Style By Sutherlands Blog

How to Remove Old Carpet

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When it comes to removing old carpeting in your home, you may just decide to hire a professional to remove. But did you know that the cost of hiring someone to remove the old carpeting can cost you almost as much as the new flooring you are replacing it with? Removing carpet on your own is definitely a task, but it is one that can be done with the right tools and some helping hands

Before you start just pulling up the carpet, make sure you have all the tools you will need to tackle this job. Having the right equipment is key to make this job go quickly. Leather gloves are important to have so that you can protect your hands from the hard work and tools you will be using. A dust mask is a definite must to have. You will encounter dust and debris, even mold spores. Knee pads will help prevent pain and injury also. Now that you're covered and protected from injury, you will have to make sure you have all the correct tools. You will need a utility knife, a pry bar or claw hammer (to pull up tack strip and to remove baseboard trim), twine, and a floor scraper (to remove all the carpet pad staples in the sub floor). All of these tools are essential to help make this job go as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Before beginning the removal process, check with your local recycling center or waste management company to see if they take carpet, and if they have a restriction on the roll size. Now that you have all the needed information and the necessary tools, you can start preparing to remove the carpet have everything out of the room.Once the room is empty, start by taking up the baseboards. Removing the baseboards, as opposed to butting the carpet to the existing baseboard, will give your room a more finished look. Make sure to mark each baseboard so that you know where each piece needs to go back to.

To begin removing carpet you will cut the carpet with your utility knife to the width that is recommended by your waste or recycling company. Cut the length of the room, lifting the carpet as you cut so the tip of the blade does not hit the subfloor. Once you've cut a section pull it off the tack strips and roll it up as tightly as possible. Tie it up with twine. Now that you have the carpet removed, it is time to remove the tack strip, carpet pad, and staple. This is where a lot of your tools you have will come in handy. You will use the pry bar to take up the tack strips. For the best removal results wedge the pry bar beneath the tack strip near each nail that holds it to the subfloor for the best removal results. Carpet padding will be removed using the same procedure you used for the carpet removal. Use the floor scraper to remove the staples. What the floor scraper misses can be removed using pliers or a flat head screwdriver. After all your hard work, you are now ready to install your new flooring!

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