During a remodel, removing old carpet and replacing it with new flooring will make a tremendous difference in your house – but it can also have a significant effect on your finances if you don't do it yourself. Also, hiring a carpet removal company to strip your carpet will cost anywhere from $250 to $500. And that's only for a standard-sized living room. Many carpet installers can strip the old carpet for free, although this service is mostly paid separately from the installation.
It's not as difficult as you would imagine learning how to strip carpet on your own. Moreover, the whole project could be done on a weekend with the right equipment and some assistance by taking some fundamental measures.
Before you begin tearing up the carpet, double-check if you have all of the necessary materials. Many of these items will cost less than $100, and you'll save money if you already own a hammer, pry bar, and utility knife. Here’s a guide to carpet removal:Carpet Removal and Hardwood Floor Installation.
When Handling The Carpet Removal, Start From The Corners
The first move is to start pulling up the carpet in a room of the house, making sure to ignore the thorny tack stripes all over the edges. A tack strip is a small plank of wood with nails or tacks that are used in carpet assembly.
If you can't get the carpet to give ground with brute strength, use your large knife to carve a little square out from the corner. Then you should start ripping up the carpet by pulling on the wider piece.
How to Handle Carpet Removal on Hardwood Flooring
You'll be able to see if hardwood floors lie under the carpet when you pull it up from the first corner. This can affect your choice to get new flooring or actually refinish your current hardwood.
If you're removing carpet to reveal hardwood floors underneath, you'll need to be extra cautious in this phase. As all carpet is in place by carpet strips, which are thin wooden strips nailed to the surface, you can make the first cut to match them. This would be about one inch from the wall in most cases. Then, grasping the fabrics with your pliers, begin pulling up the carpet you've sliced.
How To Remove The Carpet From Stairs
Are you trying to figure out how to get the carpet off your staircase? Split near the risers, the vertical parts that connect one stage to the next, at each of the top corners. Since carpet tacks and staples hold the carpet in place, especially on the treads and risers, it's essential to wear gloves and catch loose staples as you go.
If there is a metallic nosing – the longitudinal curve of a staircase that sticks up – in the end, pry it up and expose it. Otherwise, take the cut corner of the carpet and drag it away from the staircase. Split the carpet where possible as you make your way down the stairs. This is so you can take several long pieces of carpet at a time and fold them up into small bits. If your stairs have banisters, gently cut smaller sections around them.
Ripping Up The Carpet Padding
The removal of the carpet and the breaking up of the covering underneath it are the two parts of DIY carpet removal. Since most padding goes through stapling to the subfloor in strips, you should quickly catch a groove and begin tearing it off.
Fold each piece of padding the same way you did the rug, duct-taping both to prevent anything from unraveling. To stop pricking a finger on the staples, wear gloves during this procedure.
Now that you know what to do when it comes to carpet removal, it's time to take a look at hardwood floor installation:
The Tools And Materials
According to experts, depending on the kind of hardwood flooring you're installing, you will need various materials and equipment. A pneumatic flooring nailer, drill and drill pieces, hammer, screws, pry bar, and saw may be necessary. Check the manuals that came with your flooring. This is to make sure you have all of the necessary equipment on hand and within range.
Measure The Room
Calculate the square footage by multiplying the room's width and length. Allow 10-15% extra when ordering hardwood flooring to account for inconsistent boards and any slicing errors.
Check If There’s A Squeaky Floor
Examine the sub-floor. You need a 3/4" plywood subfloor. Check for squeaks on the floor. And if necessary, screw a long wallboard screw into the subfloor and joist at which screech takes place. Remove the shoe sculpting from the space and wipe as well as scrub rigorously.
Start The Installation Process
Begin by putting up the lengthiest unhindered wall. Snap a chalk line 3/8" away from the baseboard after removing the shoe mold.
Final Thoughts
So, that’s how you handle a carpet removal project and also install hardwood flooring. We presume that you’re now ready to take on the project right away. For additional tips, you can consult expert carpet removal pros and hardwood flooring installers.
