Carpet Installation

Home improvement projects are always fun but their success or failure depends upon the actual skill level of the individual making the undertaking. Some tasks, such as flooring, do require a bit of skill to complete successfully. Carpet installation is not particularly difficult for an individual possessed of basic construction and carpentry skills but, for the casual home improvement fan, it may easily prove too much and best be left to a professional.

Replacing a carpet, of course, starts with tearing out the old carpet. This is usually not too difficult; carpeting is generally held in place with strips of nails tacked to a board at the perimeter of the room. Generally, these strips should be replaced at the time the carpet is replaced. The nails on these boards are very sharp and need to be treated with care. Gloves should always been worn when dealing with these materials.

The old carpet itself will, for the first time, illustrate one of the difficulties with carpet installation: carpet is heavy. Carrying a rolled up carpet out of a room is almost certainly at least a two-person job, sometimes a three-person job. Again, as the backing material on carpeting tends to be very heavy, it's best to wear gloves. It's very easy to rough up one's hands a great deal when working with carpeting and, because the undersurface is likely to be dirty, this presents the danger of dirty wounds.

The undersurface will have to be cleaned as well as possible before any carpet installation can proceed. Sweeping, shop vacuuming and other cleaning should be done to the point that one is certain that there are no materials left behind. Be particularly wary of nails left from the strips at the edge of the room. These can cut a carpet from underneath and ruin the material.

Carpet installation, at this point, becomes a true art form. Good installers are experts at cutting the carpet to the correct dimensions to fit the room. This may seem easy enough, until one makes their first attempt. Remember that it's better to cut a bit too big than to cut too small. The tools used to cut carpet are extremely sharp and pose a very real hazard to the inexperienced. Never draw the blade toward any part of your body. If this seems like too much of a project, availing one's self of professional services is likely worth the money.