Carpet Laying - easy or not? by:Joanna Harris

Are you planning to redo the look of your floor by laying a carpet or changing the previous one

? Carpets are quite expensive and if you can manage to lay them yourself, you will save quite a substantial amount of cash. The task of laying a carpet may seem daunting initially but with the right knowledge of the procedure and the right tools, it can become quite simple. But do expect a few hours of work at hand. A step by step procedure, if followed carefully, will ensure that the job is well done.

Remove any old carpet: for those who are installing a carpet for the first time, this step becomes redundant. While ripping apart the old carpet, care has to be taken not to damage the carpet pad and nail strips lying underneath as they may still be in a good condition and may be re usable.

Clean the floor: once the old carpet is removed, the floor needs to be cleaned or vacuumed to remove the small pieces of old carpet that may be lying around.

Procure the correct tools: carpet laying is a specialized job so it requires specific tools for it to be done properly. The tools you will require to ensure a proper installation of carpet include a staple gun, scissors, utility knife, nail strips and a carpet pad, if the old ones were unusable, hammer, nails, and seam tape. The special tools you will need to rent include a seaming iron, knee kicker, and a power stretcher tool.

Preparing the floor: the first step here is to install the nail strips by cutting them to fit each wall. They have to be nailed around the edge of each wall. After this is done, the carpet padding has to be laid by attaching it to the previously fixed nail strips along the edges of the room. It should be stapled every 5 to 6 inches to ensure that it stays flat.

Preparing the carpet: here the carpet has to be cut depending upon the dimensions of the room. Care has to be taken to leave a length of around 4-6 inches extra while cutting to deal with any eventualities. Once the carpet is cut, the seam cutter and seamless tape are to be used to give the carpet a seamless look.

And finally,

Laying the carpet: the final stage is the most crucial as it will give the final look to the floor. Use the knee kicker to attach the carpet to the nail strips. Once this is done on one side, a power stretcher is used to flatten and stretch the carpet on the other side. After this is done, kinks, if any, should be removed and excess carpet around the edges should be cut to give it a neat and clean look.

So, finally the carpet is laid and it definitely increases the show of the room and floor, provided the instructions and procedure has been followed correctly. Since it is not an easy task, care should be taken to keep it clean else cleaning it would become a hassle.

About the author

Joanna is a well renowned Polish journalist specialising in Polish, Russian and English translation services. She has been residing in the UK for 3 years where she has made her home among the Polish community in Tooting, South West London.

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