How To Lay Your Own Carpet
Is it time to treat your home to a new carpet? Many of us would love to freshen up a room with a brand new floor covering, but it can be a tricky task: measuring your room, choosing the right style at the right price, organising for it to be fitted… the time and costs soon add up!
Buying a carpet is an investment, so the decision shouldn’t be made hurriedly. A quality carpet, when fitted and maintained properly, can last up to ten years. It’s also worth remembering that good flooring helps to insulate and create a warm, comfortable home, and if you ever decide to sell, top notch carpets can be a real advantage.
United Carpets Offers Free Fitting
At United Carpets and Beds, while we offer high quality carpets at great prices, we do understand that additional materials and a fit out can come at a price. Fortunately, we also offer free fitting for all flooring purchased from us – so if the fitting a carpet yourself isn’t appealing, don’t worry, we’ll take care of the lot and it won’t cost you a penny.
Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t install a new carpet yourself. Many of us think that carpet installation is complex and time consuming, but with a little practise and patience, you can easily achieve a smooth, seamless fit out.
There are plenty of excellent guides available for laying a carpet yourself, but we wanted to get some advice from one of our own carpet installers. Our carpet pro has created a brilliant tutorial for fitting your own carpet, complete with his list of recommended materials and tools. This guide includes inside hints and tips that are only available from a real professional, making your carpet installation as easy as possible. Read on to find out more…
Fitting Your Own Carpet: What You’ll Need:
- Tape measure
- Hacksaw
- Hammer
- Stanley knife or sharp blade
- Staple gun
- Carpet tucker/bolster
- Carpet stretcher/kicker
- Threshold bar
- Carpet gripper
- Underlay
- Carpet
You can get our recommended tools and materials for great prices both online and from popular DIY shops. Remember, spending a little more will ensure your equipment is of a higher quality and will last into the future. Once you’ve made the initial investment, you’ll be able to fit carpets for years to come!
Step 1: Measure Your Room
First, you need to measure your room. Give yourself a little more than needed – approximately 10cm over the actual length and width. You should also add extra for doorways if needed. If you plan on fitting out more than one room with the same carpet, it’s sensible to request it in separate cut lengths. This costs slightly more, but it’s much easier for you to handle and fit.
Step 2: Install Carpet Gripper
Once your room is clear and you’ve given it a good clean, it’s time to install carpet gripper. Work out how many lengths are needed for the circumference of the room, and trim as needed. Arrange the gripper around 5mm away from skirting, allowing a small gap for the carpet edges to sit in, and hammer.
Step 3: Fit Underlay
When purchasing this material, remember that a carpet is only as good as its underlay! Spending a little more will help to prolong your carpet, protect it from indentations caused by furniture and foot traffic, and offer additional insulation. For rooms where the family spends a lot of time, underlay is highly recommended. To fit, cut the underlay into manageable lengths and lay, setting the first off the gripper along your straightest wall. Use a staple gun to fix it within the gripper, making sure there are no gaps in between strips.
Step 4: Lay Your Carpet
Oversized carpets should be cut in a large space, such as the driveway. Once the length is correct, open out in the room, with the pile facing in your desired direction. Remember, if the carpet is covering the stairs area, the direction is determined by the pile facing downward. Lay the carpet loosely in position, then smooth and push into place. It’s best to start fitting from the longest, straightest wall in the room, working backwards towards a door. Use a carpet tucker/bolster to crease against the skirting, then use a sharp blade to cut the edges, taking care not to mark the skirting boards.
Now, trim and stretch your carpet: take your carpet stretcher or kicker, teeth facing downwards, and place 20mm-30mm away from your skirting. Push firmly against the padded end, and press any excess down between the skirting and the gripper. When you’ve completed this across the first wall, continue on its adjacent walls, and finally the opposite one.
Step 5: Difficult Shapes
When fitting your carpet within and around tricky shapes, you should make several vertical cuts down the edge and then trim. When fitting around a pipe, cut from the edge of the carpet to the centre of the object, and trim until the carpet becomes flat. When installing across a doorway, you should cut the carpet inline with the next room’s flooring. Use a threshold bar to create an orderly join, fixing tightly and neatly directly under the door.
Fitting your own carpet may seem daunting at first, but by following our step-by-step advice, you’re sure to do a good job. Of course, if you’re short of time and need someone else to take care of it, we’re delighted to offer fit your carpet absolutely free. Just get in touch with one of our friendly specialists on 0330 311 2442 for more information.
