How to Lay Carpet on a Concrete Floor

Paint the concrete with waterproofing paint thoroughly using even strokes to coat the surface entirely. Allow to dry 24 hours or more depending on humidity and air circulation.

Lay the plastic sheeting down over the concrete to completely cover the concrete floor and use the duct tape to seal where the plastic joins at the seams.

Measure the sizes of plywood needed to cover the floor and cut to size using your saw. Lay the plywood down completely covering the floor.

Use your drill to drive the concrete screws through the plywood and into the floor until tight. Use screws every foot along the side and middle of the plywood.

Nail the tack strips along the edges of the wall using your 8d common nails and hammer. Hammer a nail in on each end and middle of the tack strip. Your floor is now ready for the padding and carpet.

Cut the padding to size using your utility knife. Completely cover the floor with the padding. Staple the padding down on every corner, and randomly in the middle to tack down.

Lay the carpet down and cut to size using your utility knife, make sure to leave about an inch on the edges over the size you need to be able to tuck this in. Tuck the edges into the baseboard so that the tack strip grips the carpet. Use a knee kick stretcher to properly stretch the carpet by using it in all four corners. Lay the knee kicker down with the teeth on the carpet, knee pad facing you. Position about 6 inches away from the corner and kick with your knee about four times until the carpet is tight. With each kick, tuck the excess carpet in under the baseboard. You are now done with installation.