Carpet Gripper Installation

Tackless Strips

• 1

  Determine the thickness of the carpet being installed. Measure around the room marking periodically 2/3 of the thickness of the carpet away from the wall. The carpet will be pushed slightly beyond the tackless strip for installation.

• 2

  Lay at chalk line over the marks so that a straight consistent line can be made of the tackless strips.

• 3

  Measure the wall to determine how much strip is required to cover the wall. The strip needs to reach all the way into corners, so measure carefully.

• 4

  Cut the tackless strips to the correct size. Wear heavy gloves at all time working with the tackless strips. Cutting can be completed with a saw or a pair of hand shears. Professional carpet installers will score the tack strip with an exacto knife and then break the piece. Each strip should have at least two nails in the strip. Keep extra nails handy in case the provided nails need to be pulled or extra support needs to be given to the strip.

• 5

  Install the strips with a hammer. The little metal pins that hold the carpet in place should be facing the wall.

Edge Gripper

• 6

  Measure the area the gripper must cover such as the door way or transition area. Measure more than once to verify before cutting. An edge gripper that is too short may fail and cause rolls in the carpet. Cut the gripper to the correct length with a saw or hand shears that can cut through the material of the edge gripper.

• 7

  Place the edge gripper up to the area where it is to be installed. If this is a transition area, place the gripper flush against the other flooring material. Secure the side of the edge gripper that will not be holding the carpet with nails.

• 8

  Stretch the carpet using the carpet stretching tools. The carpet needs to extend above the top of the gripper until it is flush with the door frame or transition flooring. Cut the carpet so that only 1/2 to 1/4 inch of carpet will be inserted into the gripper.

• 9

  Place a bead of seam sealer onto the edge of the carpet and insert carpet into the edge gripper. Use the tuck tool to make sure the carpet is in place. Tighten the gripper. Depending on the model this may require removing a spreader or using a hammer to secure the edge gripper to the carpet.