carpet facing up: Locate a pile row near the cut-
line and run the blade of a large, flat screwdriver
Adjust the row-runner blade so it
between them to separate the rows. Then push a
cuts just through the carpet backing
row runner, as shown in the bottom photo at
and not into the padding. Change
right, steadily down the row to cut through the
blades often so they cut cleanly.
backing. The carpet pile will guide the cut.
PoSitioning tHE CarPEt
Carpet is heavy. So get help rolling it up and car-
rying it. Unroll it in the room where you’ll install
it. If you measured and cut properly, the edges of
the carpet should curl up about 3 in. at the base
of the walls. To adjust the carpet slightly once
you’ve unrolled it, lift a corner about waist high.
Then, as you stand with one foot on the carpet
and one behind it, raise the foot that was on the
When installing padding over a concrete floor (which is
carpet and, with the side of that foot, kick the
somewhat slippery), tape the padding edges to the edges
carpet sharply. Note: By using the side of your
of tackless strips to keep the padding from riding up onto
foot, rather than your heel or toe, you’ll be less
the strips. Tape just the edges of the strips so the tack
This row runner is cutting a looped-
points remain exposed.
likely to stretch or tear the carpet.
pile carpet. Note that the padding
Many installers don’t cut fill pieces of carpet
seams run perpendicular to the carpet
until they’ve positioned the drop piece and mea-
seams to prevent them from lining up.
sured from the drop piece to the wall. This allows
Flooring
587
1. After unrolling the carpet, use the 2. Many pros prefer to measure from the leading edge of the drop piece before cutting fill side of your foot, in a kicking motion, pieces. If you find that walls are not parallel, rough-cut the edges of the fill pieces at a to adjust its position, as shown.
slight angle so you’ll have enough extra to trim.
3. Before hot-taping carpet seams, help the carpet lie
flat by notching carpet edges where they abut doorways,
cabinets, and other jogs.
4. Straighten carpet seams before hot-taping them. Using just a knee-kicker, lift the carpet edges
onto the tackless strips to create a slight tension. After the hot-melt tape seams have cooled, you
can use a power stretcher to reposition the edges more securely to the strips.
5. Once the seam iron is hot enough,
place it onto the tape and flop the
carpet edges onto the tool so that
only its handle is exposed.
588 Chapter 20
them to double-check the size of the fill piece(s)
needed. As with finish carpentry, “measure twice,
cut once” is good advice, especially if the walls
aren’t parallel. Once you’ve cut the fill pieces and
positioned them next to the edge of the drop
piece, go around the perimeter of the floor and
loosely notch the carpet where it butts against
door jambs and corners so the carpet will lie
flat—but don’t trim the carpet edges yet. First,
you need to join the carpet sections, using hot-
melt seam tape.
6. As you heat sections of hot-melt tape, move the iron
Hot-MElt SEaMS
forward and roll the seam with a star roller. The spikes of a
star roller penetrate the loop-pile carpet and press the
Join carpet seams before stretching and trim-
backing into the tape adhesive at many points.
ming the carpet. Correctly installed, hot-melt
seams are strong enough to withstand stretching
without separating.
Use the knee-kicker to draw the seam edges
together. After lining up the carpet sections, roll
7. After seam rolling each section,
back one section slightly and slip a piece of hot-
weight it down until the tape has
melt seam tape under the carpet edge so that the
cooled.
tape will run exactly down the middle of the
seam. The tape’s adhesive-coated side should face
up. Plug in the seam iron, and let it heat up. Once
it’s hot, place the iron on top of the seam tape at
the start of the seam and let the carpet flop down
on both sides, covering all but the handle of the
iron. Most irons take about 30 seconds to heat
the tape at a given point.
Once the adhesive has melted, move the iron
farther along the tape. Then use a seam roller to
embed the carpet backing in the melted adhesive.
This operation isn’t difficult, but you must make
sure that carpet edges butt together over the tape,
rather than overlap each other. (Back-cutting the
9. After stretching a carpet, use an
carpet’s edges slightly with the row runner helps.)
edge trimmer to cut off the excess
If it’s a cut-pile carpet, use a smooth roller to
around the perimeter of the room.
press the carpet backing into the seam tape; if it’s
Then use a stair tool to tuck carpet
loop-pile carpet, use a star roller. After you roll a
edges behind tackless strips or under
section of seam, weight it down as shown in
baseboards.
