How do I install new carpet?
Question:I pulled up the old carpet, and the padding seems to be in pretty good condition, so now what? How much do I cut back? Am I supposed to stretch it? And how do I tack it back down to the strips that are already there?
Answers:
Replace the padding. All pad will break down in a 20 year period. It's not expensive. Yes, you will need to stretch the pad over the tack strips. Rent a knee kicker from one of the home centers or rental places. Once you stretch and kick the carpet over the tack strips trim the excess. Removing baseboards is unnecessary. Improperly stretched carpet will wrinkle rather quickly. The action back that the carpet fibers are loomed into are designed to stretch into place a maximum 3/4" depending on your carpet selection and backing. Carpet will be steadily increasing in price due to decreased supply of petroleum. Make it last.
Good luck,
Jen
If you have any further questions e-mail me.
You first need to measure what you have in carpet and then what you have in space. This should be done with someone who has worked at this before and can give you some good pointers on how to go about laying it down.
The tack strip is already there, so you don't have to worry about installing that. No stretching is needed. You just need to measure properly and when everything is squared and even with the wall, you simply tap the carpet down with a lightweight rubber mallet. Make sure your cushioning under the carpet is in fact good. If it's been down there for a while I would consider getting new.
Good Luck!
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