How to Install Carpet | The Home Depot, by The Home Depot on YouTube. 3 min 46 s.
- Video length
- 3 min 46 s
- Time to do it
- 1 day for one room
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Clear the room and pull up the old carpet and pad. Cut the carpet into strips about 3 feet wide, roll them up, and pry out the old tack strips and staples.
Check the subfloor for squeaks, loose boards and bumps. Hammer down nails and fill low spots with floor patch so the new carpet sits flat.
Measure the room and add about 10 percent for waste and seams. Buy carpet and pad to that size, then unroll the carpet indoors and let it relax for 24 hours.
Nail new tack strips around the edge of the room with the pins facing up, leaving a 1/4 inch gap from the wall. Butt strips end to end at corners and doorways.
Staple the carpet pad down inside the tack strips, trim it flush and tape the seams. Keep the pad off the tack strips so the carpet hooks on cleanly.
Roll out the carpet with the pile running the same direction, overlapping each wall by about 3 inches. Rough-cut the shape with a carpet knife, cutting away from your body.
Hook the carpet onto the tack strip in one corner, then use a knee kicker to stretch it into the next corner. Work around the room, stretching and hooking one wall at a time.
Run a power stretcher across the room for a tight fit, then trim the excess with a carpet knife and tuck the edges under the baseboard with a stair tool.
Vacuum the carpet to lift the pile and leave it a day before moving heavy furniture back in.
Tips and common mistakes
Rent a power stretcher for rooms wider than 12 feet, because a knee kicker alone will not pull the carpet tight enough.
Cut the carpet about 3 inches bigger than the room, since trimming more is easy but adding length is not.
Wear knee pads and gloves because tack strips, staples and carpet knives cut easily.
Do not lay carpet over damp concrete. Tape a plastic sheet down overnight and check for moisture first.
Questions
How much extra carpet should I buy?
Add about 10 percent to your room measurements for waste and trimming. Rooms wider than 12 feet need extra for seams and pattern matching.
Can I install carpet over a concrete floor?
Yes, if the slab is dry and fully cured. Test for moisture first, then use a pad and tack strips, or a glue-down method for below-grade rooms.
Do I really need a power stretcher?
For any room wider than about 12 feet, yes. Rent one from a tool rental center and use the knee kicker only for short runs and corners.
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.