Step 7. Continue along the seam—in roughly
12-in. increments—until the whole seam is bond-
8. Once the hot-taped seams have cooled, they’ll be
ed. Allow the adhesive to cool for 20 to 30 min-
strong enough to be stretched with a power stretcher and
utes before stretching the carpet.
won’t pull apart. When extended between opposite walls,
the power stretcher’s head typically moves the carpet
StrEtCHing CarPEt
about 2 in. as the lever is depressed.
P R O T I P
Once the carpet seams have cooled, stretch and
attach the carpet to the tackless strips around the
Before joining carpet seams,
perimeter of the room, using the knee-kicker,
apply a bead of seam sealer to
power stretcher, and stair tool. Actually, if you
the edge of each section of car-
must join carpet seams, you already will have
pet. Seam sealer fills any voids
used the knee-kicker to draw the carpet edges
created when you trimmed carpet
taut so the glued seam will be straight.
edges and keeps the pile from
Typically, stretching begins in a corner, using
unraveling. Seam sealer looks
a knee-kicker. Place the knee-kicker about 1 in.
like white glue and is usually
from the wall and rap the cushion of the tool
latex based.
quickly with your knee. When done properly,
Flooring
589
There’s no one always-best sequence. Keep an eye
on what the carpet is doing, and use the tool that
seems right. Seen from above, your carpet-
zzzzzz Carpet transitions
stretching movements would resemble some-
thing
between a tennis match and icing a cake.
Go back and forth, fine-tuning as you go.
Carpet
triMMing CarPEt
Padding
Resilient
Once the carpet is secured to the tackless strips
Metal
flooring
carpet bar
and the transition pieces in the doorways, use an
edge trimmer to remove the excess; trimmers
Edge tucked
also tuck the edge of the carpet to a degree. After
with stair tool
trimming the edge, go around the perimeter with
a hammer and a stair tool, tamping the carpet
between the tackless strips and the wall or under
the baseboard trim. It’s important that the trim-
Tackless strip
Wood flooring
mer’s blade be sharp, so change razors whenever
the tool drags, rather than cuts.
Tape the edge of the padding to
CarPEting StairS
keep it from riding up onto the
If possible, use a single strip of carpet on stairs,
tackless strips when stretching
eliminating seams. Stair padding can be many
the carpet.
pieces because it will be covered by carpet. For
the best-looking job, carpet pile on treads should
this maneuver carries the carpet forward and
slant toward you as you ascend the stairs. On ris-
onto the points of the tackless strips. Then use
ers, the pile should, therefore, point down. If you
the stair tool to pack the carpet into the small
use several pieces of carpet on the stairs, for
gap between the strips and the wall, also to
durability and appearance, carpet seams should
securely lodge the carpet on the tack point. Knee-
always meet in riser–tread joints.
kicking takes a little practice. But, as more of the
carpet is attached and there is some tension on it, Estimating and ordering. First, determine the
the task becomes easier. As you work along an
width of the runner. On closed stairs (which
edge of the carpet, rest your hand on the section
have walls on both sides), carpeting usually runs
just attached. The extra weight will prevent
from wall to wall. On open stairs (with balusters
P R O T I P
the section from being dislodged by successive
on one or both sides), carpeting should run to
knee-kicks.
the base of the balusters. In either case, each
don’t strain when using the
After securing a corner 2 ft. to 3 ft. along each side of the carpet should be tucked under 11⁄4 in.
knee-kicker or power stretcher.
wall, assemble the power stretcher to stretch the
to hide the cut edge and prevent its unraveling.
the power stretcher is well
carpet to an adjacent corner across the room. To
Thus measure the width of the stairs and add
named, because its teeth can
do this, place the tail end of the power stretcher
21⁄2 in. to that width. So if your stairs are 36 in.
stretch or rip carpet if used in a
on a 2x4 block resting along a baseboard of the
wide, you’ll be able to cut only three runners
macho manner. So take it easy.
corner you just attached; the 2x4 prevents the tail from each 12-ft. width of carpeting, allowing for
adjust the tool’s teeth so they
end of the stretcher from damaging the finish
tuck-unders and waste.
grab the carpet backing but not
wall. Unlike the knee-kicker, which rebounds, the
the padding—and lower the
To determine the overall length of the stair
stretcher has a lever that extends the tool and
stretching lever slowly. if there’s
runner, measure from the edge of the tread nos-
too much resistance, reset the
holds it there until the lever is released. Before
ing to the riser, and from there up the riser to the
length of the stretcher to reduce
you engage the stretcher’s lever, place the
nosing of the step above. Add 1 in. to this mea-
the resistance and try again.
