How to Install Carpet

Carpet is one of the best ways to decorate and cover your flooring. Carpets are available in myriad colors, patterns, designs that suit everyone's budget and hence, are considered as one of the best options for decorating your home. Once you have chosen the suitable carpet for your living room, bedroom or for the stairs, the question arises as to how to install it. Taking professional help can be expensive, so why not install a carpet on your own. Although not a very easy process, it is definitely not impossible. Installing carpet on stairs or in the room can be done at home by following a simple procedure. The following is the step-by-step procedure on the same.

Carpet Installation in a Room

The following are the things that you will require for installing carpet at home:

• Carpet and carpet padding (underlay)
• Tack Strips
• Knee Kicker
• Stapler
• Hammer
• Utility Knife or cutter
• Seam Iron
• Seam Tape
• Gloves

Some of these things can even be got in the market on rent and hence, you need to search a bit for the same. Now, let us take a look as to how to lay carpet:

• Firstly, remove the old carpet and underlay. You can also get rid of the old tack strips if they have worn out. At the same time, you can check for loose floorboards or tiles and repair them.
• Now place the tack strips around the circumference of the room, leaving 1/5 inch space between the strips and walls. You should make sure that the pins and nails of the tack strips are facing towards the wall and it is not advisable to place tack strips in doorways.
• Next, lay the carpet padding (underlay) in strips and fasten it with staples. If you want to install carpet on concrete, then note that you will need glue to fasten carpet underlay and carpet to the floor.
• Take the measurement of the room and add to 5-6 inches extra and cut the carpet accordingly. Place the carpet on the floor and fix it to the tack strips using a knee knicker. Trim the excess length of the carpet with a cutter.
• In case, there is extra space left, you can repeat the procedure and fasten another piece of carpet by matching the two parts exactly. Tuck the carpet in between tack strips and the wall, near objects and glue it and that's it!

For installing carpet on stairs, you can use the above mentioned procedure. But, you need to place the tack strips either in an angle between the horizontal (tread) and vertical (riser) part of the stair; or in 90 degree like on the tread and one for the riser. Installing carpet tiles is different, but, fairly easy process as the tiles can be directly stuck to the floor with the help of adhesive. Some of the tiles even come with an adhesive backing. The cost to install carpets is also found to vary a lot. But, now that you know the process of carpet installation, why not do it yourself at home.

Once you start with it, you may not find it difficult and after doing it a couple of times, you will definitely master it. Good luck!