Easiest Way to Pull Up Carpeting

Tearing out old carpet is not as difficult as you may think. The easiest way to remove it is to cut it down to size. With only a couple of tools and some safety wear, you'll have that old carpet out in no time. Most waste collectors will take old carpet if it is packaged correctly. This can save you a trip to the dump or money to have someone haul it away for you.

Remove the Carpet

Find a corner that comes up off the floor. If there isn't one, use a utility knife and cut a line that's large enough to get your hand in, about 2 feet from the corner. Pull the carpet up off the tack strip to the corner. Wear gloves to prevent the tacks from cutting you; they are very sharp, and sometimes a bit rusty. If you have allergies or any kind of breathing problem, wear a mask. There will be a lot of dust and sand that comes out of the carpet as you pull on it.

Once you get a piece of the carpet up off the floor, cut the carpet all the way down to the far wall. You should end up with a 2 foot wide piece of carpet that's the length of the room, which is easy to roll up and tie with a piece of string. Continue in this fashion until the you have all the carpet rolled up into 2-foot sections.

Remove the Padding

The padding is much lighter and easier to remove than the carpet. You can also cut this into 2-foot sections, but this time, cut them at a length that will allow you to stuff the padding into construction garbage bags. The padding has a tendency to break down and fall apart when it's old, so it's best not to leave it out for garbage pickup. Padding is generally installed with a staple gun. Remove any staples that don't come up with the padding with a pair of pliers. If you encounter some stubborn staples, place a straight head screw driver under the staple and pry it up. If you have to do this in a few places, put a shim or piece of metal under the head of the screwdriver so you don't damage your floor. If the staple breaks off and you cannot remove it, hammer it into the floor using a nail set so the hammer does not damage the floor.

Remove the Tack Strip

Most tack strip is nailed into the floor all the way around the room. Use the pry end of a hammer or a pry bar to pull the tack strip out of the floor. Place a shim under the pry bar so it does not leave marks on the floor. Tack strip is very sharp and should be broken into small pieces and placed in a cardboard box or plastic trash receptacle for disposal. Mark the box or receptacle so the garbage men don't get cut. Once everything is removed, fill in any holes left by nails or large staples with wood filler. Allow the filler to dry, then sand it with a fine sandpaper.

References

• How to Pull Up Carpeting