Tools for the Job

Top Tips

• Carpet is an expensive investment, so if any doubt about how to fit it, hire a professional carpet fitter.

• Strip floor back to bare substrate and vacuum.
• Glue or nail gripper strip to the perimeter of the room, 6mm (¼in) from the skirting board with teeth pointing to the walls.
• Place underlay inside the boundary of gripper strip, taping any seams together.
• Roll out the carpet and fix one machine-cut edge to gripper strip along one wall.
• Stretch carpet out into of the rest of the room, working from the centre outwards and cutting a notch at each corner so the carpet lays flat.
• The knee kicker has a toothed head that should be pressed into the pile of the carpet while you use your push the other end with a knee to stretch the carpet into the corners of the room.
• When you’re ready to cut, press the carpet into the join of the skirting and floor with a bolster chisel. Then trim by running a carpet knife along this join.
• Finally use the bolster to press any loose ends into the gripper strip.
• If seams are necessary, make sure they are in straight lines. Butt the two sides of the carpet up to one another as closely as possible without causing puckering. Then glue the edges with latex adhesive, or use adhesive tape on rubber-backed carpet.

Further information and useful links

• Carpet materials
• Types of carpet
• Tools & tips for measuring a fitted carpet
• Guide to installing a fitted carpet
• More floors topics

• Find a Carpet supplier near you
• Find a Carpet Fitter near you