Do you want to save what’s underneath the carpet? Some older houses have ugly, old carpet right over hardwood floors. Pull up a corner of the carpet and see what’s underneath if you haven’t yet. Will you put down new carpet, or hire someone to do so? If so, you may wish to leave the tack strips in place if they are in good condition. Ask the installers you will hire what they prefer. Will you lay tile, vinyl, wood, or another hard floor?
If you want the installers of the new floor to haul away the old carpet, make sure they know in advance and figure it into your price. Also, make sure that they know not to charge you for the time to tear out the carpet or move furniture. Call the dump where you usually take or send your trash and find out what they charge for disposal. Some may charge a different rate for carpet, so be sure to mention that it is carpet. Make sure you have some way to haul away the carpet you will discard. Hauling services are often available, as are rental trucks. Check out your phone book and see what you find.
Make sure to also use gloves to protect your hands from the staples that are usually responsible for keeping the carpet attached to the tack boards.
If you are trying to salvage the floor underneath, make sure you do not cut grooves in the floor with the knife. One way to do this is to lift the carpet away from the floor as you cut. Another way is to remove the carpet in larger pieces and cut it up somewhere else. Know what a manageable strip is. The roll you produce must be something you can lift and move, and it must fit in whatever vehicle will be used to transport the old carpet away.
Drive long wood screws into the sub-floor and through to floor joists anywhere the floor squeaks. Apply a stain-blocking primer to prevent old stains from coming up through new carpet. Level the subfloor and replace any water-damaged wood, as needed. Touch up paint on baseboards and around the bottom of door frames. Be sure to allow ample time for paint to dry before installing new carpet.
