Carpet Removal Tips
Carpet Removal Tips
Before you begin your carpet-removal project, be sure to have the following items on hand:
· Dust mask
· Durable, puncture-resistant gloves
· Retractable, sharp knife
· Hammer
· Pry bar
· Dull chisel or flathead screwdriver
· Pliers
· Duct tape
· Knee-pads
· Broom and shop-vac (avoid using your home vacuum system as most home machines/systems are
not designed to handle ‘industrial’ type projects.)
Being careful not to slice into the hardwood – cut the carpet into manageable pieces about 4 feet in length. Roll up each piece and wrap with the duct-tape. Do the same for the underlay but reserve some of the underlay to wrap the nail-‘infested’ smooth-edge in later.
As you remove the carpet/underlay from the smooth-edge along the wall, be careful not to tear or pull up the smooth-edge at this time. This can do considerable damage to the hardwood beneath the smooth-edge requiring potentially costly repairs.
Once the carpet and underlay have been removed, find the larger nails in the smooth-edge and carefully remove or loosen them. Using a pry bar, hammer, dull chisel, flathead screwdriver or combination of each, carefully lever up the smooth-edge from the hardwood in strips as long as possible.
Again, be careful when taking up the smooth-edge to not lift up or damage the hardwood beneath the smooth-edge. Use the reserved underlay to wrap the smooth-edge in and use the duct tape to tightly wrap up the underlay roll.
You will find your floor is now covered in a multitude of nails and staples. Strap on your knee-pads and methodically begin removing these with the aid of your pliers.
Finally, using your shop-vac or broom, sweep up your floors and double-check for any missed nails and/or staples. Removing your carpets is a fairly simple yet time-consuming process especially if you lack the above-mentioned tools.
At Woodsmith Hardwood Floors we are happy to provide carpet removal and disposal at a nominal cost. Contact us today to find out how we can help you tackle all of your hardwood floor refinishing tasks.
