Carpets are present in some form in the vast majority of homes across the country. They come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colours, and can be incredibly transformative, totally changing the look and feel of a room. Improving comfort and even helping to warm a room, carpets are ideal for modern and traditional homes alike. However, like any new DIY project, laying a carpet can be challenging if you don’t know how to do it.

Of course, there is always the option to get in a professional, but that’s not the only solution – you can install the carpet yourself, which will save you money. Carpets are large and difficult to manoeuvre, which can put some off installing them without an expert getting involved.

This is why we’ve put together this quick guide to installing carpets yourself. If you feel you are not up to the task, there is nothing wrong with contacting a professional carpet layer to help get the job done. Otherwise, read on to find out what you’ll need and the process itself.  

There are plenty of benefits to laying a carpet yourself – primarily it saves you money. Professionals in any industry can be expensive, and this is usually justified; the results you will get speak for themselves. This extends to carpet laying, with established professionals able to effectively lay carpets in just about any conditions. They can also offer a variety of other services, including the removal of your old carpets.

Laying the carpet by yourself can also be a fulfilling experience, and many homeowners appreciate the sense of achievement from any DIY endeavour. Carpets make such a difference to the look and feel of a room, that this achievement is emphasised considerably. As such, it’s no wonder many homeowners consider taking on the project themselves.

There are a few different tools required to properly lay carpet. Remember to gather these beforehand, as this will help to keep the process moving along more efficiently and avoid any delays.

• Carpet
• Carpet Padding (if not attached to the carpet)
• Knee Kicker
• Power Stretcher
• Carpet Knife
• Seam Iron (if needed)
• Seam Tape (if needed)
• Staple Gun
• Tack Strips
• Hammer
• Measuring Tape
• Chalk Line
• Safety Glasses and Gloves

Laying a carpet is not the easiest DIY task, but it is much more straightforward than many other projects that are perfectly achievable for the average homeowner. Therefore, with the right tools, preparation, and determination, you should be able to complete this task without running into problems.

To lay your own carpet, complete the following steps:

1. Start by clearing your room of items and objects, including all furniture.
2. Ensure the old carpet has been vacuumed and sports minimal dirt – if it is an old carpet, you don’t need to get it spotless, but ensuring as little debris as possible is present on it will save you time during the next step.
3. Remove any old flooring material, which of course includes your old carpet. This will expose the subfloor that should be present within your room. Ensure that this is clean and smooth, free from dust and debris. If any is present, clean the subfloor first, as well as remove any irregularities present.
4. Install your tack strips around the edges of your room, making sure to leave a gap of about half an inch from the wall.
5. If your carpet padding is attached to the carpet itself, you can ignore this step – if your carpet padding is not attached to your carpet and you have it on hand as a separate product, roll out the padding and trim it to ensure that it fits comfortably within the tack strip perimeter that you set out in the last step.
6. Use your staple gun to attach the padding to the subfloor. Ensure that the padding is taut and covers the entire floor area for optimal efficiency and best results.
7. Roll out your carpet and position it in the room. Leave excess material around the edges to allow for trimming.
8. The trimming process will require care and attention but is straightforward. Using a carpet knife, trim the excess material along the walls. Make sure you don’t cut too much.
9. The carpet will need to fit snugly against the walls without stretching or pulling on the material. This is because stretching the carpet may cause problems over time and wear it down at a considerably faster rate, reducing its lifespan.
10. It is now time to install the carpet, begin in one corner of the room, using a knee kicker to attach it to the tack strips along one wall. After this, proceed by stretching the carpet with a power stretcher, take it across the room and attach it to the tack strips on the opposite wall.
11. Use a carpet knife to trim any excess along the edges.
12. This step only needs to be taken if your room requires more than one piece of carpet – seam them together by overlapping the edges and using a seam iron along with seam tape to bond them.
13. Finish the edges by using a carpet edge trimmer to neatly tuck the edges of a carpet between the tack strips and the wall.
14. Clean the carpet with a vacuum and remove any debris present as a result of the cutting and securing process.
15. Inspect the edges and the seams to ensure that they are firmly secured in place.
16. Once you are sure the carpet has been properly installed, you can move your furniture back into the room.

And there you have it – in just 16 easy steps, you too can lay a carpet without the need for an expert to get involved. However, professional carpet-layers are always reachable should you decide that you’d prefer that additional knowledge and expertise in order to really bring out the best results. Carpet laying can be difficult, especially in larger rooms, so it’s definitely not a task for everyone. However, determined DIY enthusiasts should find the task far from impossible or particularly laborious.

If you have any more questions about laying your carpet don’t hesitate to contact our fantastic team. If you need advice on what type of carpets you can buy, then be sure to read our carpet buying guide to find the best carpet for your house.