Home Improvement Interior Remodel Flooring & Stairs Carpet

10 Tips for Installing Carpet by Yourself

Wall-to-wall carpeting provides rooms with rich comfort, soundproofing, and warmth that few other floor coverings can match. Carpeting works especially well in bedrooms, living rooms, and in hallways. Carpeting is often sold as a package, with installation included as part of the total cost. But if you'd like to save money on carpeting, installing it by yourself is one way to go.

Installer Using Carpet Stretcher on New Bedroom Floor

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Clean the Floor

Cleaning the floor before installing the padding and carpeting removes debris that can slowly wear away at the underside of the carpeting. Not only that but dirt is the main cause of mold in carpeting.

Dirt contains mold spores. Dirt plus moisture provide a rich breeding ground for mold. Dirt quickly soaks up any available moisture—it is a moisture magnet.

So, by starting with a clean floor base, you help the carpeting stay in good condition for the long term by preventing fraying and by reducing the chance of mold growth.

Install Carpet Tack Strips

Carpet tack strips are strips of wood with sharp upward-pointed tacks. They are attached to the subfloor around the perimeter of the room to anchor the edges of the carpeting. Tack strips hold the carpeting in place, keep edges down, and keep the carpet stretched taut to avoid wrinkles.

Carpet tack strips can be installed on any type of substrate, whether a wood or concrete subfloor. Install the tack strips with the tacks angled toward the wall. If the tacks are angled toward the room, they will not hold the edges of the carpeting.

Leave a Gap Between the Tack Strips and the Wall

Install the carpet tack strips with about 1/4-inch between the strip and the wall. Do not install the tack strips against the wall.

Extra space is needed to tuck the edges of the carpet over the strips. The gap between the tack strips should be less than the thickness of the carpeting so that the tucked portion remains tightly wedged in place.

Leave the Old Tack Strips in Place

If you are replacing old carpet, leave the tack strips in place for reuse with the new carpet, if possible.

Tack strips cannot always be reused, and not all tack strips can be saved. Some strips will be torn up during carpeting removal, while other strips will be rotten or moldy. But as long as the tack strips are in good condition—with the wood intact and the tacks sharp and not bent down—keep them in place.

Tip

If you have any doubt about the tack strips, replace them now since this is easier to do at this point than after the carpet has been installed.

Attach the Padding Between the Tack Strips

Keep the carpet padding within the inner perimeter formed by the carpet tack strips. Padding should touch the inner edge of the tackless strips but it should not overlap the strips. If the padding overlaps, a thick lump will develop around the edge of the carpet.

If you're having trouble getting the carpet to stay on the tack strip, there might be carpet padding or another obstruction in the way.

Use Quality Carpet Padding

Use high-quality carpet padding. Even lower-quality carpeting will perform better if the underlying padding is of good quality.

Density is one way to judge the quality of carpet padding. Look for at least a 6-pound density rating. This means that each cubic foot of padding weighs 6 pounds. Prime foam padding is the least dense padding, at 5 pounds density or less. Rubber padding is the most dense, at up to 22 pounds per cubic foot.

Tip

While you might be able to reuse some or all of the tack strips, do not reuse carpet padding. Old carpet padding will likely be too flattened down by traffic for reuse with new carpet.

Buy Extra Carpeting

Purchase up to 10-percent more carpeting in excess of the project area. So, for a 500-foot project area, purchase up to 50 square feet of overage. The concept of overage applies to all types of home projects, including tiling, painting, and all flooring materials.

Patterned carpet requires more excess than non-patterned carpet since cutting and seaming pieces require you to match the pattern. The larger the pattern, the more waste.

Consider Carpet Roll Widths With the Layout

Carpet rolls tend to come in 12-foot and 15-foot widths, with some rolls at 13-1/2 feet wide. Lay out the project area and consider how those rolls will fit into the area. Any small room less than 12 feet or 15 feet wide can be covered by those widths, without having to seam together two sections of carpeting.

You may need to purchase carpeting in excess of the 5- to 10-percent overage to adequately cover the house without having to turn the carpeting sideways. The carpeting should run in the same direction so that the carpet pile will lay correctly.

Tip

You can detect the direction of the carpet’s pile by looking at it from different directions in strong light. Keep the carpet pile consistent from piece to piece to avoid color or shading variations.

Rent Carpet Installation Tools

To install carpet correctly, you'll need a number of professional-level tools, available for lease or rent at home centers or rental yards. Depending on the project, you will need a seam iron, a power stretcher, and a knee kicker. These are expensive tools and it is more economical to rent these tools rather than buy them unless you expect to install carpeting often. Carpet knives are indispensable for cutting carpeting. These can be purchased for $10 to $20.

Tip

Not all tools need to be rented or purchased. Some tools for carpet installation might already be found in your home: hammer, stapler, tin snips, chalk line, and shop vacuum. You will also need a utility knife and plenty of fresh blades for cutting carpet padding.

Use a Carpet Stretcher and Knee Kicker

Carpet power stretches give your carpet a flat, tight appearance that stays that way for years to come. Two types of stretchers are essential to a good carpet installation: a power stretcher and a knee kicker.

  • Power stretcher: A power stretcher is a long tool that will brace against the walls to stretch the carpeting taut across the entire room.
  • Knee kicker: A knee kicker will help you push the edges of the carpeting into the corners and over the tack strips around the perimeter of the room.

Proper stretching is vital to good carpet installation. If you're not prepared to learn this skill, it's best to hire pros.