How to Install Carpeting in the Basement

Probably the most important criteria to consider when installing carpeting onto a basement floor is whether your basement is dry or not. If you have a damp basement, you should probably try one of the many products on the market for making a basement dry before you begin. Once you are sure that the basement is dry and you want to install carpeting, this is not too difficult a project for a do-it yourselfer. You'll also save a good deal of money by tackling the job on your own.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pre-nailed concrete carpet tack strips
• Tack strip cutters
• Hammer
• Carpet pad
• Heavy-duty stapler and staples
• Duct tape
• Carpet
• Knee kicker
• Carpet stretcher
• Seaming tape
• Seaming iron
• Carpet knife

1. Clean the floor thoroughly and make sure that it is completely free from any debris.

2. Lay out your carpet tack strips along the entire perimeter of the room. Cut any tack strips that are too long with a saw or with tack strip cutters. The tack strip should be 3/8-inch from the wall.

3. Nail the tack strips to the concrete.

4. Roll out the carpet pad and cut to fit so that it overlaps the tack strip without actually touching the tacks. Do not overlap strips of pad, but abut the strips to one another.

5. Staple the carpet pad to the fronts of the carpet tack strips.

6. Cut off any excess carpet pad.

7. Duck tape the seams between the pieces of carpet pad to ensure that that pad doesn't move under the carpet.

8. Roll out the carpet and leave about a 6-inch piece beyond the tack strips throughout the entire room.

9. Overlap a second piece of carpet by about 6 inches if the room is wider that just one width.

10. Cut through both pieces of carpet at the same time to give a straight seam.

11. Pull back both pieces and lay down the seaming tape so that the adhesive side is up. Heat the adhesive with the seaming iron and press both pieces of carpet onto the seaming tape.

12. Use the knee kicker to stretch the carpet onto the tack strips at one end of the room.

13. Use the carpet stretcher to pull the carpet tight and press the remaining edges down over the tack strips.

14. Cut off the excess carpet with a carpet knife and tuck the edges in between the tack strip and the wall.

Tips & Warnings

• Place a small piece of plywood between the tack strip and the wall to protect the wall while nailing the strips to the concrete. Avoid using carpet glue instead of tack strips because glue is very difficult to remove when carpet replacement is necessary. Most equipment rent-all companies rent carpet installation equipment.
• Be careful when handling tack strips because the tacks are extremely sharp.

References

• Larson, Eric. The Carpet Installation Training Handbook. Biblio Distribution Center. September, 2002

Resources

• List of sources for carpet installation equipment