Planning on replacing your carpet? Before you start, read through this list of tools that you will need to have for the job.

1. Tools you Need to Replace your Carpet
So you are thinking about replacing your
carpet. There are a number of tools that
you will need to do this. I replaced the
carpets for my parent’s house last year and
here are the items I used. Heads up, I don’t
cover seeming the carpet in this tutorial.
The reason why is that carpet
manufacturer’s will not uphold warranties if
you don’t have a professional installer seem
the carpet for you, plus seeming can be
difficult if you want it too look good.
Measure the room and Measure again
Before you think about purchasing items we need to know exactly how large the area is you intend to
cover. You need to know the exact dimension of the room you may find yourself in a dilemma later. Go
with a measuring tape and get the measurements of the whole room. After you have gotten the
measurements tack on a few inches to all dimensions to make up for doorways and thresholds.
This is the most important step, at least for me. You need to know exactly what the measurements of
the room are before you purchase carpet and other material or you may find yourself in a dilemma. Go
with a measuring tape and get the exact measurements of the whole room. After you have gotten the
measurements tack on a few inches to all dimensions to make up for doorways and thresholds.
Materials
Carpet – This one is a no brainer but carpet doesn’t just come in different colors but different qualities.
If you want a thicker carpet that will last longer you need to shell over extra. Talk to the representative
at the store about the different carpets and inspect them yourself. Carpet comes in widths of 12’ and
15’. The rep should be able to help you get the right amount of carpet to cover your room. After
purchase they will cut, roll, and wrap your carpet to
prevent damage.
Tack Strips – These strips are placed 3/8 ‘’ away from
the wall running along the entire perimeter of the room.
Make sure to have those measurements with you and
purchase as many as you need. You will end up cutting
a few of these to make them fit. This really isn’t a
problem anymore but make sure to purchase strips with
short nails unless you have amazingly thick carpet. This
is important if you don’t want a tack reaching through

2. the carpet and going into a family member’s foot.
Carpet Cushion – This is a layer of foamy material that goes just below your carpet on the ground to
protect the carpet as well as your feet. Take your exact measurements of the room and purchase that
much material. You will go in manually with a knife to cut off the excess that reaches over the tack
strips.
Tools
Plyers or roofing shovel – This one is really up to you. When you remove the old carpet you will notice
that there are staples holding the carpet cushion to the subfloor. These need to removed. You can pull
of the old cushion and run the flat shovel along the subfloor to pop out the staples or if you are worried
about ripping up the subfloor take plyers and pull out the staples individually.
Carpet Tucker- You can purchase one of these (looks like a dull metal paddle) at a Home depot. They are
used to tuck in the edges of the carpet near the end of your installation. I didn’t feel like paying for the
tool so I put cloth on the bottom of a paint spatula and it did the same thing. You will have to press
down so if you opt to make your own tool get something thick that won’t bend (no flimsy spatulas).
Carpet Stretcher – There are different
kinds of stretchers. If you doing a large
room and you have space in the room you
can rent or buy a carpet stretcher. The
sets can range anywhere from $60-$500
and I would recommend renting one. You
will also need a knee kicker carpet
stretcher for the edges of the carpet. I
found that I was able to pull the carpet
tight enough on my own and use the knee
kicker to finish the rest of the job. I
bought my own knee kicker ($65) for the
edges and I have used it since.
Carpet Cutter or Utility Knife – Although utility knife is a option it is a stupid idea in my opinion, although
I have seen people use it dexterously before. Anyway make sure to purchase a cutting utensil.
Chalk measuring line – You will need this to get a straight cutting line on your carpet so pick one up at
the store.
Staple Gun – You need it to staple down the carpet cushion and of course you need the staples.
Nails and Hammer – The essentials of any tool kit, use small nails to nail down the tack strips into the
subfloor before laying your carpet. Also a piece of wood to place against the wall as you hammer down
the nails is a good idea so you don’t accidentally put a whole into the wall.

3. All right, that ends the list of tools. Now there are other tools that you can choose to use if you want.
Again speak with the store rep for other ideas but I was able to install the carpet using the tools listed
(no seeming involved). If the job is a large one it actually may be cheaper (use your own time for other
stuff) I you contacted a general contractor or carpet installer, best of luck.
Photo Credit: Sarah Barker, Christiana, Patrick Dockens