Install Wall-to-Wall Carpeting
Installing carpeting takes preparation and care, but it doesn’t take much special skill. Very large rooms require power stretchers, so leave those to the professionals-the rest of the house is yours.
Tools: measuring rule, hammer, nail set, screwdriver, putty knife, vacuum cleaner, work gloves, tack hammer, ¼ -inch-thick piece of scrap wood, small handsaw, heavy scissors, staple gun, paintbrush or fine-toothed notched trowel, utility knife with sharp heavy-duty blades; knee kicker, available on rental from most carpet dealers; block of scrap wood, plane.
Materials: graph paper, flooring nails, wood putty, tack-less carpet fastening strips, metal door edging strip for each doorway in room, latex or vinyl foam carpet padding, foam padding adhesive, heavy-duty staples, precut and preseamed carpeting. Time: 1 to 2 days, depending on preparation necessary.
Probably the most difficult part of installing carpeting is calculating exactly what to buy and how to place it. Car¬peting is sold in 9-foot, 12-foot, and 15-foot widths; padding is sold in standard 4 ½ -foot rolls. Before you buy, measure the room to be carpeted and draw a floor plan on graph paper make sure your measurements are exact. Mark the exact position and width of all doors, windows, fireplaces, radiators, and other wall interruptions, and include the full depth of door frames. Take this floor plan with you to the carpet dealer.
Plan the layout of the carpeting and the padding carefully with the dealer to take advantage of the full width of the carpeting and to minimize seaming in heavy-traffic areas. Calculate the square yardage to be carpeted-length times width, divided by 9-and take the dealer’s advice on the lengths of carpeting and padding you’ll need.
It is possible to cut and seam the carpeting yourself, but this can be tricky. In a small room, no wider than the carpet roll, you won’t have to make seams; otherwise, have the carpet dealer cut and seam the carpeting to fit the room.
The dealer should also determine the amount and type of tackless strip fastener you need. The fastener comes in 4-foot strips.
The type depends on the thickness of your carpet and the floor you’re covering; the strips have preset edge tacks and preset nails for installation over wood or concrete. Be sure to buy the right kind, and buy a strip or two extra to allow for mistakes. Have metal door edging strips cut to the exact measure of your doors.
Finally, rent a knee kicker from the carpet dealer. The kicker is used to stretch the edges of the carpet onto the fastening strips.
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