Carpet Installation Prep

Before new carpet can be installed, there has to be some preparation done. Typically, the store or manufacturer you purchase from will provide or recommend a professional installer that will do some, if not all the preparation work for you but usually, at an additional cost. If you want to save money when buying new carpet of if you plan to do the carpet installation on your own, you can also do the carpet installation prep work.

Remove Items

For starters, you want to remove anything from the room being carpeted that would break or items deemed important or irreplaceable by you. For instance, any type of electronics such as television, CD player, etc. Additionally, all furniture should be removed. Although the heavier pieces could be moved to the other side of the room in some cases, if possible, it would be better to take the furniture out completely.

Old Carpet and Padding

From there, look at anything that would go to recycling or donation. For instance, if the old carpet and padding is in good condition but you simply want a different color or type of flooring, you might be able to find a charitable organization that would be happy to take the old carpet off your hands. If not, then there are also recycling centers that take carpet and padding. Of course, if you cannot do either one of these options, then the trash or a disposal company can remove the old carpet and padding for you, again sometimes at fee.

Determine Layout

You also want to remember that depending on the size and configuration of the room, it is possible that carpet seams would be somewhat visible. Therefore, if using a professional installer or doing the carpet installation prep work on your own, look at the room being carpeted. With this, you can then determine the best layout of the carpet to eliminate the appearance of as many seams as you can.

Installation Complexities

It is also important to know that if the new carpet will be installed over separate padding, to ensure you do not get any type of future wrinkling or bubbling, the carpet has to be power stretched. Because of this, it is important that you know exactly what you are doing when installing carpet because this is definitely not a job for a novice. If you have gone with a professional installer, this person should agree in writing to follow the directions provided by the manufacturer!

Finish Other Jobs

Before the installer comes or prior to you starting the installation process, take this opportunity to finish any type of updates or remodeling that needs to be done. Painting the walls is a great example in that if some paint were to drop on the subfloor, it would not matter. You can also do any type of installation of crown molding, wallpapering, etc. The only thing we suggest you wait on is the installation of baseboards, which typically works best after new carpet has been laid.

Post Installation

Once the beautiful new carpet has been installed, you also want to remember that you will see some things happen in the months that follow. For instance, some carpet will shed loose fibers, you may find one or more tufts of carpet fiber sticking up, which can simply be cut off with scissors, and on rare occasion, the carpet can wrinkle or bubble, which requires assistant from the manufacturer.