Whether you are ready to replace an old, stained carpet, or you want to completely redo your flooring, it is vital to make sure that you know how to properly remove carpet. By using the right techniques, you’ll be assured of saving not only time, but your floors will go through a lot less damage. Before we get started, it’s a good idea to have some kneepads, since you will be kneeling, gloves, a carpet knife and a chisel.
The amount of work involved is going to depend largely on how the carpet was installed. We’ve seen cases of industrial glue applied directly to a floor and then a carpet was slapped on top of it. This was one of the hardest removal jobs we’ve ever done and it resulted in severely damaged floors. Hopefully, your carpets were installed professionally, but you’ll need to get an idea of what you’re working with before you get started.
Go to one corner of the room, preferably in the back where it won’t be noticeable. Take up a small section of carpet and see what method was used to attach it to the floor. If it is glued, you’ll see some yellow residue. This may be crumbling if the house is older and the carpets are original. This won’t be hard to remove at all, and shouldn’t take much time.
Some installers use carpet nails and these can be a little trickier. You’ll need to start by ripping out the carpet in one corner and then locating the little nails as you go. Depending on their size and how old the installation is, you may be able to just rip them out, or you may end up having to pry up each one.
Once you know how the carpet was installed, completely clear the room out from furniture and you’ll be ready to get started. It’s best to go back to that original place where you tore out a small piece of carpet. If it was glued, plant your feet and get a good grip on the carpet. This is where your gloves are really going to come in handy.
Start pulling backwards, using as much leverage as you can. You’ll have better results if you’re standing, and if the glue is really firm, you may even need a friend to help you. Pull up the carpet until you have a large portion that resembles a piece of pie. Now, go to the other corner and do the same thing.
Go to the two remaining corners and do the same thing until you have all of the carpet in the center of the room. Sometimes, the central part of the carpet will be the hardest to remove. Try rolling up what you’ve already removed and use leverage once again to try to rip it out. When you’re done, roll up the whole carpet and remove it from the room. If it was nailed down, we recommend using a small metal detector to find any small nails that may be hard to spot. You’re now ready to install your new flooring!
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Originally posted 2008-09-16 05:55:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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Flooring, Handy Man, carpet
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2 comments ↓
One other thing that I would like to mention here is safety. The blades used in carpet knives are extremely sharp, in fact here we call them suicide knives. Make sure to wear your gloves at all times. Not only will they make the work easier on your hands, but the gloves will protect them as well from sharp blades. The other thing is if the carpet is held down by anything other than glue be extremely careful of nails and staples. Although the kneepads are a little bulky to wear they are great at protecting your knees as you crawl around the carpet.
Thanks for a great post!
Thanks for the “how to”. I’m a carpet cleaner who occassional is asked if I know anyone who can do this type of work when the carpet has irreversible damage. Of course I usually stay away from it. Maybe now, for the right price I’ll try it.
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