How To Lay Carpet [Step-by-step guide], by Bunnings Warehouse on YouTube. 7 min 28 s.
- Video length
- 7 min 28 s
- Time to do it
- 4 to 6 hours for one room
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Clear the room and pull up the old carpet and underlay, lifting the gripper rods as you go. Vacuum the floor and check it is dry, flat and free of dust.
Unroll the new carpet in the room and leave it for about 24 hours so it relaxes and flattens before you cut anything.
Nail new gripper rods around the edge of the room with the pins angled towards the wall, leaving a gap of about the carpet thickness at the skirting.
Roll out the underlay over the whole floor, butt the edges together and staple it down, trimming it to sit just inside the gripper rods.
Measure the room at its widest points, add about 100mm to each side, then mark and cut the carpet from the back with a sharp knife.
Lay the carpet over the underlay and press it onto the gripper rods along one wall, keeping the pile running the same way across the room.
Stretch the carpet with a knee kicker as you work around the room so it sits tight and flat, then trim the excess along the skirting.
For a join, overlap the two pieces, cut through both layers in one straight line, then seal the edges with heat bond tape or carpet joining tape.
Press the carpet onto the gripper rods along the join, trim any loose edges and fit a threshold bar in the doorway.
Vacuum the carpet and brush it with a broom to lift the pile, then check the edges and trim any loose threads.
Tips and common mistakes
Cut carpet from the back with a fresh blade and always cut away from your body.
Keep the pile direction the same on every piece, or the join will show as a patch of different colour.
Knee kickers put strain on your knee, so wear knee pads and keep your kneecap behind the pad.
Trim the carpet slightly long rather than short, then cut the final edge after it is stretched.
Questions
Can I lay carpet over an existing hard floor?
Yes, if the floor is sound, flat and dry. Fit gripper rods and underlay first, or use a floating underlay designed for laying over hard floors.
How do I join two pieces of carpet without the seam showing?
Overlap the pieces by about 50mm, cut through both layers in one straight line, then join the edges with heat bond tape or carpet joining tape.
Do I really need a knee kicker?
For a wall to wall fit, yes. A knee kicker or power stretcher pulls the carpet tight so it does not ripple or lift off the gripper rods.
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.
