DIY Carpet Installation Questions
 

I've been reading on some DIY carpet sites, as I plan to lay some carpet in my house this weekend. Specifically, a 12 x 12 room and an adjacent staircase. I have questions; surely someone here has done this before:

1) They say to put the pad over the tack strip and staple along the perimeter? I don't get it - how will the tack grab the carpet if the spikes are covered in padding? Is it supposed to go through the padding and into the carpet backing?

2) Based on the size of my project, do I absolutely need the stretcher, or will a kicker do? I'm thinking of these tools from Harbor Freight: stretcher, kicker.

3) Can I just trim against the wall with a utility knife, or should I get one of these loop cutters? I don't want this to look like a hack job.

4) Any idea where I can get a seamer and some seamer tape? Would these be Home Depot items?

5) After stretching and attaching the carpet, should I "mash" down the spikes so my kids don't step on them?

Thanks in advance!

Oh god this brings back horrible memories.


1. The pad does NOT go over the tack strip. You staple all over the pad. If you don't staple all over the pad it will float the carpet.

2. If you have never installed carpet, you will NOT be able to knee-kick the carpet good enough to give it a good stretch. You can rent "power stretchers" at many of the big box stores like HD. Don't kid yourself on kicking carpet.

3. None of my installers ever used a loop cutter. High quality utility knife is fine--don't forget, you will have quarter round covering your mistakes;)

4. Why are you seeming in a 12 x 12 room? A doorway? No you can't get seam irons at HD. You may be able to rent one though.

5. There will be 10,000 little spikes in the tack strips around the perimeter of your room. The quarter round or shoe molding covers these spikes and they won't be a danger to your kids.

I know I sound discouraging, but installing carpet properly is a real pain in the ass. If it isn't done right, it will lose stretch and you will either have to stretch it again or hire someone to do it. Seaming is very difficult, especially if it is berber and you run a very real risk of ruining your carpet if you make ONE mistake seaming. Is your floor wood or concrete? If concrete better get a nail shooter too for the tack strip and glue for the pad.

I don't want to know if its a money issue out of respect for you, but you should be able to get carpet installed for $4-$6/sq. yard depending on if plush or berber and the type of subfloor. A restretch down the road will cost you $75 per room.

Oh, and stairs? I don't even know where to begin.......

Got to concur. I have some rental properties and have learned to do most tasks well. But installing carpet was not one of them. It just never looked anywhere near professional. I can get by if the room is small, requiring no seams, and I can use the old carpet as a pattern. But, even so, it is still substandard. I decided it was better to learn how to install hardwood floors and VCT.:D

Thanks - this is the type of educated response I was looking for. It's not a matter of money, I just prefer to DIY and there's hardly anything I pay someone else to do. But you're right - I have considered the cost of tools and the potential for screwing up and in this case it really might be best to let a pro do it.

Are you saying a 12 x 12 room (16 yards) would run under a hundred bucks? That's not too bad - I think the tools alone would cost me at least that much, and then I have to worry about screwing up.

How much do stairs typically run? I have 15 stairs about 3 feet wide.

This is good stuff - anyone else?

Thanks in advance!

I will qualify that that is a price i would have given someone who bought carpet from my store. A freelancer may be more or less (I always tried to make at least $1 on labor). Even the pros screw up--frequently. But if your carpet loses stretch within a year or so, the pro will come back and restretch it for free. Carpet is harder to install than ceramic tile. Now gluing down industrial carpet--piece of cake.


About $150 for the stairs, unless there are pickets or you want some type of custom work which of course would be more.


Back to the seaming thing: if you don't seam exactly right and seal the ends, the first time you vacuum, you will ruin the carpet.

Not that it's needed, but I'll add my voice to the "laying carpet is harrrd" contingent.

I'm a construction dude and DIYer and I frequently take on tasks for the first time (stuff like tile and oak floors) while I'm getting paid for it, and have come out smiling so far, though with a li'l sweat being shed in the process.

I draw the line at carpeting and real, genu - ine plaster walls. Both have a steep and sorta long learning curve. Life ain't long enough to learn to do everything well.

Just going through my old posts and wanted to follow up. Got a whole house full of white frieze carpet for $200. Owners were only in house 1 month and ripped it out to install hardwood floors. Got it home and installed in 12 x 12 dining room and staircase. Dining room took me 1.5 hours, stairs took me 4 hours (ouch). But it all looks great. Seriously, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

Best part is, I still have plenty more carpet left over, and I sold the old green 12 x 12 from the dining room for $30.

Good for you! The test will be how well everything holds together over time:)