Getting a new carpet fitted to a room can be an exciting, and yet daunting prospect. You first have the dream – what carpet you want to fit – if at all. There are decisions to make such as colours and styles, or whether, for example, you would prefer tiles or to expose wooden floor boards.
Then you need to remove the old and tired carpet, and finally, have it replaced. Whilst most companies who sell carpets do give you the option for you to have your old carpet removed and then fit your new one, you can cut costs by removing your old carpet yourself. Buying and fitting a new carpet can be quite costly, so being able to remove your old carpet yourself can be a real bonus.
Before you Start Removing Carpet
Before you begin to get the removal underway, you need to think about how and where you are going to dispose of your old carpet. Can you leave it outside your house to be collected, perhaps you want to cut it up to serve as door mats, or perhaps you can donate it or take it to the dump? If so, how are you planning on transporting your old carpet there?
You now need to remove everything that in the room where the old carpet is – including in-swinging doors. You should now get a pair of gloves to protect your hand from the spiky tack strip and the carpet backing which can be abrasive, and think about getting a dusk mask as there is a lot of dust hidden away in old carpets.
Removing Carpet
To remove the carpet, start in the corner and grab the carpet with some pliers. Now just pull the carpet and it should come away from the tack strip relatively easily. You can then grab the carpet by hand and pull it back.
Continue to lift up, up to about 3ft of carpet, fold it back and cut it to make disposal and transportation as easy as possible. You can roll each strip up and keep it rolled up with some tape so that you can remove them easily. You can use a sharp blade to cut it, and it is worth remembering that carpet cuts more easily from the underside. When cutting carpet always cut so the blade is never facing you. Be careful to not cut into the floor below the carpet as well.
When you come to the point where the carpet stops or changes to a different carpet, there will usually be a transition in place. Cut the carpet up to the transition but leave it in place. Your new carpet fitter might be able to use the old transition so it is worth leaving as this can save you more money.
If you are removing old carpet from a staired area, start at the top and work your way down in the same manner.
Tack Strip and your Carpet
In most cases it is best to leave the tack strip as you don’t need a new one to be fitted with your new carpet. However, if your existing tack strip is old, rusty or rotten, remove it and replace it with a new one. A rusty tack strip, for example, can end up discolouring your new carpet.
The removal of an old carpet can be a relatively straightforward procedure, and often the disposal of an old carpet is the most complicated part. But, by knowing your options and with a little planning, you can successfully remove an old carpet, saving yourself valuable money in the process.
While we do not remove carpet, Kleen Rite cleans carpets in the Hamilton and Burlington area. If you feel you need to remove carpet as it’s stained, or discoloured, contact us for a quote to get your carpets looking clean again.
