Installing carpet over hardwood floors

The last step is to lay out and put the carpet over the strips and the hardwood floor. Some people like to use stair tools to make this step. Be sure that the carpet covers the entire floor to roll out over the surface. Also, make sure to use a power stretcher to hook and stretch into the stack strips.

Additionally, take into account tucking the carpet as well. Finally, check if there is excess carpet with a carpet trimmer or a utility knife to cut it, and seal your carpet seams with tape or seam adhesive glue. Installing carpet over hardwood floors seems to be an easy process, but it is always essential to have professional advice. Clean the hardwood floor before installing the carpet.

Install moisture or water vapor barrier under the padding. Use masonry nails for the strips. Install the carpet. Some of the required materials that you should have in hand before installing a carpet over a hardwood floor are: A knee kicker, masonry nails, a hand saw, a vinyl foam padding adhesive for carpet, a tackless strip, carpet tape, a seaming iron, and, more importantly, a carpet.

Install a Moisture or Water Vapor Barrier Under the Padding This step is optional, but it is crucial to install a moisture or water vapor barrier. You may also want to position them where they will be hidden from view or direct lighting.

The optional tools and materials listed above will only be needed if the carpet flooring will have seams. If you are a beginner and there are quarter-round trims or shoe moldings installed at the transition between the wood flooring and the baseboard, you have the option to remove them.

The carpet installation will be easier with just the baseboard installed. It also looks better with just the baseboard and the carpet flooring as well. Be careful not to damage your hardwood floor or baseboard while removing the trims and moldings. You can use your utility knife, hammer, and carpet tucker to do this. Start cleaning, sweeping, and vacuuming the area of the floor where the carpet will be installed. As mentioned previously, any dirt or debris that will be left on the hardwood floor when the carpet is installed can scratch the wood floor and can damage the finish.

Start in one corner of the room and start installing the carpet tack strips around the perimeter of the room. The tack strips will have several sharp nails or tacks exposed above which will be slightly slanted to one direction.

Make sure to position the tack strips so that the tacks are pointed towards the wall so that when you stretch the carpet later on the carpet could hook itself to the exposed tacks properly. Some tack strips will have an arrow that should be pointed towards the wall when you install them. This gap between the tack strips and baseboard is where you will tuck the ends of the carpet. Before laying the carpet padding, make sure that the hardwood floor is clean.

If you need to, sweep the floor and vacuum it once again to remove any dirt or debris that may still be there. Once everything is clean, unroll the padding. Rough cut the lengths and position the pieces at the center. Use your duct tape to connect the seams. If your carpet will have seams, make sure the seams of the carpet padding will be placed perpendicular to the direction of the carpet seams.

If the seams of the carpet and the carpet padding line up, there will be a tendency for the seams to make a depression along the seam line or the seams can become more apparent. Go around the perimeter of the room and start cutting and fixing the ends of the carpet padding to the wood floor.

Cut them with just about a hairline space away from the edge of the tack strip. Use your utility knife or carpet knife carefully to cut the excess padding. Use your hammer tacker or staple gun to fix the ends of the padding to the wood floor.

Limit the spacing and distances of the staples to around inches in between. This is to minimize the holes you will create on the hardwood floor. Using your tape measure, get the measurements of the room or the area to be carpeted. Record the measurement on paper. Turn the carpet so that the backside faces up. The carpet backing is rough and can scratch and damage the wall surface if it gets hit. If your carpet will have seams, add another 3 inches to the dimension so that you will have enough allowance to adjust when you start trimming and connecting the seams.

Then, carefully cut the carpet following the chalk line using your utility knife or carpet knife. Use a straight edge when necessary. Use scrap wood or thick cardboard underneath the carpet while cutting it so you would have a solid cutting surface.

If your carpet will have seams, connect and weld them together before stretching them towards the walls. Start by placing the carpet pieces side by side and overlap them by around 3 inches.

Make sure that their pile is facing the same direction. There usually are arrows drawn at the backside of the carpet showing the direction of the piles, and you could also use that as a guide as well. We want a very straight edge and cut on both carpet pieces for the seams to look less visible. As mentioned before, all seams in the carpet will still be visible but making a nice and clean seam edge will help make them less noticeable. Start with the first piece. Roll the top piece back and carefully measure around 1 inch from the edge.

Snap a chalk line to mark the edge. Carpet is usually the best choice for bedrooms and master bedrooms because it is soft and cozy. It is warm and can reduce sound, versus hardwood, which helps sound resonate and makes bedrooms feel cold. Luckily when it comes to your home, hardwood flooring is good for both you and the environment.

All types of hardwood flooring are more beneficial to your health than carpeting for a multitude of reasons. Skip to content. Related posts: FAQ: Which is more expensive carpet or hardwood floors?

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