6 simple tips you need to use to install carpets with ease

Experts are often called upon to lay down carpets. If you're interested in doing it yourself, here are some simple tips you need to use to install carpets with ease.

Installing carpet in your own home is easier said than done. It requires proper planning, the right tools, a bit of skill and a lot of patience to do it right. Selecting and bringing the carpet roll home is only the beginning. But done right, laying carpets yourself can be a rewarding experience that can increase the value of your home instantly. Here's how:

Having some basic skills such as measuring, cutting and being comfortable with handling specialized tools is essential. Equally as important is having the ability and eye for minimizing and hiding seams between sections of carpet and matching any surface transition heights.

In addition to basic tools, you will also need carpet-specific tools as well. To install carpets properly, you'll need a:

• Power stretcher
• Knee kicker
• Seam iron

Some of these tools can get expensive so consider borrowing from a friend or renting them at your local home renovation store.

Fitting broadloom carpeting against difficult corners and skirting can be extremely challenging. They need to fit the radiator pipes, as well. In new houses the piping is typically hidden, but in older ones they run along the walls.

Apart from making sure you have a clean, dry, flat floor, you'll need to select the right method of installing for your project.

Methods include:

• The hook-and-loop carpet fastening method: quick, cheap and does not damage the base floor.
• The stretch-in method: carpet is fitted on top of a wooden underlay with tack strips.
• The glue-down method: suitable for most areas, including ramps and heavy traffic areas. Seams remain durable with no restrictions to the size of the area to be carpeted.
• The loose-laid method: easy and inexpensive, it’s convenient for smallspaces using a carpet with a high dimensional stability.
• Two-sided tape: a good system but only recommended for small spaces with no seams.

Carpets have patterns which require proper seaming.

• You cannot seam a combination of two pieces with different patterns. Look for the carpet pile direction under a strong light to help you seam together the right pieces.

Patterned carpets usually cost more than non-patterned ones. If you wish to save a bit of cash on your carpet of choice, choose non-patterned ones since you won't be wasting excess carpeting.

• If you're leaning towards patterned carpeting, buy five per cent extra in order to match and seam two pieces correctly.

Knowing these simple tips can help you install carpets with less fuss. What's more, you’ll learn and develop a new skill to apply to future home renovation projects.