How to Replace a Carpet Subfloor

Pulling up the Carpet

• The carpet will have to be pulled up and rolled up so that it is out of the way. You will need a lot of space to work for this project. Do not use regular pliers for this job -- a carpet puller is the better tool. If the carpet was glued down, work in a horizontal pattern, loosening each row, to avoid ripping the carpet. If it was tacked down, remove the edge tacks and roll the carpet up.

Assessing the Damage to the Subfloor

• Once the subfloor is revealed, take a look at the damage. If it is only in a small area, you may not have to replace an entire subfloor panel. But if water is involved, or if the damaged area is large, plan on ripping out the panel and putting a new one in its place. If the subfloor seems damp, or has a musty smell, the area underneath the subfloor will need to be dried out properly before you can proceed.

Replacing the Subfloor

• If you are replacing an entire subflooring panel, you can use a pry bar to pop it off of the nails on the floor joists. Remove these nails before you move to the next step. If only a partial panel needs to be replaced, cut away the bad portion with a hand saw. Make sure you reveal at least one floor joist so that you have a surface to nail down the new subfloor. This may mean making some extra cuts. Once the damaged portion is removed, put the new subfloor in place and secure it with a hammer and nails and some construction adhesive.

Replacing the Carpet

• The carpet will need to be rerolled, but do not make the mistake of simply tacking it back in place. Use a carpet stretcher to slowly stretch the carpet back into place. This may mean trimming away a small amount of edging once you reach the wall again. Use a carpet trimmer or a utility knife and tuck the cut edge under to keep it from unraveling. If you will be gluing the carpet back into place, have a helper lay down a row of adhesive ahead of you while you roll the carpet out. This helps the job go a lot faster.