How to Tear Up a Carpet

You can save a little money by tearing out old carpet yourself before the carpet installers arrive. Before carpet is laid, wood tack strips are nailed to the floor along the floor edges at the base of the walls. The upper part of each tack strip has tiny needle-like nails that face toward the wall. The carpet is stretched over these tack strips to hold it tightly in place. To tear up the carpet, the edges must be pulled away from these tack strips.

Vacuum
Pliers
Carpet knife
Duct tape
Trash can or dumpster

Instructions

- 1
  Remove all furniture from the room.
- 2
  Vacuum the carpet and use the suction hose along the edges to suck up the dust.
- 3
  Get on your hands and knees along the perimeter of the floor.
- 4
  Grip a pair of pliers in your hand and open the jaws. Grip the edge of the carpet where it meets the wall with the pliers. Pull the carpet away from the tack strip. Repeat this process every 6 to 12 inches around the entire perimeter until all of the carpet edges are loose.
- 5
  Fold the carpet over itself about 4 feet and then cut it along the back side with a carpet knife from end-to-end. Roll up this piece and wrap it with duct tape. Fold the carpet again another 4 feet and cut it. Roll this section up and wrap with duct tape. Repeat this process until the carpet has been cut up, rolled and wrapped.
- 6
  Haul the manageable rolls of carpet out of the room and toss them in the trash.

How to Install Carpet Tiles on a Wood Floor

How to Remove Furniture Imprints From Carpets

Carpeting