Removing Carpet Padding
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Some carpets are installed with full carpet pads under them, meaning that the pad underneath is one large section just like the carpet. Other carpet pads are installed in strips for convenience and easy manipulation. These strips are stapled to the flooring to hold them in place. The only way to tell how much work removing the old carpet padding is going to be is to remove the old carpet first and have a look.
What's Under There?
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Cut the old carpet in strips and roll it up for easier removal. Be careful not to cut too deep just in case the padding is one large section. You may even want to consider refinishing the flooring under the pad if it turns out to be some nice hardwood. Cutting to deep into the carpet and padding may damage the floor worse than it is.
Once the carpet is removed, look to see how the padding is installed. The strips and staples that hold them down will be quite visible. Finding strips and staples will mean more work and a lot more time to remove the padding. You will need a pair of pliers to pull the staples with, an old container to drop them into and a pair of work gloves to protect your hands from any staples that might be broken or sharp. A ball of twine string or even some old yarn can be used to tie the sections together to make them easier to handle.
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Rip It Up
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If you are planning to replace the carpet, leave the carpet tacking strips in place along the wall edges. If you don't need them anymore, pry them up and get rid of them. To remove a large one-piece carpet pad, you just need to pull it loose from the edge of the wall and start rolling it up. The padding may be stuck to the floor in places. Continue pulling and rolling until it is all rolled up. Tie pieces of the twine or yarn around the roll to hold it in place. If the roll is not too large, fold it in half so you can manage carrying it out easier.
Stapled strips will present more of a challenge. Start at the end of a strip, pull it free from the wall and start rolling it, ripping the padding free of the staples as you work. Tie each rolled section with the twine and remove it from the room.
Follow along each roll of staples and pull them up with the pliers, dropping them in a container as you work. Get several people to help you with each working in a different section of the room. Having company while you work will make the job seem less tedious and will go faster.
The Final Cleanup
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Make sure all of the staples have been removed as it is easy to miss a few here and there. Sweep the entire floor with a push broom, or a heavy straw broom to remove the loose pieces of carpet padding. If there are places where thin sections of padding are stuck to the floor, you will need to determine if you are trying to save the floor beneath, or if you plan to re-carpet the area.
If you plan to put down new carpet and padding you can scrape the old padding with an old kitchen spatula to get it up. If you are going to restore the floor, you need to be careful not to scratch or splinter the wooden floor. Use a dust pan that has a rubber protective edge and gently scrape the stuck carpet padding. A swift sweeping with the straw broom will dislodge a lot of the small pieces.
Once you have gotten up as much of the padding as possible, mop the floor with hot soapy water and rinse it well. This will remove the last thin traces of the old padding. Let the floor dry completely, and you are ready to redo it in whatever fashion you have decided on.
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