Apart from having an amazing furniture, colorful walls a carpet is a gorgeous addition to any room you would like to make comfortable.
A carpet will help in minimizing noise and when looked after well, will last longer.
But spills, dirt, heavy foot traffic and more will reduce the carpet’s quality, particularly if it is a lighter shade.
While deep cleanup and using a portable vacuum might help, the only best way of restoring your carpet’s loos is replacing it. Before you can install the new carpet, you will likely have to get rid of the old one.
Trim around thresholds and walls or remove or loosen the molding so you can access the old carpet’s edges. This should let you remove it from the existing strips.
As soon as it’s free of the tack strips, cut it into parts or roll it for simple disposal. Some people prefer reusing their carpet pads; however, this is often a bad idea.
Many new carpets come with an extended warranty if you purchase a new pad, which is often a wise option.
The best pad can prolong your carpet’s life and make it feel much comfortable under one’s feet.
If you are pulling up the carpet pad, look out for worn-out padding material and put on a respirator if you need be. Once you’ve removed the carpet, vacuum the room once more.
Materials required to replace a carpet:
- Gloves
- Utility knife
- Choice of carpeting
- Hammer
- Knee kicker
- Carpet scissors
- Dust mask
- Tackless strips
- Staple gun
Step 1: Know the needed size of the carpet
Before starting to make any permanent alterations, you should determine how much carpet you will be replacing and what type you will select.
Make sure you measure the space and note down all measurements, which include small sections by hallways, closets or windows.
This will allow you to see the size of the carpet you will require for the project. Remember, you will want a bit extra to make time for error.
Step 2: Pull out existing carpet and pad
Once you have bought the size of the carpet you will require, you should get rid of the existing carpeting and pad.
You should also wear a dust mask and gloves for protecting your eyes and hands. Remove the existing carpeting from the strip, beginning in a corner of your room.
You should fold back and cut approximately 3 inches or so, into parts you can handle. After removing the carpet, you should take out the padding in the same manner you took out the carpet.
Take care to not you use the underside of your carpet to hit the walls, which is coarse and may scratch the painted walls.
In addition, you should take out any staples or glue, which are stuck to the floor before you go on to the next stage.
If the tackless strip isn’t ruined in any way, you do not have to take it out and you can use it for installing your carpet.
Step 3: Thoroughly cleaning and clearing the floor
You will always want to make sure that you are beginning with a clean floor, particularly if the floor replacement was because of multiple pet or spill mishaps.
Start by sweeping and vacuuming the floor, then smoothening out any sections that might have excess material. Get rid of smells or other hindrances.
If you want to replace the carpet because of a frequent pet and spill accidents, look at the carpet to ensure the liquids didn’t contaminate any of the baseboards or floor.
You won’t get rid of the smell if you remove the carpet. If there’s permanent damage to the areas then they need professional cleanup.
Step 4: Installing tackless strips
Sometimes, you should add new strips if there wasn’t any damage to the old strips. But if you want to replace carpet on a floor, which earlier had no carpet, you should install new tackless strips.
After that, you should size the wall and nail the strips half an inch away, staying away from doorways. Be cautious since they are razor-sharp.
Step 5: Laying the pad
Now it is time for the padding. Make sure the carpet pad is a precise fit since you do not want it overlapping. Then staple it to the strips inside part.
You should also stretch and staple any padding seams. After that, cut any excess carpet padding and use tape to secure any joins.
Step 6: Laying the carpet
You should lay the carpet over the pad, leaving a couple of inches of excess. Ensure the pile will go in the right direction, particularly if you’re matching other carpeting.
With the help of the knee kicker, attach the carpet to the strips. You should place the knee kicker against your carpet and hit so as to stretch the carpeting into the tackless strips.
Use the utility knife to trim your carpet and use a metal edge to tuck in the edges between the strip and the wall for a clean look.
Step 7: Cleaning
To complete the project, clean and vacuum the place while you trim any excess threads. Remember to keep up with frequent cleanup to help keep the carpet in great condition.
Signs that you need to replace the carpet
- Foul smells
If there’s a nasty smell coming from the carpet, you should replace it. Nasty odors will come from pets and mold. Pet owners have to frequently clean up carpets to keep nasty odors away.
But if the smell is still there even after a deep clean up, the smell might have penetrated deep within your carpet fibers, then you should replace the carpet.
- Stains
Have you begun using your furniture and rugs to hide carpet stains?
If you’ve got several stains on the carpet, think about replacing the carpet. As you spill on the carpet, try using a stain remover and other carpet cleaning products.
If you have a carpet with a finish that’s resistant to stain, know that after a couple of years the treatment will fade. This will leave your carpet prone to damage and stains.
You should be cautious attempting do-it-yourself stain removers like tea, bleach, plant food, mustard, and wine. The reason being, these solutions usually lead to difficult to get rid of stains.
These solutions, together with some store purchased products, will damage the carpet more. The ideal solution when having several bad stains is replacing your carpet.
- Mold
Substances like mold, vomit, or pet urine will cause a build-up of bacteria beneath the carpet.
If you see these stains, all you need to do to ensure you entirely get rid of the issue is by replacing your carpet and floor mats if you have any.
The moist atmosphere is some basements that will worsen mold issues in your carpet. If the carpet experiences any conditions of stagnant water, like a flood, mold will probably follow.
Make sure you replace carpet before it’s infested by mold. Additionally, you can notice mold by an outbreak of allergies or its musty odors.
