DIY Carpet Fitting

[944fan]

I have a few rooms which need carpeting. I DIY most things but have never done carpet. Is this an easy-ish thing to do? I have fitted and entire kitchen and bathroom (titling, plumbing, painting etc.) on my own so I think I should be able to do carpet. Any tips?

The tools required only seem to cost about £30 so they will pay for themselves easily.

[Raverbaby]

I recently had a bash at fitting a cheapish carpet in my bedroom, after a slow start I seemed to get the hang of it.
Theres various tutorial videos on youtube that can help.
Try the smallest room carpet first so if you make a mistake and find carpet fitting isnt for you you've not lost a fortune
I'm not saying its easy but if your a hands on type of person you should be fine.

[roofer]

Hire a stretcher and set the gripper back enough to bolster in. Don't cut the carpet until its fitted to gripper.

[schmokin1]

toolstation do a very useful adjustable knee kicker for about 30 quid. I use a flat bolster chisel wrapped in masking tape to tuck down the carpet, so as not to mark skirting boards. Buy a big pack of good quality stanley type blades, it's essential to cut cleanly and not snag the pile as you can pull a loop out. To help with cutting i use a thin bit of clean hardboard slid down behind the carpet in a vertical plane, so I can cut along the skirting without cutting in to it (sliding the board along as I cut the carpet off). With a bit of practise you can achieve professional quality fitting, just in five times the time! In fact, have a 'pro' in to ruin, I mean fit, my living room carpet is what got me to try it in the first place.

Good luck!

[_bryan_]

All good advice above...

All I would add is to buy a good pair of heavy duty scissors for any fiddly corners, door frames etc where a straight knife cut isn't always suitable. Also to reiterate what was said above, buy plenty of good quality Stanley blades, I turn mine around for a new blade every side of a room.

Also bear in mind grippers come in different quality grades, buy the best you can and make sure the are secured to the floor properly. On concrete floors I use screws in to raw plugs to hold them down as the nails that come in the grippers can sometimes just crack the screed.

Bryan.

[steve2]

k

944fan said:

I have a few rooms which need carpeting. I DIY most things but have never done carpet. Is this an easy-ish thing to do? I have fitted and entire kitchen and bathroom (titling, plumbing, painting etc.) on my own so I think I should be able to do carpet. Any tips?

The tools required only seem to cost about £30 so they will pay for themselves easily.

are you fitting felt backed carpet or action backed using underlay and gripper? you can make an ok job of it if the rooms are straight forward but if youwant any advice please ask me (carpet fitter for 25 years before I bought the shop)

[dave_s13]

Not worth the bother imo. I had a bedroom and the stairs/landing done for 75 quid, I'm handy at diy too but some things are best left to folk who've had much more practice.

[Aviz]

dave_s13 said:

Not worth the bother imo. I had a bedroom and the stairs/landing done for 75 quid, I'm handy at diy too but some things are best left to folk who've had much more practice.

This !

I DIY most things, but carpet fitting is so easy to balls up, as I have done in the past. Guy did my house for 20 quid a room. Not worth the bother attempting it myself,

[steve2]

vq

Aviz said:

This !

I DIY most things, but carpet fitting is so easy to balls up, as I have done in the past. Guy did my house for 20 quid a room. Not worth the bother attempting it myself,

£20 per room is a bargain, the chaps who work for me charge a minimum of £35.00 as do most carpet fitters around here (south east)

[Aviz]

steve2 said:

£20 per room is a bargain, the chaps who work for me charge a minimum of £35.00 as do most carpet fitters around here (south east)

Less than an hours work per room. £20 seemed about right to me. We're oop north too

[schmokin1]

so, you get a bargain and a good job if the right bloke turns up. If some ignorant turns up, like the one referred to me by carpet.it, you get left with cut off adhesive nozzle tips under the carpet, and the edges finished it seems, like a blind man with alzheimers...

Therein lies the problem. If you do get a 'pro' make sure he/she is recommended by friends or hire the in house team from the local carpet shop so you have comeback. The big chains/online retailers wash their hands of the fitting by just selling you the carpet and saying the fitting is between you and the fitter contractually.

[rash_decision]

I've fitted dozens of carpets for myslef, friends and family. It's pretty stright forward if you are handy. I bought a knee stretcher/kicker, a good stanley knife, and that's about that!

I will only fit carpet to a normal room. Radiators, pipe chases, doorways etc are also straight forward if you take your time initially. I will not attempt stairs though! That is best left to the pros!! I also don't attempt lino. I tried this once, and cost myself a new floor covering for my Parent's kitchen! Lol. It tears too easily!!

[spikeyhead]

rash_decision said:

I've fitted dozens of carpets for myslef, friends and family. It's pretty stright forward if you are handy. I bought a knee stretcher/kicker, a good stanley knife, and that's about that!

I will only fit carpet to a normal room. Radiators, pipe chases, doorways etc are also straight forward if you take your time initially. I will not attempt stairs though! That is best left to the pros!! I also don't attempt lino. I tried this once, and cost myself a new floor covering for my Parent's kitchen! Lol. It tears too easily!!

Lino on a sunny summer afternoon is easy to work.

On a cold winters morning it's a different animal.

[944fan]

schmokin1 said:

so, you get a bargain and a good job if the right bloke turns up. If some ignorant turns up, like the one referred to me by carpet.it, you get left with cut off adhesive nozzle tips under the carpet, and the edges finished it seems, like a blind man with alzheimers...

Therein lies the problem. If you do get a 'pro' make sure he/she is recommended by friends or hire the in house team from the local carpet shop so you have comeback. The big chains/online retailers wash their hands of the fitting by just selling you the carpet and saying the fitting is between you and the fitter contractually.

And this is my issue. I rarely get anyone in to do any work (apart from Gas work for obvious reasons) because it is hard to find a pro who cares and does a good job. It might take me longer but I can get a good finish on most things and if it gets cocked up at least I didn't pay a fortune for it to look crap!

Cheers for all the advice. I will give it a go on a small room and as long as I don't bks that up do the others.

[juan king]

No one should attempt it as a DIY task, you'll have me out of a job!

[schmokin1]

oh and for small quantities of sundries - screwfix for rubber underlay at about 4 quid per m2 and wilkos for carpet gripper rod at can't remember but it was cheap as chips!

[mattdaniels]

Rubber underlay is so last year. It's all foam now.

[Miguel Alvarez]

I was lucky a school friend I grew up with did mine and did a cracking job. I was of the view I could do it myself but luckily my mum talked me out of it. She suggested me getting in touch with said old school friend and its the best money I've spent in the house. I had a sly go with some of the off cuts in the utility room and it was one of those things I realised for the price thes guys charge even if I'd paid full price it was worth it.

[annodomini2]

£3/sqm, min £30. Near me.

[schmokin1]

mattdaniels said:

Rubber underlay is so last year. It's all foam now.

i don't like the crinkle sound and you can't beat the feel of rubber ooer missus!