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How to Install Carpet Pad
Knowing how to install carpet pad doesn't mean you'll be doing the job; you may choose to supervise it. But with the know-how under your belt, you can hire qualified workers so you get a top-notch job done on your new carpet and padding.
Laying carpet correctly is a big job. Part of the success of the job comes from selecting quality caret and carpet padding, as well as doing the preparation well. One step many people underestimate the importance of is how to install carpet pad.
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For new carpet to last you have to buy quality carpet that's durable and will hold up to the daily wear and tear, buy quality padding, and install both correctly. If you skimp on any one of those steps, you may be disappointed in having your carpet look bad quickly, and not wear for many years. For this article, let's talk most about how to install carpet pad.
First, prepare your floors. Clean the subsurface of dust, dirt, debris, trash and spots so the pad doesn't get dirty, which will effect the carpet too. Carpet can be installed over almost any surface -- cement, wood, linoleum, vinyl or even stone (though I don't know why you'd want to do that!) with proper preparation.
Once the floor is clean it's time to install tack strips (also called tackless strips in some areas) need to be installed next. The tack strip goes around the perimeter of the room, except in front of doorways, being nailed at about 8-12 inch intervals. The pins should point toward the walls about 1/4-1/2 inch between the wall and the strips. Nail the tack strips to your floor so you have something to attach the carpeting to. If you have masonry floors, then the tackless strips may have to be glued down to install the carpeting; at the very least masonry nails will be needed.
Now it's time to install the carpet pad. The carpet padding is an important part of the carpeting installation process, because it can make the carpeting more comfortable and more durable. The waffle side of the carpeting needs to face up for maximum cushioning and it is cut to fit inside the tackless strips. Padding can be either stapled or glued. If you go the stapling route, staple it every six inches. If you are gluing it, as you would especially want to do on cement, select a low VOC (volatile organic compound) glue so you don't pollute your indoor air.
Cut the carpet pad to roughly the right size and then trim the pad to be just short of the tack strip. You want to have the padding away from the tack strip a little so that when you stretch the carpet the padding doesn't ride up onto the tack strip, interfering with proper carpet installation. Carpet padding pieces should be butted together, as you lay them down, rather than laid on top of each other for maximum durability and comfort. Tape any seams to keep the padding from creeping or shifting under the carpet.
To finish the job, and the article, it's time to lay the carpeting. This process takes skill and effort to ensure that the carpeting is tight and properly installed. Cut your carpet to fit the room area with some excess to hold on to so you can stretch the carpet fully. Use your seam tape and iron to connect the seams. A knee kicker grabs the carpeting and firmly places it on the tack strips. Now it is time to use the power stretcher to tightly stretch the carpeting to the wall. In doorways, you will use a gripper edge to keep the carpet in place when the doors rub against it. Once the carpet is in place, you can move in the furniture and enjoy your room.
Learning how to install carpet padding is important even if you are having it installed by a professional. You now know something about the proper process so you can determine if your carpet installer is doing it correctly. Knowledge is power, and you can ensure a great carpet installation now.
Comments
I live in military housing in Hawaii. We are wanting to lay down carpet in our garage and seal off the door so we can use it as a play room for our kids. The issue is that we CANNOT use tack strips. We definitely want to use carpet and not just rugs. Any suggestions?
Joe P at April 27, 2009 05:13 PM
I have a new plywood floor that I want to carpet without the use of a pad. This is an office area where chairs with rollers will be used. Is this a good idea? Should glue be used, or is it OK to just use tacking strips and just stretch it? Could you, or would you provide me with step by step instructions as to how to do it? Thank you, Ed Doyel
Ed Doyel at April 28, 2009 06:13 PM
Hi Joe, I would suggest carpet tiles. Yep - there really is such a thing! Honestly though, I've never used them, so I can't tell you what to expect. They're usually applied with adhesive and there's also the peel and stick kind.
But, I suppose you're not allowed to use glue either, correct? You know, you could put down particle board or plywood first - think of it as a 'floating' floor. You could then glue it down or staple it - you could still use carpet tack strips too! Just be sure that the nails are shorter than the height of the board and strip combined. See these articles: http://www.theflooringlady.com/how_to_install_carpet_pad.html and http://www.theflooringlady.com/basement_carpet_pad.html .
You could still use carpet tile - all you'd need is some thin sub-flooring material under it.
The Flooring Lady at April 28, 2009 10:56 PM
Hi Ed, What type of carpeting are you thinking about? It's not a good idea to not use a carpet pad. Pads extend the life of the carpet. Please see this article about carpet pads.
In an office setting, plastic type mats (most likely acrylic??) are used at the desk area where a chair will be used to help protect the carpet.
There's further information about installing carpeting and the pad, please check the Full Archives - the link is on the top right-hand corner. It doesn't go into as much detail, but there are do-it-yourself sites that give wonderfully detailed instructions. Do a search at Google.
Good luck!
The Flooring Lady at April 28, 2009 11:03 PM
Thank you very much Flooring Lady for the fast response. I didn't expect a reply within 24 hours. I will follow your advise and use a carpet pad and then use acrylic mats. Thanks again. Ed Doyel
Ed Doyel at April 29, 2009 08:51 AM
Hi Ed, Thanks not needed, but appreciated. ;~) That is why I have this site - to try to help people. Glad you found the info useful. Good luck on your project!
The Flooring Lady at April 30, 2009 11:40 AM
Hi, our basement flooded (slightly) enough to get all our carpet and padding wet. This happened about four months ago. We pulled up all the carpet and padding. We threw out the padding but kept the carpet. We dried out the carpet and feel we can still use it. Is it reasonable for us to reinstall our own fresh padding and either try to put the carpet back on, or hire someone to reinstall the carpet on top of our padding job? The carpet is all there, but is back in its original strips (needing to be seamed again).
John at May 6, 2009 05:29 PM
Hi John, If you feel that you can do the job well enough, then sure, try to do it yourself. I would recommend figuring out where the water came in from and addressing that problem first so that hopefully, you won't have to be bothered with all of this again. The basement floor should also be sealed if it isn't already.
The Flooring Lady at May 7, 2009 08:50 PM
We pulled up old carpet out of my mom's house. The old padding is basically stuck to the wood floor. Can we install new pad and carpet without having to remove the old pad. We are talking about 30 year old pad.
Shirley at June 4, 2009 12:54 PM
Hi Shirley, It's best to try to remove it - you can install over it if you get it smoothed out pretty well first. Remember - bumps that are under the new covering will probably be felt and seen to some extent.
The Flooring Lady at June 6, 2009 12:53 PM
