cleaning, it will take two concurrent days to finish the job.
3. Determine the Area of the Room
This part is important, so make sure to measure the longest walls in the living room.Then, multiply the width and length and divide by nine to find the square yardage. You can add ten percent to allow pattern matching, irregularities, and errors.
4. Remove the Doors
If possible, get rid of the doors from your living area. It will make it easier for to cut off the bottoms of the door jambs.
5. Prepare the Rooms
Prep up the subfloor before the new carpet installation.If possible, move all the furniture from your room so that you can remove the old carpet and install a new one.
6. Old Carpet & Pad Disposal and Cleaning
Get rid of the old carpet and pad by following the proper disposal method as per your region.
We know that pulling old carpet is a daunting task. So, if you face any difficulty, you are free to cut out the old carpet and remove it.
Once you are done with that, do the finals:
- scrape up and smoothen the subfloor.
- vacuum and wash the entire floor.
7. Tools & Supplies:
To ensure the installation is done properly technically, here are the list of tools you would need:
- Utility Knife
- Pry Bar
- Straight Edge
- Sharpie for marking edges
- Carpet Tape (or carpet adhesive)
- Attached Pad Carpet
- tack strip cutter
- wall trimmer
- top cutter
- hammer
- measuring tape
- knee kicker
- carpet knife
- stair tool
- razor knife
- power stretcher
- gloves
- carpet
- tackless strip
8. Wait Patiently
They say, “Patience is the key”.
So you might have to wait for the arrival of the new carpet. The interim is worth it because once it arrives and you replace the old carpet it will give a new look to your home.
Now, let’s move ahead and know how to install new carpet.
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO INSTALL A NEW CARPET
Step 1 – Get the Right Carpet Type For Your Home
Depending on your home’s interior, there are various carpets you can choose from. Mostly, they come in five major cut types such as:
- Commercial loop
- Cut-and-loop pile
- Berber loop pile
- Berber cut pile
- plush (or cut) pile
You can get any of these types in any sort of fiber, both synthetic (such as olefin, acrylic, polyester, or nylon) or natural (such as coir, sisal, seagrass, or wool).
Evaluate your house’s living area to pick the best carpet cut and fiber as per your needs.
Step 2 – Laying the Underpad
Before laying the underpad, make sure your floor is clean and dry.
If it still looks unclean, you can wash it again, before placing the underpad. The cleaner the floor is, the cleaner the underpad and carpet will be.You can leave the existing strips, and if there are none, you can install new strips.
After that, remove the old cushion and replace it with new pads. As soon as it is removed, you will notice a huge difference in the performance and the feel of your new carpet.
Step 3 –Trim the Pad
Now, it is time to cut the pad!
So, first of all, you will have to feel through the padding to find the tackless strip.
Then, get a utility knife to cut trip the padding along the interior edge of the strip. Make sure that all the tacks are exposed by now.
Step 4 – Laying the New Carpet
Ensure that the carpet pieces are larger than your room. If you don’t do it, your new carpet won’t fit the space and go to waste.
Now, lay the new carpet to see it fits the entire area of the room.
Step 5 – Match Up Carpet Seams
Sometimes, one piece of carpet is not enough to fit the entire room, so at that time, the carpet should be trimmed with utmost precision to line up the seams.
Next, you can get seam tape to join the two seams. Then, make sure the seams between two pieces are trimmed at the same time. If you don’t do this, their edges won’t match.
After that, use seaming tape with a streaming iron and carpet roller, or else the seams won’t get completely sealed.
If you are doing this DIY for the first time, get the right equipment to get your work done.
Then, measure your room and add 3″ to the measurement, and notch the corners at the appropriate length.
Step 6 –Trim the Carpet to Size
Now, take chalk and run a straight line from notch to notch. Then slowly cut the excess carpet along the chalk line leaving 3″ extra next to the walls.
After you trim the excess carpet, lay out any additional carpet needed to fill the room.
Step 7 – Stretching and Attaching the Carpet
You can use a power stretcher to attach the strips.
What to do when the power stretcher does not reach the corners and alcoves?
Well, you can use a knee kicker and stair tool to stretch the carpet and to finish the installation. Also, place a carpet spreader to attach the tackless strips around the walls.
After stretching, the next part will be trimming, tucking at the walls, and reinstalling the molding at the baseboards.
Step 8 – The Binder Bar
In the eighth step, do not forget to mail a binder bar on areas like a threshold where the carpet ends.
As soon as you stretch the carpet with the knee kicker, link it to the hooks in the binder bar. Then, get a scrap piece of a wooden block of lumber to close the binder bar on the edge.
Step 9 – Finish Trimming the Carpet
Make sure to cut out the vent when all the carpet is cut and tucked in place. If you wish, you can attach shoe moulding around the room.
Once you are done with your work, the newly placed carpet will truly be a treat for the eyes and feet.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Should you tip carpet installers?
It is not compulsory to tip your carpet installers. But if you do, they will appreciate it.
If you think the installers have done excellent work and have gone really beyond, it is completely up to you.
From moving the furniture, to replacing the old carpet and pad with a new one, they do a bulk of heavy work, which is not easy.
You can either tip carpet installer he truly deserves or reward him with snacks and refreshments or.
2. What is a fair price for carpet installation?
Before you decide to appoint a carpet installer or plan to do it yourself, it is a good idea to think about how much this entire project will cost.
The average price of the carpet installation as per the room size is around $1,463. But if you are planning a DIY project, you will be cutting a huge cost.
3. How do you layout a carpet?
To layout a carpet in your room, you will have to first take the measurements of the floor and then choose the ideal size and carpet or space.
Once it is done, you will have to cut the carpet and stretch it to see if the size is perfect for the floor.
4. Do I have to move all my furniture for carpet installation?
Yes! You should move out all the furniture such as dressers, sofas beds, and tables to install the new carpet.
If you do that, it will make things easier for you and allow you to power stretch.
5. What should I look for after installing carpet?
If you have spent a good amount of time in carpet installation, you will have to examine a few details to ensure that you did the job right.
Firstly, you will have to check the surface of the carpet for folds or wrinkles that may cause the carpet to look rippled or warped. After stepping on the wrinkle, if it does not disappear, it means there was a problem while installing the carpet.
Next, ensure that the carpet seams are smooth and meet the doorways, baseboards, walls, or other types of flooring. Look out for any loose or frayed edges that are not tucked in neatly.
Lastly, ensure the stair lines are smooth and even when they meet the wall.
6. How long does it take to install carpet?
Suppose you have a busy schedule, and you want to complete your carpet installation work fast, it will take a couple of days.
If you have all the right equipment, then it will take up to about a day. If your room does not have odd-shaped walls or any nooks, then your DIY work will be complete within a few hours.
Below we have listed a few more things that you can take into consideration if you want to complete your work in a day.
- Individual room size
- Installation crew efficiency
- Amount of carpet needed
- Old flooring rip-up
BOTTOM LINE
Removing, cleaning, and installing a new carpet on the floor is not an easy task, but by the end of the project, you will be proud of your hard work. Don’t be in a hurry and try to complete all the steps at your speed.
Moreover, be patient during the installation. If you feel this project is too difficult for you, you can contact a professional carpet installer and get the job done.
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers!