How to Remove an Old Carpet in Your Home

Finally decided to get rid of that raggedy old carpet in your home? It shouldn’t be a problem seeing as how you can hire a professional to do the job for you. However, if you want to save time and money, you can tackle this task on your own. It is merely important to equip yourself with the right tools and materials.

Here is what you will need:

·Crowbar;

·Dust mask;

·Heavy duty gloves;

·Pliers;

·Utility knife;

·Floor scraper;

·Shop vacuum;

If you don’t have any of the above items check with your local tools and equipment hire centre.

Next, on the agenda, are the steps to follow on how to remove carpet in your home:

1. Clear the area – First and foremost, you need to clear the area where the carpet sits by removing all of the furnishings in the room. Then, take a look to see whether the carpet was installed with shoe moulding. If it was, remove it using the crowbar.

2. Take safety precautions – Above all, safety is of the utmost importance. Seeing as how an old carpet is likely to be filled with dust particles, it is recommended to put on a dust mask to protect your face, as well as to prevent you from inhaling the dust. Moreover, you should be wearing heavy duty gloves to keep your hands safe from any injuries that may arise from tearing out staples and tack strips.

3. Pull out the carpet – Using a pair of pliers, jiggle the corners of the carpet loose so that you can easily pull it back. After pulling back about 24 inches of carpet, fold it over and cut it through the back using the utility knife. In turn, cutting the whole carpet into smaller pieces makes it much easier to remove. Repeat the process until you have removed all of the cut pieces outside of the room.

4. Remove the tack strips – A tack strip is a thin piece of wood (40-80 inches long and about 1 inch wide) that has been nailed down with several sharp nails (or tacks) during the carpet installation process. If you are planning on putting in new carpet, then you can leave the tack strips in – as long as they are not damaged. Otherwise, you should proceed to remove them using a crowbar, all the while wearing heavy duty gloves to keep your hands out of harm’s way. 

5. Remove the carpet padding – In comparison to the carpet itself, carpet padding is super light. Removing it involves the same process as removing the carpet. If, however, the padding has been glued or stapled to the subfloor, you will need to use a floor scraper to remove any glued pieces and to pull out staples.

6. Clean up – Last but not least, use the shop vacuum to clean the area, thereby getting rid of any leftover debris. In regards to carpet disposal, you will need to consult with your local council. They will inform you whether you can leave it on the curb for pick-up day or if you should bring it to a recycling drop-off facility.

The fact of the matter is that home carpet removal is not as complicated as it may seem as long as you have the necessary tools and materials to see the task through. If, however, you require a quality rubbish removal service provider, this is where a quality rubbish removal company comes in!