stretcher head 5 in. to 6 in. from the wall you’re
surement to accommodate the padding over the
pushing the carpet toward. Once you push down
step and multiply this by the number of steps.
on the lever, the stretcher head should move the
Add 6 in. to that total for adjustments at the top
carpet about 2 in. forward, leaving you plenty of
and bottom of the stairs.
room to use the stair tool and secure the carpet
That’s a formula for straight-run stairs. If
to the tackless strip.
yours have bends and turns, create a paper tem-
That’s pretty much it. Once the second corner
plate for each step that turns. Each template
is attached, alternate using the knee-kicker and
should cover a tread and the riser below. As
the power stretcher, somewhat as shown in “A
noted above, add 1 in. for the distance the pad-
Carpet-Stretching Sequence” on the facing page.
ding sticks out around the nosing. However,
590 Chapter 20
some old hands at laying carpet feel that stairs
should be covered only with continuous pieces,
with extra carpet tucked behind riser sections.
zzzzzz a Carpet-Stretching Sequence
Installing carpet on stairs. Nail tackless strips
1
1
1
6
6
6
6
on the stair risers and stair treads so that tack
points on risers point down and those on the
1
4
treads point in, toward the risers. The tackless
3
strip on each tread should be about 3⁄8 in. away
from the riser so there’s a gap to tuck the carpet
3
into. The tackless strip on each riser should be
7
Power stretcher
about 1 in. above the tread. Tackless strips should
5
be 21⁄2 in. shorter than the width of carpet with
5
tucked-under edges. That is, each edge is 11⁄4 in.
Knee-kicker
7
wide and does not attach to the tackless strip. So
5
the strips must stop short by that amount.
Instead, tucked-under edges of carpet will be
5
tacked with a 11⁄4-in. tack on each side, driven
7
into the riser–tread joint.
5
Padding pieces are as wide as the tackless
strips are long. Butt the padding to the edge of
5
the strips. To keep the pad from being seen from
2
8
8
7
the open side of a stairway, cut the riser portion
of the padding at an angle, as shown at right.
Staple the padding every 3 in. to 4 in. To tuck the
carpet edges, snap chalklines on the backing,
To stretch carpeting, alternate using a knee-kicker
11⁄4 in. from the edges. Use an awl (not a utility
; and a power stretcher. Typically, use a knee-kicker to
knife) to score lightly along the lines, fold the
secure a short section of carpet to tackless strips
edges under, and then weight them down for a
nearby, before using a power stretcher to stretch
few minutes to establish a slight crease.
carpet across the room and secure it to strips along
Secure the bottom of the stair runner first,
an opposite wall.
overlapping the carpet about 1⁄4 in. onto the floor;
push the carpet into the tackless strip at the base
of the first riser. (The tackless strip on the first
riser should be 1⁄4 in. above the floor.) Press the
carpet onto the strip points with a stair tool. Tack
the bottom of the rolled edges onto the riser with
zzzzzz Stair-Carpeting details
11
a 11⁄
/4-in. tack
4-in. tack at each end. Then pack the extra
11/4-in. gap
end of the carpet into the 1⁄
Stair tread
4-in. gap between the
1-in. gap
tackless strip and the floor.
To cover the first step, stretch the carpet with
Edge tucked
Tackless
a knee-kicker, starting at the center of the tread.
11/4 in.
strips
As you push the knee-kicker, use a stair tool to
tamp the carpet into the riser–tread joint. Work
out from the center of the step, until the carpet is
attached to tackless strips along the entire joint.
At the end of each side, secure the tucked-under
edge with a single 11⁄4-in. tack. Continue up the
stairs, using the knee-kicker and stair tool. If the
3/8-in. gap
width of the carpet varies (sometimes a tucked-
under hem slips), insert an awl point in the hem
and jimmy the tool to move the hem in or out.
Stair riser
Beveled padding
Along open stairs, allow an extra 13/4 in. to tuck
under the carpet. Angle-cut padding so it won’t
be visible from an open side of the stairs.
Flooring
591
Glossary of Building Terms
This glossary contains many commonly encountered
Base shoe. On interior base-
Brace. An inclined piece of fram-
building terms. You’ll find somewhat more specialized
board, molding abutting the
ing lumber that stiffens a wall
floor. Also the bottom plate of a or floor. Also a temporary wall
terms defined in context in their respective chapters.
frame wall.
support removed after framing
For a comprehensive resource, get a copy of Francis D.
Renovation 4th Edition Page 136