Tips on Installing Carpet on Basement Floor

Prepare the Floor

• Install a commercial, plastic foam moisture barrier on the basement floor to help keep dampness out. The barrier is designed with hollows for ventilation on one side and a smooth, waterproof surface on the other, explains Handy Ma'am. Lay the foam, smooth side up, to within 3/8-inch of the walls. Tape the seams together with packing or duct tape. Cover the foam with a floating floor of tongue-and-groove plywood sheets. Glue the plywood together at the seams, and tap the joints together. Attaching this type of floating floor to the concrete isn't necessary. Its weight will keep it in place.

Ventilate the Room

• Ventilate the room as much as possible once the floor is prepared, suggests Concrete Network. Carpets and adhesives release chemical fumes and odors. Open small windows at the top of the walls, if your basement has them, and use fans to direct fumes out of the basement until at least three days after installation.

Lay Carpet Tiles

• Snap a chalkline diagonally across the floor from corner to corner in both directions to form an X. The center of the X is the center of the room. Measure each wall to find its center. Draw a straight line across the floor in both directions, connecting the center points of opposing walls, forming a cross. Install the first tiles in the center of the room, using the cross lines as your guide, explains Bob Vila on his home improvement website. Some tiles use adhesive dots, and others have a full adhesive backing. Expose the adhesive, place the tile and apply pressure. Cut edge tiles to fit with a utility knife.

Install Rolled Carpet

• Nail carpeting tack strips around the perimeter of the room. Roll out the padding, gluing the seams and edges to the floor to prevent shifting. Trim the pad to expose tack strips. Roll out the carpet and trim to the shape of the room, leaving 4 to 5 inches of excess on all sides. Lift the carpet's edge along one wall to cover the tack strip, and use a knee-kicker tool, which is a rod and a small paddle with hooks to grab carpet, to force the carpet onto the strip, suggests This Old House. Secure carpet onto the tack strip by tapping down with a wide chisel. Stretch the carpet toward the opposing wall with a carpet stretcher tool, which resembles a larger version of a knee-kicker, and tap it down on the tack strip hooks. Repeat this process for the remaining two walls. Trim the excess with a utility knife. If you must have seams, apply carpet sealer to the cut edges to prevent fraying. Place carpet seam tape under the carpet at the seam, and melt the glue with a carpet seaming iron, according to the manufacturer's directions.