How to Repair Carpet Wrinkles

Move all furniture off the carpet and out of the room. You must have access to all areas of the carpet for this project.

Move to one corner of your room. Grab the corner of the carpet with a pair of pliers, and pull back toward you to lift the carpet from the tack strip. Be careful, because the strip contains small, sharp nails or tacks that hold the carpet in place.

Grab the edge of the carpet, and pull back to unfasten the whole carpet from the tack strip. This exposes the carpet padding underneath. You do not need to do any maintenance to the carpet padding unless it is worn or damaged.

Inspect the tack strips to make sure none is damaged or loose. If necessary, replace or reinstall tack strips using nails or contractor's glue. If you have to do any maintenance to the strips, wear thick protective gloves to avoid cutting your hands on the tacks.

Set a piece of scrap wood against the wall on the far side of the room. Press the back end of the carpet stretcher against the wood to brace the tool and stop it from tearing up the wall. Add as many extension pieces to the length of the power stretcher as necessary until the head sits 6 inches from the wall on which the carpet is pulled back. Start with the power stretcher in the exact center of the wall.

Push the head of the power stretcher firmly into the carpet, and lower the handle so that the machine's teeth hook into the carpet. Push the stretcher forward until the carpet sits over the tack strip, and then press downward and release the handle. This forces the carpet into the tack strips.

Press down firmly over the carpet area you just stretched to make sure it secures to the tack strips. Repeat stretching every 18 inches along the carpet, working first toward any walls with doors and then toward the other walls of the room. Use the knee kicker in tight corners or around obstacles as necessary. If you stretch properly, the carpet will be taut and there will be no more wrinkles.

Trim any excess carpet from the edges of the room with a carpet cutter. Run the blunt edge of the carpet cutter along the carpet in all tack strip areas to force it down a final time. You then can replace your furniture.