Carpets bring warmth to a room. It then wears off after a period of time. From there, you start thinking of ways of getting a new carpet installed and ripping that one out. Carpet removal can be difficult. This is especially if your carpet is heavy and bulky. And that’s why you should consider hiring professional services for proper carpet removal. You always know when it’s time to rip up an old carpet. It could be because you are moving out. Or you just want to replace the flooring in your house. Maybe you want to glam up your living space.
Ripping up a carpet can be extremely tiring, especially if you’re doing it on your own. One reason why you might think it’s time to rip that carpet off could be that persistent stain on the carpet. This may be a result of a liquid spill on the carpet. Or maybe there is a part showing signs of wearing out. Carpet removal takes a while. It depends on the size of the room. Carpet removal comes with its own challenges too. It is, therefore, advisable to consider the following before carpet removal:
Before The Tear Out
Carpet removal takes up a lot of time. Especially with the heavy ones. You need to talk to the installer to find out how the installation was. Also, find out how much you get to save if you do the carpet removal yourself. The installer will tell you what to do with the old carpet.
In addition, they’ll show you how to handle any unusual situation which comes up during the carpet removal process. Carpet attaches to the floor along the edges of the walls through tack strips. You will also find that under the carpet there are carpet pads. These are just before the carpet is tacked in with staples. Before you start removing the carpet, ensure that space is there and that there is nothing laying around. The room should be clear to avoid any damages.
Proper Tools for Carpet Removal
Before you start ripping off that carpet, you need to have protective gear and tools. The following are some of the tools you need during carpet removal:
· Gloves (for protecting your hands from any injuries when ripping off the carpet)
· Pliers (to pull up the nails and staples from the carpet pad)
· Duct tape
· Utility knife (for tearing the carpet into stripes)
· Protective mask, especially for those who are sensitive to dust.
Carpet Stripes
This is one of the initial processes when removing the carpet. The carpet is heavy and bulky. One cannot pull it out at once. You will need to try to pull out the carpet at the edge of the room. You can do this by using a pair of pliers. Then you use a utility knife to tear it up into stripes of about six to eight inches. This will actually take some time. You’ll be cutting and rolling up the stripes for easy disposal.
Carpet Padding
Underneath the carpet lies the padding placed there during installation. During carpet removal, it’s important to know that the padding also needs to come off once the carpet has been ripped off. Mostly, you can do this when you want to replace the flooring with hardwood. Or you probably just want to remove the padding to prepare the floor for new carpet installation. The underlay is glued to the floor. And you have to tear it up. In other situations, they staple it down.
Removing the Staples
In this process, you will need to use a pair of pliers to remove the staples. This is because they are driven deeply to the wood. Removing the staples from the wood is the hardest part during carpet removal. You’ll need to remove them one by one. Use the end of the crowbar or whatever tool you are using, slightly bend it down, employ force and then pull it out. It is important to pull them out or the floor will remain uneven and rough during the new installation.
Transitioning
Before installing a new carpet, the floor has to be carefully cleaned up and leveled in a way that there is no debris on the way to interfere. If the floor is rusty after the whole process, then it should be removed and replaced before another installation. If you choose to tile the floor or put hardwood or laminate the floor, then remove the grippers.
Final Thoughts
Before you think about ripping that carpet off from the floor, consider the above and see if it’s worth it. Are you ready to spend the time and if not, will you hire a carpet removal company? It is fun removing the carpet as it is a new experience. But if you think it is a difficult task, then better leave it to the professionals.
