How To Install Carpet Over Pad STEP BY STEP, by Carpet Expert Blueprint on YouTube. 6 min 11 s.
- Video length
- 6 min 11 s
- Time to do it
- 3 hours
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Clear the room and pull up the old carpet and pad. Remove staples and old tack strips, then check the subfloor for loose boards or high nails.
Fix squeaks and uneven spots before you cover them. Sweep and vacuum the subfloor so grit does not rub under the new pad.
Fit new tack strips around the walls with the pins facing the wall. Leave a small gap at doorways and use a chisel in tight corners.
Roll out the carpet pad and trim it to fit inside the tack strips. Butt seams together, staple the pad at the edges and vacuum it.
Roll out the carpet with the pile running the same way in each piece. Overlap the walls and let the carpet relax before stretching.
Hook the carpet onto one wall, then stretch it across the room with a knee kicker. Use a power stretcher for large rooms and fasten the edges.
Trim the excess carpet along the walls. Tuck the edges into the gap between the tack strip and baseboard with a tucking tool.
Join seams with seam tape and a seaming iron if the room needs more than one piece. Trim the seam, vacuum the carpet and refit the furniture.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the carpet pile running the same direction in every piece to avoid visible shading.
Do not rely on a knee kicker alone in a large room; a power stretcher gives a tighter, longer lasting fit.
Wear knee pads and cut away from your body when using a utility knife.
Let new carpet relax in the room for about 24 hours before stretching it.
Questions
Can you lay new carpet over the old pad?
No. Replace flattened, stained or smelly pad. New carpet needs sound pad and clean tack strips to sit flat and last.
Do you need a power stretcher for a bedroom?
Yes for most bedrooms. A knee kicker helps at the edges, but a power stretcher pulls the carpet tight across the room.
How do you cut carpet around a doorway?
Trim small amounts at a time, then tuck the edge under the door trim. Keep the blade sharp and test the fit before cutting more.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
