How to Install Carpet Pad

When it comes to care and maintenance of your expensive Carpet flooring, a carpet pad is an absolute must. The carpet pad or underlay is available in a range of materials and stiffnesses. The carpet pad helps to distribute the pressure on the carpet and enhances its life. Besides the enhanced life of the carpet, the carpet pad also helps in sound and thermal insulation and improves the feel of your carpet. With longer carpet life and reduced utility bills a carpet pad pays for itself many times over during its lifetime.

Installation of Carpet Pad

• Ensure that all the tools needed for the installation are at hand. You would not want to run to the store in the middle of the installation because you forgot the pliers.
• If there is an older carpet on the floor it should be removed and discarded.
• Thoroughly clean the subfloor over which the carpet pad will need to be installed. Remove all traces of dirt, grime, oil, old carpet staples, and water from the area.
• Repair any damages in the floor and check it for integrity, loose boards or unwanted sounds.
• Install tack-less strips along the margins of the room leaving a gap of ½ inches from the walls. The tack less strips should not be installed in the middle of doorways. The tack-less strips must be nailed at intervals of 8 to 12 inches. If it is not possible to nail the strips down you may have to use a strong commercial adhesive to glue it instead of nailing it down. Remember that the tack-less strips are sharp and you must wear gloves when handling them to avoid the risk of accidental injury.
• When installing the tack-less strips it is vital to ensure that they meet at all the corners of the room.
• Cut the carpet padding into strips long enough to run from one end of the room to another.
• Install the carpet padding over the tack-less strips ensuring that the waffle side of the carpet pad is facing upwards. Place the carpet padding strips butting each other but make sure that there is no overlap.
• Once the strips of carpet pad have been installed, cut away the carpet pad along the inside margin of the tack-less strip. Staple the carpet pad at intervals of 6 inches or glue it down to the subfloor.
• Cover the seams of the carpet pad strips with duct tape.
• Your carpet pad is ready and it is time to install your carpet over it. Ensure that your carpet installer has all the right tools like the power stretcher and the knee kicker with him.

Why should you know about carpet pads?

Carpet pad installation is usually done by professionals. But knowing how the carpet pad should be installed will ensure that you will be better able to supervise the work of contracted installers. Given the importance of the carpet pad and the substantial investment in your carpet that it will protect, it is vital that you have an idea about the different types of carpet pads and how they are laid. Carpet pads are generally made of foam, rubber or fiber. You must carefully consider the installation instruction and the warranty conditions of the carpet you buy. Carpet warranty may be voided if you install it over the wrong carpet pad. If you are replacing an old carpet you may also consider carpet pad recycling to reduce the environmental impact of your purchases. Besides the best carpets under one roof, Contempo Floor Coverings offers professional carpet installation and care services that you can avail of without fear of voiding your carpet manufacturer’s warranty.

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