DIY Network

Wall-to-Wall Carpet Installation From "DIY to the Rescue" episode DTTR-201

The Schulers are the consummate 30-something professionals. When it comes to tools, they admittedly have no idea where to begin. Covering the bare plywood floors with carpet is a daunting task, but the Rescue crew will help the Schulers undertake the project with aplomb.

Materials:

Utility knife
Carpet knife
Awl
Chalk line
Tape measure
Straight edge
Hammer
Staple gun
Knee kicker (specialty carpet tool; can be rented for about $10-20)
Power stretcher (can be rented for about $20-30)

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

Before starting: When installing carpet, floor preparation is usually minimal. If you are replacing carpet, pry up the old carpet from the tackless strip. The padding and tackless strips can be reused if they are still in good shape. Make sure the floor is dry and free of debris. Sweep or vacuum the area to ensure a clean, flat surface for installation. When ordering your carpet and padding, always measure the longest parts of the room and add about 15% extra for errors and to ensure you have enough for the job.

1. Clean and prep floor. Cut lengths of tackless strip to fit each wall around the perimeter of the room. Secure them with the pre-driven nails into the sub-floor, keeping the strip out from the wall about 2/3 the thickness of your carpet. Make sure the tackless strips join together at the corners and the pointed pins in each strip are facing the wall. Caution: To protect your hands, always wear heavy work gloves when handling tackless strips.

2. Measure your room to cut your padding. Be sure to measure from the longest points of the room, but measure from inside the tackless strip edge. Cut your padding to fit using a straight edge and utility knife. Lay out your padding waffle side facing up, and staple it along its edge every 6". The padding should not overlap; it should be butted up against each other to form a clean seam. Use a utility knife to trim the excess padding that might be covering the tackless strips, and cover each butted seam with duct tape.

3. Measure between walls along the largest parts of the room. Transfer the measurements to your carpet, adding 4-6" in all directions. Cut your carpet on the back edge with a carpet knife and a straight edge. A chalk line can be helpful for transferring longer measurements.

4. Position cut carpet in the room, fitting the factory cut edge against the first wall, followed by the other sides. Use a carpet knife to cut around any odd corners of protruding walls.

5. Use a knee kicker to force the edges of the carpet on to the tackless strip. Hook the carpet to the tackless strip starting in one of the corners. Dig the teeth of the knee kicker into the carpet about 1" from the wall. Swiftly kick the cushioned end of the knee kicker with your knee to hook the carpet to the tackless strip (figure A).

6. Next, use a power stretcher to firmly stretch and secure the carpet on to the tackless strip on each side of the room. Once one corner is hooked with the knee kicker, use the power stretcher to stretch the carpet to the opposite wall. Put the base of the power stretcher at the wall that was just hooked with the knee kicker. TIP: Use a piece of scrap carpet or a padded 2 x 4 if necessary to pad the wall.

7. Dig the teeth of the power stretcher into the carpet about 6" from the opposite wall. Press down the lever and lock it into place (figure B), stretching the carpet and attaching it to the tackless strips. Next, use the power stretcher to hook the other corner opposite of the first corner hooked, following the same procedure. Continue with both the knee kicker and the power stretcher around the entire room until the carpet is tight and secure.

8. Tuck carpet under wall edge using and awl (figure C). Use carpet knife (figure D) to trim excess carpet.