Laying carpets involves more than just putting the material on the floor. Start by preparing the following materials.
Required Tools and Materials
Hammer
Measuring tape
Stapler
Chalk line
Tackless strips
Utility knife
Knee kicker
Power stretcher
Seam cutter
Seam tape
Seam iron
Step 1
Clean the floor. Make sure there are no objects that may create bumps on the carpet surface.
Step 2
Put the tackless strips in the perimeter of the room ½ an inch off the wall. But do not put any in the doorway front. Make sure the strip corners join up. The tacks should be directed to the wall.
Step 3
Put the carpet underlay in strips. Keep these in place using staples. Butt the edges. Make sure the tacks can be seen. Cut any additional underpad.
Step 4
Make room measurements, beginning at the longest point. Add four inches to the total figure you get.
Step 5
Spread the carpet. Note the carpet’s back on the edges. Use the measurement you took.
Step 6
When laying carpets, make sure to connect the marks with the chalk line. Chop the carpet to the required length with the knife.
Step 7
Bring the carpet into the room. Roll it out and see if it fits. If the carpet is too small, you can get another carpet. Follow the same process as described earlier. If you do this, make sure the new carpet overlaps the current one by a couple of inches.
Step 8
Slice through the carpets with the seam cutter at the same time. This will ensure the carpets are of the same length.
Step 9
Slice off some seaming tape. Position it between the two carpets. The sticky side has to be facing up.
Step 10
Heat up the iron and work it along the seam. This will dissolve the adhesive. The edges will be fused together. Put pressure on the seam until the adhesive has dried.
Step 12
Set the knee kicker 3 inches from the wall. Push your knee onto the pad.
Step 13
Cut by the wall using the edge trimmer. To connect the carpet’s other side, use the power stretcher. Secure this to the tackless strips. Cut off any excesses you see. Cut the carpet along the doorway. Make vent openings. Finally, put in the shoe molding.
Here is another laying carpet tip to keep in mind: measure twice and cut once. Most of the problems that come with carpet installation involve improper measurements. For this reason, you need to get the figures right.
