Homeowners usually want professionals to install carpet, but some homeowners want to avoid the high cost of hiring someone. Many do-it-yourselfers find out carpet installation isn't as difficult as the professionals make it seem. If you have good leg and arm strength and can read a tape measure, you can install carpet. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Measure the dimensions of the room you will be carpeting with your ruler or tape measure. Lay the carpet down in a room larger than the one you will be laying the carpet in, or outside. Cut the carpet, with the carpet cutting tool, to the dimensions of the room.
2. Nail down fastening strips, starting in the corner. Nail the strips along the edge of the floor about 1/4 inch from the wall with the teeth towards the wall. Do this around the entire room. Nail the metal door edgings across the doorway with the open side pointing inside the room and with the teeth pointing out of the room.
3. Unroll the padding across the room you are carpeting, with the waffle side up. Cut this with a carpet cutting tool; overlap the fastening strips 2 inches along the entire wall. Use the staple gun and heavy duty staples to staple the padding into place, attaching a staple about every 6 inches. When all padding is in place, cut the padding where it meets the inner edge of the fastening strips only.
4. Unroll the carpet over the padding and pull into position, making sure the carpet overlaps the fastening strips. Slit the carpet at the corners, but do not cut past the overlap into the main carpeted area.
5. Put on the knee pads. Attach carpet to the fastening strips using the knee kicker. Start in a corner and put the head of the kicker on the carpet about an inch from the wall and aim it down at an angle to the wall. Kneel on the floor in the corner and hold the handle of the kicker with your right hand while using the left hand to hold yourself upright on the floor. Put as much of your weight as possible on the right arm and shove the left knee into the kicker to push the carpet and stretch it into place. Hook the carpet into the teeth of the fastening strips. Do this around the entire room.
6. Go around the edge of the carpet with a putty knife to push down any hanging threads of the carpet to finish off your carpet edges.
Tags: fastening strips, about inch, about inch from, around entire, around entire room, carpet cutting