Installing Carpet on Cement

Measure the room with a tape measure and cut pieces of polyethylene sheeting with a utility knife to the dimensions of the room. Lay the polyethylene sheet over the concrete floor with the dimples facing down. Overlap edges of the sheeting and tape them together with the vapor barrier tape.

Cut pieces of plywood with the circular saw to the dimensions of the room. Lay the plywood pieces overtop the sheeting and affix them with concrete screws using a power drill and screwdriver bit. Insert 15 screws for every 4-by-8 foot sheet of plywood.

Install the tackless strips around the perimeter of the room and affix them by hammering masonry nails through them into the concrete. Lay the padding with the waffle side up and staple it with the staple gun to the plywood boards and tackless strips. Insert staples every 6 inches. Cover carpet pad seams with duct tape.

Lay the carpet out in the room and cut off excess with a utility knife, but leave two extra inches of excess carpet at each wall. Snap a chalk line at the carpet edges and cut them to fit the room using the straight edge and utility knife.

Place seam tape underneath the seams to keep the carpet edges together. Cut the tape to length with the utility knife and lay the adhesive side facing up under the carpet seam. Take a seaming iron and melt the adhesive tape running it down the tape. Press the carpet edges against the seam and abut them. Roll over the seam with a rolling pin to assure the carpet adheres to the tape.

Use a knee kicker to attach the edges of the carpet to the tackless strip. Start in one corner and implant the teeth of the kicker into the carpet 1 inch from the wall. Kick the knee kicker with your knee so the carpet hooks to the tackless strip.

Use a power stretcher to stretch the carpet over to the opposite wall. Insert the teeth into the carpet 6 inches from the opposite wall where you used the knee kicker. Push on the lever of the stretcher locking it into place. This will stretch the carpet and attach it to the tackless strips. Then do the same on the opposite wall. Continue kicking and stretching the carpet in this manner until the edges of the carpet are affixed to the tackless strip around the room.

Trim any excess carpet at each wall with a carpet trimmer. The blade should be at an angle and the trimmer sitting flat on the floor. Push on the trimmer so it slices the carpet down the wall. Use the utility knife for small areas you can't reach with the trimmer. Use a stair tool to insert the edges of the carpeting between the tackless strips and the wall.