How to Place Carpets

Measure along one wall. Make a note of this number. Measure along another wall. Make a note of this number as well. Multiply the two measurements together to determine the area of the room. Some rooms are not completely rectangular. To determine the area of an oddly shaped room, mentally divide the room into rectangles. Measure each of these rectangles using the method above. Add the results together to determine the total square footage. Measure the interior area of any closets and add this figure to the total.

Draw a plan of the room on graph paper using the measurements determined above. Use a scale of one square foot per square on the graph paper. Remove any doors. This is not strictly necessary, but it will make placing the carpet easier.

Inspect the floorboards to make sure that they are solid. Examine all nails to make sure they are flush with the floor. Pound down any protruding nails with a hammer.

Cut lengths of tackless strip to run around the walls and openings of the room. Refer to the floor plan for the appropriate lengths to cut for each wall. Nail each strip to the floor using finishing nails. Nail the strips with the pins facing the wall. There should be a gap equal to the thickness of the carpet between the strips and the bottom edge of the walls.

Roll the padding out on the floor. The padding should completely cover the floor area inside the tackless strips. Trim any excess padding with a utility knife. Tape all seams in the padding using duct tape. Staple the padding in 12-inch intervals to secure it to the floor.

Lay the carpet on the floor. Cut the carpet to size, leaving three inches at each end. Slot the corners into the area between the wall and the tackless strips. Larger rooms may require more than one piece of carpet for complete coverage. Seams should located away from the high traffic areas of the room whenever possible. Center the seaming tape under the two sections of carpet. Melt the tape's adhesive with a seaming iron. Press the edges of both sections of carpet on top of the adhesive.

Stretch one corner of the carpet over the tackless strip. Use the knee knicker to push the carpet up to the wall. Hook the carpet onto the tackless strip using the flat side of a hammer. Make sure the carpet is attached to the tackless strip along both walls. Place the base of the power stretcher along one of these walls. Extend the power stretcher until the toothed end is approximately six inches away from the opposite wall. Lock it in place. Stretch the carpet and attach to the tackless strips on both walls. Repeat this for the other walls.

Trim away excess carpet along each wall. Insert the edges of the carpet between the tackless strips and the walls. Nail quarter round or baseboards along the walls.