Are you an avid DIYer who loves doing things around the house on your own? Perhaps you’re not though and you prefer to seek professional help when you need something like carpet removal done? Then again, sometimes it’s good to know how things are done even if you get the professionals to do it for you. It gives you the reassurance that you know how to choose the right teams to support you with your home refurbishments.
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Required Equipment for Carpet Removal
If you’re looking for your new carpet and you’ve simply had enough of your current one then removing old carpets by yourself is completely doable. Of course, there are a few things you have to watch out for but first, make sure you get the following equipment:
- Dust mask
- Safety glasses
- Heavy gloves
- Utility knife
- Hammer
- Pry bar
- Pliers
- Floor Scraper
- Duct tape
You might be wondering why you need duct tape to remove the carpet? It will come in very handy though when you want to keep your old rolls of carpet rolled up and ready for the trash. Moreover, many people out there might opt to go ahead without safety gear when removing the carpet. Naturally, this is your choice but don’t forget that carpet removal can be tough and dusty work. You might even want to roll up a towel to act as knee pads.
Carpet Removal Process
It’s worth thinking about what kind of floor you have before you start removing the carpet you want to get rid of. For instance, a concrete basement floor might have gone moldy so you might need extra breathing protection. Other rooms in the house might have hardwood floors that you don’t want to damage. Either way, taking your time and being careful and methodical is a good approach for the following key steps:
- Prepare the room
- Pull and remove the carpet
- Handle the carpet pad
- Dealing with stairs
Prepare the Room
It goes without saying that you’ll have to clear the room of any furniture before you can do any carpet removal. Moreover, it’s helpful to make a space for your old carpet once it’s removed and before it goes to the trash.
Another point is that you’ll also need to decide if you have any baseboards to remove. That’s a whole job in itself that also involves a utility knife and then a pry bar to pull them back from the wall before you even consider how to cut the carpet. Although, don’t forget that you’ll probably want to put the baseboards back after you’ve installed your new carpet. Once you’re ready to start though, don’t forget to put on your safety equipment.
Pull and Remove the Carpet
With your pry bar, hook the corner of the carpet so you can grab it and pull it back. As you start pulling it back, you’ll want to use a utility knife to cut the old carpet into manageable strips that you can easily roll up and carry out to the trash.
Handle the Carpet Pad
Carpet padding acts as a great shock absorber and helps keep your carpet for longer. Whilst it’s an extra job, you’ll have to also remove it in the same way as for your carpet. Although, carpet padding is often also stapled down so you’ll find the pliers useful to remove all those.
Depending on what floor you have underneath, it’s then important to use your floor scrapers to clean it and remove any mold or rusty patches. Pet accidents tend to be the perfect trigger for rusty patches.
At this point, you’ll need to decide what to do with the tack strips. These strips of nails ensure the carpet is held down and stays flush to the wall. Sometimes it’s possible to re-use tack strips. However, it can also be the perfect opportunity to replace them if the nails are worn. Moreover, removing a tack strip is relatively easy with a pry bar and a hammer.
Dealing with Stairs
Carpet removal from stairs is the same except that it can be slightly more difficult to pick up the first corner to pull back. Therefore, you can cut at the riser, which is the vertical part between each step, having first removed any staples. Some people like cutting lengthwise down the center of the step to remove carpet from stairs. That’s because they find it easier to grab the ends. Either way, it’s then a question of pulling back the carpet just like before.
Next Steps for your Carpet Removal Project
Carpet removal is perfectly doable but doesn’t forget that it’s also back-breaking and dusty work. Moreover, carpet padding is often held down by glue so you might find yourself scraping the floor for hours on end. Last but not least, removal sometimes leads to nasty surprises about the state of the floor underneath such as rot or other damage. Unless you’re a professional floorer then these issues are harder to deal with. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from having a go but either way, professional help is only a phone call away.
