Spencer Strikes Again!
I've been meaning to rip out that old basement carpet for months now. Nothing forces a project like doggie doo-doo! Yep, I woke up early on Saturday morning not to the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee but, to the stench of fresh-brewed doo-doo coming from the basement. So, I made myself that cup of coffee and tackled the carpet rip-out STAT.
Since carpet removal is a service Action Carpet & Floor Covering provides to homeowners at an additional charge, I decided to use my doo-doo dilemma as an opportunity to blog about 'How To Remove Old Carpet' in hopes of inspiring you to do it yourself and, in the process, save yourself a little bit of money. Removing carpet that is not glued down is not hard to do. Depending on the volume you have to pull up, it can be time-consuming, but it's definitely a task most homeowners can handle. So, here goes...
How To Remove Old Carpet
Materials:
Utility Knife or Carpet Knife
New Blades
Work Gloves
Duct Tape
Crowbar
1. Start at a corner
You may need to use a crowbar to loosen up the carpet starting from a corner. With the knife cut a line down the carpet approximately 3 feet wide. Begin to pull the carpet up but be very careful not to brush your hands across the tack strips, they are very sharp and can penetrate a work glove. The carpet should tear along the line you cut but you may need to re-cut along the way. Replace the blades as needed. The blades will dull very quickly so be sure to change them out often.
2. Roll the carpet strips up
Starting from one end, roll the 3 foot carpet strip into a nice neat little roll and use duct tape to secure it.
3. Repeat
4. Carpet disposal
Before you bring the rolls of carpet to the roadside for trash pick up, be sure to call your garbage disposal company to find out if they provide that service. If you bring them to a town dump, be prepared to be charged a fee for disposal.
If you are replacing your carpet with new carpet, leave the tack strips in place. Unless they are water-damaged, they can be re-used to install your new carpet. If you are not replacing the old carpet with new carpet, with a crowbar, hammer and elbow grease you can remove the tack strips. Pry them off at the point where they are nailed into the floor and the task should go a little smoother.
It's really that simple!
NOTE:
You do NOT have to remove carpet because of a pet accident. My carpet was old and needed to be pulled up anyway. When pet accidents happen, clean them up as best as you can and then call us at 860-298-0070 to set up a professional cleaning.
Since carpet removal is a service Action Carpet & Floor Covering provides to homeowners at an additional charge, I decided to use my doo-doo dilemma as an opportunity to blog about 'How To Remove Old Carpet' in hopes of inspiring you to do it yourself and, in the process, save yourself a little bit of money. Removing carpet that is not glued down is not hard to do. Depending on the volume you have to pull up, it can be time-consuming, but it's definitely a task most homeowners can handle. So, here goes...
How To Remove Old Carpet
Materials:
Utility Knife or Carpet Knife
New Blades
Work Gloves
Duct Tape
Crowbar
1. Start at a corner
You may need to use a crowbar to loosen up the carpet starting from a corner. With the knife cut a line down the carpet approximately 3 feet wide. Begin to pull the carpet up but be very careful not to brush your hands across the tack strips, they are very sharp and can penetrate a work glove. The carpet should tear along the line you cut but you may need to re-cut along the way. Replace the blades as needed. The blades will dull very quickly so be sure to change them out often.
2. Roll the carpet strips up
Starting from one end, roll the 3 foot carpet strip into a nice neat little roll and use duct tape to secure it.
3. Repeat
4. Carpet disposal
Before you bring the rolls of carpet to the roadside for trash pick up, be sure to call your garbage disposal company to find out if they provide that service. If you bring them to a town dump, be prepared to be charged a fee for disposal.
If you are replacing your carpet with new carpet, leave the tack strips in place. Unless they are water-damaged, they can be re-used to install your new carpet. If you are not replacing the old carpet with new carpet, with a crowbar, hammer and elbow grease you can remove the tack strips. Pry them off at the point where they are nailed into the floor and the task should go a little smoother.
It's really that simple!
NOTE:
You do NOT have to remove carpet because of a pet accident. My carpet was old and needed to be pulled up anyway. When pet accidents happen, clean them up as best as you can and then call us at 860-298-0070 to set up a professional cleaning.
This is the knife I used but a regular utility knife will work fine, too.
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