I've got to lay carpet for a friend in her apartment. Our contractor bailed but we have the carpet and padding. I've googled it but they prefer to ignore oddball seams and such. The rooms are around 10'x 10' and 10-12'. The hallway is the problem. If I stretch all 3 rooms do I seam the hallway last? Do I only stretch it to the sides? I'd like to do it with someone experienced but the other guy involved with this wants $450 for him and me to install it 2-3 hours (his estimate). Seems high since the tools have to be rented or bought. He doesn't have his own. Links and or hints on seaming will be apreciated. Thanks Karl
I've seen it done many times... Forget 2 or 3 hours, think the better part of the day - and that's not counting getting the tack-strip down. A team of 2 or 3 pros that specialize in going through tract houses in a hurry one after another (and they are done all the same, no thinking) might be able to pull it off that fast.
Do some checking, but I'd think you get all the rooms and the hall laid out first, then mostly stretch the rooms except for the area of the doorway - so you can work with the seam area. Then seam the first room to the hall, finish the room and the end of the hall, move on to the next room. And there's really not that much tension on the carpet, just enough to get (and keep) the wrinkles out.
The seaming is hot-melt glue pre-squirted on reinforced fabric tape, and a special iron. You get it hot, and then you have 15 to 30 seconds to get the edges where you want them.
As long as you don't get glue on the pile, it's all good. Carry several pieces of plywood so you have a place to drop the iron without hitting the carpet pile.
Make sure you rework all the telephone and TV cable lines that lazy or sloppy installers have tucked under the baseboards in the past before you start carpeting, or at least pull them out of the way before starting that wall. If you leave them in the gap you WILL cut them somewhere when you go to trim and tuck the edges.
And burglar alarm installers like to fish their wires cross-country under the carpeting to each protected door and window and the keypads, watch for them, too.
If there's too much of that stuff, consider replacing the baseboards or the crown molding with a low-voltage raceway for all that stuff.
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For baseboards, you cut the bottom inch or two off the wallboard and the wire channel fits in with plenty of room for alarm, TV, phone, speakers, CAT-5 networking...
I did this for a living for nearly 15 years ... and am assuming you're renting a stretcher . Stretch the rooms individually , "base" stretch along one (usually long) wall . Foot of the stretcher about 2 ft from corner , head right in the corner at the other end of the wall , then trim and tuck that wall . Second stretch is from the same corner , at right angles to base stretch . Stretch into the corner as before , then trim and tuck that wall . You should now have 2 walls that meet trimmed and tucked . Walk the stretcher down/across the room , foot on the first (or base) wall you stretched , trimming and tucking as you go . As you proceed down the room , gradually angle the head towards the last "free" corner , so that you're kinda stretching in two directions at once . Finish off with straight stretches to the last wall . In the doorways , we always used a strip of carpet (as a visual marker) with
10d nails thru it into the subfloor every six inches or so to hold the stretch on the carpet - called "staytacks" ... put the staytacks far enough back that they won't interfere with seaming . I usually tried to stretch away from doors . Hallways , stretch the length first , then trim and tuck one side , and make your doorway seams on that side only . Use the knee kicker tool to put a slight amount of tension on the carpet as you trim/tuck/seam it . Using the knee kicker , and bracing your foot against the opposite wall , stretch /trim/tuck/staytack the carpet to the other side of the hallway . You can get a LOT of tension on the carpet using the kicker across a hall , be careful not to overstretch . Seams are a science in and of themselves , and there are different ways to do them . I prefer a hotmelt seaming iron and tape . In this case , you may want to stitch them . There is also a tape with metal "hooks" embedded that is meant to be used with carpet seaming latex (if you stitch , seal edges with latex first) . Whichever way you do the seams , leave the staytacks until you're sure the seams are dry , or cooled . Then leave them a little longer , redoing a bad seam is a pure bitch , no matter what way you did it . You never said what kind of subfloor , if concrete , use liquid nails to glue the tack strips , then drive the nails a day or two later . Strips are usually set fingertip thickness from baseboards , a bit further if the carpet is really thick . Probably a full day or more for the inexperienced , I could lay these rooms in a half day , alone , when I was young ... BTW , ALL carpet is directional , try to have it all run the same way (nap will lay down in one direction) . If ya gotta turn it , it's best to have the two directions meet in a doorway . That's the bare bones basics ...
Remember to have some heat sealing tape for the seam. It is simply hot glue in a strong canvas - that glues the bases together in a seamless seam.
Otherwise - a tread board might cover up the line if need.
One large room is done - the halls are last. Had rugs installed in the last house and then moved. This one has new rugs that were flopped in - not stretched!
Someday a replacement...
Martin
Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member
Thanks for the info. It's on concrete. I replaced all the damaged tackstrips. I'll probably replace the telephone line running along the wall. The carpet is cut already. The guys that bailed on me just finished a military housing contract and are about to start a hotel so that's probaly how my friend got came up with 2 1/2 hours. I'm going to use the hot glue seam tape and rented equipment. Not exactly the way I wanted to learn to lay carpet. Thanks Karl
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