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Seams shall be kept to a minimum and positioned so that where possible:
- Seams run the length of the area.
- Seams are away from areas subject to pivoting traffic.
- Seams are not perpendicular to doorway openings.
- Main traffic runs parallel to, rather than across the seam.
- Natural light does not strike across the seam.
When two or more pieces of the same carpet are seamed together, the pile shall run in the same direction.
A properly constructed seam may not be invisible, but should have these properties:
- Has cleanly trimmed edges properly secured with appropriate adhesive prior to seaming.
- Has tightly abutted edges without gaps or overlaps.
- Maintains uniform appearance on the surface of the carpet.
- For stretch-in installation, the use of a power stretcher is mandatory.
Tufted carpet with synthetic secondary backing should be stretched 1% to 1½% in width and length.
For adhesive installations, subfloor must be clean, dry, and free from contaminates that may interfere with adhesion.
- Concrete - must be properly placed, finished, cured, and free of excessive moisture and alkali.
- Wood - must be structurally sound with adequate underneath ventilation.
Installing wall to wall carpeting isn't a job that everyone wants to take on, but with some hard work and planning along with some specialized tools (that you can rent), it is certainly possible. An added bonus is by installing it yourself, you can afford to buy a better grade of carpet.
Instructions
- STEP 1: Collect the following: tackless strips, stapler, hammer, utility knife or carpet knife, chalk line, measuring tape, knee kicker, power stretcher, seam cutter, wall trimmer, stair tool, seam tape, seam iron, work gloves and safety glasses.
- STEP 2: Prepare the room by making sure the floor is clean and clear of anything that might create a lump in your new carpeting (old staples, etc). It's also a good idea to take off the doors so it will be easier to move the carpet into the room.
- STEP 3: Install tackless strips around the perimeter of the room, (except in front of doorways), 1/2" from the wall--be sure the strips meet at the corners and the tacks are pointing towards the wall.
- STEP 4: Install your carpet underlay in strips and staple it in place. Butt the edges of the underlay together (don't overlap them). Trim away the excess underpad along the inside edge of the tackless strips, ensuring the tacks are exposed.
- STEP 5: Measure your room at its longest point and add at least 4 inches to that measurement.
- STEP 6: Layout your carpet (outside or on a garage floor) where you have room to work, and mark the back of the carpet on both edges with your room measurement.
- STEP 7: Use a chalk line to join the two marks and then with a utility or carpet knife cut the carpet to length (cut from the backside).
- STEP 8: Bring the carpet into the room, roll it out and "dry fit" it.
- STEP 9: If your room is wide enough to need another piece of carpet, follow the same process, measure, layout, mark and trim, then bring the carpet into the room and place so it overlaps the existing piece by about 2". Be sure the grain of the carpet is running the same way.
- STEP 10: Use a seam cutter to cut through both pieces of carpet (at the same time)--this will ensure you have edges that line.
- STEP 11: Cut a piece of seaming tape and center it under the two pieces of carpet, adhesive side up.
- STEP 12: Heat the seam iron to temperature and run it slowly along the seam, allowing the adhesive to melt and join the edges. Put some weight onto the seam until the adhesive has dried.
- STEP 13: Attach the carpet to the tackles strips by placing the knee kicker about 3" from the wall and driving your knee forcefully into the padded end. This will stretch the carpet over the tackless strip that will grab and hold it in place.
- STEP 14: Trim along the wall with an edge trimmer (cuts through the carpet right at the wall).
- STEP 15: Attach the carpet on the opposite side of the room using the power stretcher to fasten it to the tackless strips.
- STEP 16: Trim away any excess; then, using the stair tool tuck the carpet under the exposed baseboard.
- STEP 17: Trim the carpet at the doorway, install a door edge, cut vent openings and install the shoe molding on the baseboard.
Overall Tips & Warnings
- Tackless strips come in a range of sizes; be sure your are using the correct one.
- When you're buying your carpet measure your room at it's longest and widest points, multiply the two numbers together to get square feet and then divide by 9 to get square yards. Add 10% for a "fudge" factor (matching patterns, trimming and wastage) to figure the final quantity of carpet you'll need to buy.
- Tackless strips are sharp so always wear gloves when handling them.
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