When it comes to flooring material, homeowners have a broad range of high-quality and durable options to choose from. But what if you want to switch from a hardwood floor to carpet flooring? At Minuteman Floors, we have received this question from many of our clients. Carpets are getting a lot of popularity on the basis of the colors, styles, and textures they are available in. If you are thinking about whether you can install carpet over hardwood flooring, we would like to broaden your knowledge on this subject. Therefore, you can make a well-informed decision.
But first, you should know that it is always possible to install carpets over hardwood in your house or apartment. In fact, it can be done without any difficulty, provided you seek the help of professionals.
How to Lay Down Carpet Over Hardwood
Installation of carpet on a hardwood floor is a multi-step process. Each of these steps needs to be followed in a proper manner to get the job done right. Before the entire process begins, it is crucial to equip yourself with all the materials and the right set of tools that will be needed. Professional installers have expertise in this job and they come properly equipped with all the things that will be required to carry out the carpet installation. It is crucial to complete the procedure in a correct manner if you plan to have a correct and long-lasting carpet installation.
The trick is to perform the installation in a way that does not cause any harm to the hardwood flooring.
The list of materials for the installation includes the carpet itself as well as other essential items such as carpet pad, masonry nails, tack strip, transition strip, duct tape, seam tape, etc. Each of these materials is required for a specific function. Missing out on any of these will make the process difficult and the laying down of the carpet will not be correct and proper.
The toolkit also needs to have all the key tools that will help the installation be done in an easy and speedy manner. Hammer, scissors, saw, trimmer and staple gun will all be used to carry out the procedure. But this is not all. The installer also needs to have a unity knife, knee-kicker, stair tool, and power stretcher in his or her toolkit. If you are not a professional yourself, you may need to gather or buy all those tools that you don’t have at home. Also, you should have some practice in the use of these tools so that you can use them with precision.
Clean The Hardwood Floor
Before installing, you should remember to properly clean the hardwood floor to remove all the dust and dirt. The next step is to accurately cut tackless strips and set them along the perimeter of the area where the carpet will be installed. Use masonry nails to properly secure the strips, parallel to the wall. After placing the padding 5-6 inches apart from the perimeter, it is time to lay down the carpet on the wooden floor. Don’t forget to let the padding fall on the tackless strips. The edges of the carpet will need to be hooked into the pins of the tackless strips. The carpet should be laid down over the floor in a skillful manner so that its edges are secured in the correct position. A lot of lifting, stretching, and setting will need to be done to make sure the carpet sits on the floor perfectly well.
The extra edges of the carpet will be cut using the trimmer. In particular, the carpet should be set correctly along the edges of the wall. After some fine-tuning and fixing the transition strip, you will find the carpet correctly installed on the hardwood floor of your house, condo, or apartment.
Tips for Correct Installation of Carpet on Wooden Floor
The hardwood is the foundation of the installed carpet. So, the foundation needs to be prepared in an effective manner.
Vacuum, sweep, and clean the wooden floor thoroughly. Do not leave out any particles of dust or dirt on the floor. This will lead to scratching of the hardwood after the carpet has been laid down over it. Apart from properly cleaning the hardwood floor, also give it some time to dry. If you install the carpet over damp or moist hardwood, you will face issues such as mold or rot in the future.
Cushioning is a crucial part of the entire carpet installation procedure. It is important to set the padding right between the wooden floor and the new floor, which is the carpet. The better the padding, the more protection the hardwood floor will have for a long time in the future. Low-quality padding can throw water on all the hard work that goes into laying down the carpet on the hardwood. When choosing padding material, consider key factors such as thickness and durability. High-quality padding will provide the best protection to the wooden floor. It is always advisable to take help from a professional when choosing padding and other material for the job.
Devote adequate time to stretching the carpet. If it does not sit tight on the floor, you will have issues later. That is exactly why you will need to use a power stretcher during the installation.
Different Carpet Styles
The carpeting industry has evolved a lot over the last decades. Today, you have a much broader variety of carpets available than ever before. Whether you are in search of a specific color, pattern, or style, you will always find multiple options to select from. There are residential carpeting and commercial carpeting as well as waterproof carpeting to suit your needs and last for a long time.
Popular carpet styles include Plush, Berber, Frieze, etc. Depending on the color scheme of your home’s interior design, you can find the most ideal style and pattern of carpets at Minuteman Floors. There are long fiber and short fiber carpeting as well. The range of style, texture, and color is huge. Moreover, there are carpeting options to suit every kind of budget. You can find attractive carpet styles even if you have a limited budget. In short, the installation of carpet is affordable for every homeowner. Always remember to choose carpets that are attractive and durable. Above all, your selected carpet quality should enhance the value of your home.
Turn to Carpeting Experts to Get the Job Done Right
Carpet flooring is popular because of its softness, warmth, and unique look. There are many other benefits that carpets have to offer. If you have a hardwood floor and plan to lay down carpet on it, you should head straight to the Minuteman Floors. Located in Manchester, New Hampshire, our expert team will help you select the most ideal carpet style to match your home decor and our professionals will carry out the installation in a correct and proper manner. All our carpet installations come along with a one-year warranty for your convenience.
For your free consultation and estimate, give us a phone call in Manchester right away. Alternatively, you can also reach out to our experts via email along with your specific details.