Home
Why Build it Myself?
Electrical Quick Guide
Advertise Here
Mortgage Calculator
Contractor Directory
Small house plans
Building Departments
Plan your home
Blueprints
Blueprint Symbols
Foundations
Subfloors
House Framing
Sheathing
Stair Construction
Windows and Doors
Plumbing
Electrical Wiring
Insulation
Heating
Network Wiring
Vinyl Siding
Roofing
Drywall
Finish Work
Water Wells
Septic System
Flooring
Bathrooms
Kitchens
Low cost house
Landscaping
House Floor Plan
Women and Building
Building Permits
Low Income housing
Remodeling
Fun Interior Designs
My house pics
Our  Building Story
Friendly links
Loan plans
Legal Contracts
Money Making Ideas
My Newsletter
Affordable plans
Barn house plan
About Contractors
Tools Needed
Be your contractor
Sitemap
Housebuilders Blog
How to Refinance
Contact Me
About Me
Asbestos Hazards
 

Once you choose your carpet type, learn how-to-install-carpet.

Knowing how-to-install-carpet is a good thing but there is one thing that I should mention here about carpeting. Most carpet stores sell carpet by the square yard and the carpet installation is already included in the price.

I tried to find carpet that I could install myself, because I thought it would be cheaper, but the price was the same if I did the work or not. This is very common. It’s much easier to have carpet installers do it for you and it’s usually the same price.

carpeting



Carpet is really quite reasonable unless you decide to buy an expensive brand, which will last longer, but even the more economical type will last close to a decade.

By that time, you’ll probably be ready for a newer style, so the less expensive brand is a good idea.

Heavy traffic areas like hallways and entryways will need a durable type of carpet or a high quality rug to handle the traffic. Try to get a good deal on carpeting because there is a wide variation in price.

installing carpet



The basics of how-to-install-carpet. You will need the carpet pad, which goes down first. You will need to nail all the tack strips in place, which actually holds the carpet in place without having to use tacks. The tack strip will be placed ¼-inch away from the walls.

cutting carpet



The carpet pad will fit inside of the tack strip. The carpet roll can now be rolled out onto the floor to be measured for cutting. There needs to be about three inches of spare carpet all the way around before cutting it.

This is the first measurement and it needs to have extra. Once that is cut to a rough estimate, you will need to get a carpet edge cutter or a utility knife.

An edge cutter is preferable because of its ability to cut straight lines up against a wall. You can still get a good close fit with a utility knife, but you need to be much more careful not to cut too much carpet or it will leave a bare spot.

This is a time when it is essential to have good sharp blades for your utility knife.

how to lay carpet



The carpet will need to be stretched tight with a stretcher. Once it is stretched tight, you can start to press it into the tack strip with the head of a hammer.

You can secure the carpet onto the tack strip by rolling the hammer head firmly along the strip and pressing down. This will push the carpet onto the strip and bend the strip tacks over to hold the carpet in place. You can then lightly hammer the tack strip to make sure there aren’t any tacks sticking through.

carpet tack strip



When you have all the flooring done, you can put threshold strips across doorways to prevent the vinyl from peeling up. It also keeps carpets from fraying. That is the nutshell version for how-to-install-carpet. As I said before, you will probably not have to do your own carpets because the price is the same if you do it or if you let somebody else do it. Laying carpet takes a fair amount of experience, so it’s best that the professionals do it anyway.

how-to-install-carpet top of page

Next, how to install hardwood flooring



footer for how-to-install-carpet page