Why You Should NEVER DIY Carpet | How To Prep for Professional Carpet Installation, by Home RenoVision DIY on YouTube. 15 min 22 s.
- Video length
- 15 min 22 s
- Time to do it
- 2 hours
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Empty the room completely, including closets, shelves and curtains. Installers move much faster when nothing is in the way, and your belongings stay safe from knives and stretchers.
Ask your installer what removal includes before you touch the old carpet. If you are pulling it, cut it into strips, roll it up, then lift the tack strips and pull the staples.
Check the subfloor for loose boards, squeaks and high spots. Drive screws down flush so no bump telegraphs through the new carpet.
Trim the bottom of each door so it clears the new carpet and underlay. Mark the cut line with a pencil and straight edge, then cut with a saw and seal or paint the bare edge.
Vacuum the subfloor and wipe down the baseboards. Grit and dust work into new carpet fibres and show up as traffic marks within weeks.
Clear a path from the door to the room and keep pets and children away on install day. Installers need power, space to roll out carpet and room to stretch it.
Walk the finished room before the installers leave and check seams, edges and door clearance. Raise anything you are not happy with while the crew and their tools are still there.
Tips and common mistakes
Wear gloves and safety glasses when pulling tack strips, because the staples and spikes are sharp.
Carpet needs a power stretcher and seaming tools, so leave the actual fitting to the pros.
Leave the old carpet in place until the new one is on site in case of a delivery delay.
Check door clearance after fitting, as a tight door will drag and fray the carpet edge.
Questions
Can I install carpet myself?
It is not a good DIY job. Carpet needs a power stretcher, seaming iron and knee kicker, and a badly stretched carpet wrinkles and fails early.
Do I have to remove the old carpet?
Often not. Many installers include removal and disposal in the quote, so ask first before you spend a day pulling staples.
How much gap should a door have above new carpet?
Trim the door so it clears the carpet and underlay with a few millimetres to spare. Test it once the carpet is down and adjust before the installers leave.
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.
