DIY Carpet Installation – What Many People Don’t Know
Do-it-yourself home improvement projects are becoming commonplace thanks to the high prices professionals charge these days. We can attempt to tackle installing carpet without professional aid
Instructions for the installation process can be found below following the list of needed materials.
Here are the materials you will need:
Carpet
Nails
Screws
Carpet pad
You will also be needing these tools:
Hammer
Tack strip cutter
Knee kicker
Trimmer
Power stretcher
Staple gun
Carpet seam tape
Carpet knife
Before starting the project you have to make sure all the materials and tools needed are complete. Follow these simple steps to properly install your carpet.
Measure the room – Before buying anything, be sure you have taken all your measurements. You have to measure the length and the width of the room as this is important to determine the size of the carpet you will be needing.
Prepare the floor – Clean your floor before beginning. Test the floor for squeaks and other damage. You will have to repair any damaged areas you find. These will only damage your carpet when not properly fixed.
Install tack strips – Place tack strips parallel to wall edges. They should not be installed in front of doors. The tack strips should be consistently around ” from the walls or baseboard.
Install the carpet pad – A carpet pad is essential in protecting the carpet and giving cushion to the feet. Choose a wall and begin unrolling the carpet cushion along it. You have to make sure that you overlap the tack strips a few inches. Make sure you have no wrinkles in your pad. Bunching can be prevented by taping the seams. Staple the pad thoroughly every 2 feet or so. When the carpet pad is secured, use a carpet knife to cut the excess padding along the tack strips. Make sure that the pad do not overlap the tack strips.
Install the carpet – Same as installing the carpet pad, roll out the carpet along one wall making sure you leave an excess of about 3 to 4 inches that should overlap along the walls. If you need to use more than one section a seam must be created. Use seam tape placed under the seam for this effect. A steam iron may be used to melt the adhesive on the seam tape and fasten the carpet ends to it.
Tack the carpet down and trim – Don’t trim the ends of the carpet before you have tacked it into the space left between the tack strip and baseboard. Install the carpet to the tack strip using a knee kicker. The carpet can be stretched over the tack strips using a power stretcher. Now the carpet may be trimmed, use your carpet trimmer and trim only the extra along the wall. Use a stair tool to tuck the carpet in the space between the tack strip and wall. You can’t neglect the doorways; prevent fraying by installing door edge strips.
When you have finished installing the carpet, it is important that you also vacuum the carpet.
Installing carpets could be really easy and fun if you follow certain steps. If you use the tools and materials you should, you will get the result you desire.
This wonderful writer has more articles on Electrical Hand Tools and even on Used Hand Tools
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