You’ve learned all there is to know about carpet, shopped smart, made your best choice, and now it’s just a matter of waiting for the materials and the installation day(s).
You know better, of course. The next step is to be prepared and knowledgeable for the day when the new carpet or flooring will transform your home. The entire process goes faster and more efficiently if you are ready for the carpet installation. Knowing what to expect and being prepared will also be a lot less stressful for you, your family and your home.
How To Prepare For Your Carpet Installation
Our best advice is to use a professional.
The Installation
Carpet installation is a skill that is developed through years of experience, so using professional installers is just plain smart. Also, understanding the basics of carpet installation will increase your knowledge of the process and enhance your confidence in the professionals working in your home.
While seams are inevitable, it’s the professionals who excel at minimizing and hiding seams. They call on years of experience and tried and true methods. Our professional installers and a thoughtful layout will ensure seams are placed away from areas subjected to pivoting traffic, and not run seams perpendicular to doorway openings; or parallel with large windows and doors.
Some carpet styles can show the placement of the seam tape more than others. This is referred to as telegraphing or peaking, and it is particularly noticeable in low cut pile and looped carpets. A seam may be excellent and considered ‘tight’ but can still be seen.
You should keep in mind that, occasionally, additional carpet must be ordered to better match patterns at the seams, which will add to the cost.
The pros know what to do about transitions. When two different flooring products meet like carpeting and a hardwood or tile floor – it’s called a transition. A professional installer will try to match the surface heights of various flooring products to minimize transition variable heights and appearance.
Prep Work
Removing all furniture and other objects and materials from the areas to be carpeted is the first step. Installers can move your furniture, but there may be an additional charge for doing so. Before moving, you’ll also need to empty the contents of cabinets, dressers, closets, etc.
Please consider how your old flooring will be taken up and disposed of. This can be difficult, time-consuming and very messy. We would be happy to discuss removal options with you at the time of your pre-construction job walk.
If you prefer to remove your present flooring, let’s discuss the process. Try to complete the demo ahead of time. Complete removal of existing flooring at least one day prior to installation allows for cleanup and floor preparation. Important: if you’re removing old residential carpet, please leave tack strips in place (and pull the staples out of the wood subfloor from the original pad if applicable).
Ready to get started? Get a quote for your new carpet.