How to Lift a Carpet
You can save money on a flooring job by lifting up the old carpet yourself. Carpets are generally attached with tacks that can be readily pulled away. If you intend to restore the wood floor below or preserve the carpet pad, you will need to exercise extra caution. Otherwise, it is a matter of tugging, slicing and cleaning up all the tacks and nails. Depending on the size of the floor, the job could take less than an hour. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Needle-nose pliers
- Pliers
- Hammer
- Flat-head screwdriver
- Putty knife
- Work globes
- Utility knife
- Goggles
Instructions
-
-
1
Clear the room of furniture and other objects. If that's impossible, shove as much stuff to the side as you can.
-
2
Use a pair of pliers or a big flat-head screwdriver to pull up a corner of the carpet. The hardest part will be the first tug. Assuming the carpet is held down by tacks, wiggle it so it comes loose from the tack strip.
-
-
3
Use a sharp utility knife to cut the carpet into strips. That will make pulling it up easier. Just be sure not to ram the knife too far into the carpet; you might damage the floor or the pad, which you may wish to reuse. Your best bet is to lift the carpet up as you slice it.
-
4
Remove the tack strips. The strips are generally attached with small nails spaced a half foot apart. Slip a pry bar under the strip just next to the nails. Tap with a hammer to help prod the strip up. If your goal is to restore the wood floor below, be careful not to gouge it (place a wide putty knife underneath the pry bar). If the strip is attached to a cement base, you may have to pound the hammer against the pry bar several times to dislodge the nails.
-
5
Use needle-nose pliers to pull out the staples that attach the carpet pad to the floor. Rather than trying to pull straight up, grab the staples with the pliers and twist them out. Again, use a putty knife to protect the floor. If the padding is glued down, use mineral spirits to soften the adhesive. If the pad is glued to a concrete floor, you can get a floor scraper to pull it up and remove the glue. One way to get a grip on glued padding is to lift up a patch and attach a C-clamp to serve as a handle.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Save some of the old carpet to use on a porch or in the basement.
Wear work globes and goggles to protect your hands and eyes. Scour the floor for remaining tacks, nails and staples.
