Carpet Installation
Our experts' advice to prepare you for carpet installation.
There’s nothing like a cozy new carpet to soften up your home. To get the look you want, and to make sure your carpet lasts as long as you expect it to, it’s important to hire a qualified carpet installer with the experience it takes to do the job right the first time. An experienced installer will move quickly and has specialized knowledge and tools to handle unexpected situations. A professional installation can also help ensure your carpet is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.
Carpet installation is very hard work and requires a variety of tools and supplies that might be hard to find for the average DIY enthusiast. While every professional installer has a broad range of equipment to work with, below are a few items you’re sure to see during the installation process:
Tack Strips
These strips of wood are nailed to the floor around the outside edge of the area where the carpet will be installed. There are angled pins sticking off the top that catch hold of the carpet and keep it in place, allowing it to be stretched tight into position.
Knee-Kicker
About a foot and a half long, this tool has teeth at one end that grip the carpet, and a pad at the other end. The installer sets the Kicker onto the carpet and strikes the padded end with one knee. This pushes the carpet forward where it catches on the tack strip and is caught in a partly stretched position.
Seam Roller
The seam roller is a spiked cylinder-shaped roller with a handle. It’s used to press down on the seam between two pieces of carpet to make sure the carpet sticks to the adhesive which has been applied underneath. Creating seams is a lot harder than it looks, especially in doorways or other high-traffic areas.
Getting Ready for Your Carpet Installation
Preparation is important for a successful hardwood flooring installation. You should consult with your Staff Carpet flooring specialist for full instructions, but there are steps you can take to help the process go smoothly.
- Your old flooring may have to be removed, and there may be some work involved in getting the exposed surface ready for your new carpet installation. This is especially true if the old flooring was glued down or set in place with tile adhesive. It’s a good idea to have this part of the job done professionally, because an experienced flooring specialist will know what a “ready for carpet” surface looks like and may be able to assist you with the disposal of your old flooring.
- You will need to move all the furniture out of the room where your new carpet will be installed. Once again, hiring professional movers and storage experts can be a very good idea, especially for heavy items, or items requiring special care. Professional movers can save you lots of time. An experienced crew can cut down the amount of time you will be without furniture to as little as a day, before and after the carpet installation is done.
During & After Your Carpet Installation
When your carpet crew arrives, an adult member of your household should greet them. This person should be age 18 or older and should be able to show the crew to the work area. The lead installer should provide you with a walkthrough of the job to give you a clear sense of the work involved and how much time it will take. To ensure everyone’s safety, and to help the job go smoothly, keep children and pets away from the work area until the job is completed. Feel free to ask your lead installer any questions you might have and get recommendations for how and when you can return your furniture and start using the carpet freely.
