How To Remove Old Carpet? Easy And Safe Old Carpet Removal DIY

Tired of your old carpet and want something new? Many people are familiar with the situation when the carpet becomes old, and you need to replace it. But do you know the methods of how to do it efficiently and quickly? There are two ways to do this: either a professional does it for you, or you do it yourself. However, turning to a professional with such a service can be very expensive, especially if the carpet is large. Therefore, the vast majority of people do it at home on their own. Of course, it will take some time, and the process is laborious. But if you follow our correct instructions on how to remove a carpet, everything will be much easier. 

After years of use, carpeting does not look or remain the same. The soft and comfortable carpet becomes hard and dirty over time. Since we walk on this carpet daily, its color becomes dark after a long time, and spots appear on it. And these are not all reasons for old carpet removal. 

So, you must use suitable techniques to avoid complications, especially glue marks that persist. And the most important thing is to take time and do everything carefully. Also, be careful about the surface under the carpet because it is straightforward to damage it when removing carpets.

What Tools Are Needed For Removing Carpeting?

Independent old carpet removal will help you save money and time. You will need the right tools (protective gloves, a master knife, pliers, glue remover, hammer etc.) and patience. Therefore, before removing carpets, ensure you have all the tools you will need for work:

• Protective gloves – wear them to avoid injuries. It will help protect your hands from nails and staples;
• A master knife – will help cut the carpet along the edges near the walls and remove it effortlessly;
• Knee pads – I advise you to wear them because without them, it is very uncomfortable, and your knees start to hurt over time;
• Dust mask – when removing carpets, dust and debris appear. Therefore, use such a mask so that you do not breathe dust;
• Pliers – they are needed to pull out staples. You can also pull up the carpet with pliers if you can’t grip it;
• Glue remover – will be needed to remove excess pieces of glue under the carpeting;
• Hammer – you will need to use it to remove found nails under the carpeting and hammer in new ones.

So, using the right tools is half the carpet removal success. You may think it is long and boring, but with these tools, it is even more straightforward. And with their help, removing old carpets becomes a speedy process. Therefore, first, prepare everything you need before starting work and only then start doing it. This way, you will save a lot of time.

Guide For Removing Old Carpet

The best way to remove the carpet is to do it step by step and plan everything before. So it will be faster for you to do this work because planned actions significantly save you time. Therefore, put on appropriate clothes, prepare the necessary tools and follow the steps for removing old carpet:

1. Free The Space From Furniture

The first step is to free the space from everything that can interfere with further work. For it, you need to remove the furniture standing on the carpet. So you need to find a temporary place where you can move your furniture and other things.

Most people are afraid of snagging and damaging the carpet when moving furniture. But do not be afraid to push and move furniture. Because your carpet will be thrown away and you will replace it from the room.

2. Detach The Carpet From The Strips

Each carpet is attached to the floor with tack strips. These are nails that are driven around the perimeter of the room. And it is done so that your carpet is well affixed and will serve you for years. But when it comes to replacing carpets, you must eliminate those stripes.

Therefore, you need to use pliers or a crowbar to be able to lift the carpet. For it, choose a corner from which you will start and pull it with the help of pliers. If you find it challenging to do this and the carpet sticks to the floor, cut a small square in the carpet and remove it. It will make the process much easier for you; you can grab onto the carpet and pull it yourself. So, start pulling the carpet until it is completely detached from the floor.

3. Cut The Carpet Into Pieces

Next, you need to cut the carpet. To make it easier, remove the baseboards that hold the corners of the carpet. Usually, things like plinths and edging are rare. However, if you have them, you first need to get rid of them so you can easily cut and pull the carpet.

Once you have done that, the following thing you will need to cut the carpet with a master knife. Do it along the fold and make sure your blade is very sharp. Continue this process and be attentive to what is under the carpet because you can easily cut the floor or injure your hands while replacing carpets.

4. Roll Up The Carpet

After you cut the rug, you need to roll it up. So put on your protective gloves and think in which direction you will roll it. First, pull the covering over you until you have a large carpet roll. And remember to move it in the direction of one wall. 

By the way, to hold this roll in place, you can use special adhesive tape. It will make your work much easier. So, continue to do all the same steps with each cut piece of carpet and replace them in another place. 

5. Remove The Carpet Backing

Carpet backing is a vapor barrier installed in some types of carpets. Therefore, when removing carpeting, you also need to remove this backing. This should be done in the same way as with the carpet. As a rule, the backing consists of smaller parts and has a more straightforward material, so you can quickly deal with it.

So, the best way to remove the carpet backing is to start on one side and roll it away from the floor. Then, cut the strips into pieces in the same way and roll them. Although the process is easy, if you have a large carpet, you will need the help of others to move the backing and carpet. But If you want to do it independently, you can cut it into smaller pieces and do it without help.

6. Remove All Staples, Nails, And Glue

After removing the old carpet, unnecessary nails, dried glue, and staples will remain on your floor. You need to clean all this, and a hammer with pliers can help you do it. They will cope faster with removing nails and staples.

However, if you remove the carpet from the stairs, do not rush to remove these nails and staples because the scheme is slightly different here. To remove carpet staples from stairs, you first need to determine which floor is under the carpet. This way, you will avoid damaging the stairs with other tools.

7. Clean The Base Of The Floor

To complete old carpet removal, you must clean the floor from debris. So open the windows for ventilation, pick up any large pieces of carpet, glue, nails, and other rubbish from the surface, and place them in a bag. Next, when the floor is clean, you must vacuum all the dust and dirt that is difficult to remove by hand. Next, wash the floor, and that’s it. Your removing carpeting is complete.

Bottom Line

As you can see, removing carpeting is not very complicated. Perhaps there are a couple of difficult moments, but they are not critical. The main thing is to follow the step-by-step implementation of actions because the best way to remove a carpet is to do everything correctly and not at a fast pace.

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