Installing a carpet is not an easy task for a novice, especially a DIY project and therefore, it is important to have adequate knowledge of the process before embarking on this assignment. Installing a carpet yourself involves the use of specialized tools and using some muscles. The main part is selecting the best carpet for your needs- the type of weave and material is reflective of price range, desired strength and durability.

Simplified guidelines for the DIY carpet

Shearing the tack less strips to fit each wall, nail these around the perimeter of the room with a space between the strip and the wall equaling 2/3rd of the thickness of the carpet, fixed to the floor with 2 masonry nails.

If installing carpet over tile flooring, remove the tiles where you are nailing the tack less strips, if over concrete, install a special gripper edge. Padding strips to measure across the length of the room are laid over the tack less strips on all walls, and facing up, these are stapled every 6 inches on the edge.

Excess is trimmed with a utility knife and each seam covered with duct tape. Cut the carpet a few inches longer than the room's dimensions, overlapping each piece at the edges and trim it.

Run a chalk line on the back of the overlapped carpet edges and trim a straight edge before overlapping these straight edges with a row cutter to cut the bottom piece. Use the edge of the top piece as a guide in cutting the seam to fit.

Seaming tape is centered under the seam and the iron used to melt the adhesive by slowly pulling it down the tape. The adhesive melts and the carpet edges can be pressed together over the tape and the seam rolled with a rolling pin.

The knee kicker teeth are to be dug into the carpet close to the wall and the cushioned end needs a swift kick with your knee to hook the carpet to the tack less strip.

Power stretcher base is placed at the wall that was hooked and its lever pressed down to lock it before stretching the carpet on the opposite wall. Repeat for all walls.

Ensuring a clean finish to the DIY carpet fixing

Using a wall trimmer, trim carpet excess by slicing it down the wall and for a neat finish, the stair tool is used to push the edges between the wall and the tack less strips.

The carpet at the doorway is trimmed with a gripper edge installed to hold the carpet in place. Alternatively, a metal strip can be nailed down for the same purpose.