How to Install Hallway Carpet

Installing a hallway carpet will cut down on both noise and maintenance in your hallway. It's easy for the do-it-yourself homeowner to install carpet in a hallway as it is a much more manageable area than an entire room. It's also likely that a single piece of both carpet backing and carpeting can be used in a hallway, removing the necessity of sewing together pieces of carpet or fitting together pieces of carpet backing.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tack strips (sometimes called tackless strips)
• Hammer and nails
• Carpet padding
• Carpeting
• Knee kicker
• Power stretcher
• One gripper edge for each doorway
• Metal doorway strip to cover edge of carpet
• Wood screws
• Small scrap of 2 inch x 4 inch lumber

1. Clean the hallway floor of dirt, dust and any debris. Use a vacuum cleaner to get as much dirt and dust off of the floor as possible.

2. Measure the hallway from baseboard to baseboard and from end to end.

3. Install the tack strips (sometimes called tackless strips). Place these around the perimeter of the room and nail down about every 10 to 12 inches. The pins on the tack strips should point toward the walls and be about ¼ to ½ inch away from the wall. Do not put tack strips across doorways.

4. Cut carpet padding slightly smaller than the dimensions of the hallway. The edges of the padding should fall just inside of the tack strips. Trim the padding to fit correctly. If the carpet padding is not large enough to cut in one piece, butt the edges of the pieces up next to each other; do not overlap. Secure the pieces together with strong adhesive tape.

5. Cut the carpeting a few inches larger than the dimensions of the hallway.

6. Lay the carpeting in place and use the knee kicker to grab the carpet and place it firmly on the tack strips. Lay the toothed end of the knee kicker near the edge of the carpet and "kick" the curved area with your knee to properly place it on the tack strips.

7. Use the power stretcher to stretch the carpeting tightly to the wall. Brace one end of the power stretcher against the opposite wall and embed the teeth at the other end into the carpet about 6 inches away from the wall. Force the lever down and the teeth will grab the carpet backing and stretch the carpet. Before releasing the lever, push the carpet into the tack strip.

8. Install a gripper edge at each doorway. Nail to the floor just under the edge of the carpeting. Pull the carpet over the edge of the gripper edge and push the carpet down so it adheres to it. Trim the carpet so that it just covers the gripper edge. Cover the edge of the carpet and the gripper edge with a metal doorway strip and attach to the floor with wood screws.

Tips & Warnings

• To protect the opposite wall when using the power stretcher, use a small scrap of 2 x 4 lumber placed between the wall and the end of the power stretcher.

References

• Read more about installing carpeting.