Do it Yourself Carpet
Installing a carpet is not
an easy task for a novice, especially a DIY project and therefore,
it is important to have adequate knowledge of the process before
embarking on this assignment. Installing a carpet yourself involves
the use of specialized tools and using some muscles. The main part
is selecting the best carpet for your needs- the type of weave and
material is reflective of price range, desired strength and
durability.
Simplified guidelines for the DIY carpet
Shearing the tack less strips to fit each wall, nail these around
the perimeter of the room with a space between the strip and the
wall equaling 2/3rd of the thickness of the carpet, fixed to the
floor with 2 masonry nails. If installing carpet over tile flooring,
remove the tiles where you are nailing the tack less strips, if over
concrete, install a special gripper edge. Padding strips to measure
across the length of the room are laid over the tack less strips on
all walls, and facing up, these are stapled every 6 inches on the
edge. Excess is trimmed with a utility knife and each seam covered
with duct tape. Cut the carpet a few inches longer than the room's
dimensions, overlapping each piece at the edges and trim it. Run a
chalk line on the back of the overlapped carpet edges and trim a
straight edge before overlapping these straight edges with a row
cutter to cut the bottom piece. Use the edge of the top piece as a
guide in cutting the seam to fit. Seaming tape is centered under the
seam and the iron used to melt the adhesive by slowly pulling it
down the tape. The adhesive melts and the carpet edges can be
pressed together over the tape and the seam rolled with a rolling
pin. The knee kicker teeth are to be dug into the carpet close to
the wall and the cushioned end needs a swift kick with your knee to
hook the carpet to the tack less strip. Power stretcher base is
placed at the wall that was hooked and its lever pressed down to
lock it before stretching the carpet on the opposite wall. Repeat
for all walls.
Ensuring a clean finish to the DIY carpet fixing
Using a wall trimmer, trim carpet excess by slicing it down the wall
and for a neat finish, the stair tool is used to push the edges
between the wall and the tack less strips. The carpet at the doorway
is trimmed with a gripper edge installed to hold the carpet in
place. Alternatively, a metal strip can be nailed down for the same
purpose.
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
Qmark Heaters,
electric tankless water heaters,
bathroom heaters,
patio heaters, electric heaters,
portable air
conditioners & electric towel warmers. Shop on line at
www.heateroutlet.com for these great home improvement products.
Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to
Innovative Air Products located in historical Exeter, NH. We are a 2nd
generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential &
commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. We offer
a great selection online at the lowest prices anywhere. We can also be
found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube