The Best Ways to Put Carpeting Over Concrete

Preparing the Concrete

• Before installing carpeting over concrete, check for and repair problems related to water and mold damage. Use a large push broom to sweep the concrete floor before using a vacuum to pick up small particulates. If you have heat ducts under your floor, locate them by mopping water onto the floor, turning up the heat in the room and noticing which areas of the floor dry first. Indicate the location of the pipes with chalk or masking tape so you avoid accidentally puncturing the ducts when you install the carpeting.

Using Vapor Barriers

• Vapor barriers help protect carpeting installed over concrete resist damage from moisture. If there is a high level of humidity or moisture in a room, install a high-density dimpled polyethylene sheet to fit over the entire floor. If the space is relatively dry, you can use a 6-millimeter polyethylene sheet without dimples instead. Install 1/2-inch-thick sheets of plywood to cover the flooring. The Family Handyman recommends using 15 pre-drilled and countersunk concrete screws for every 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood.

Installing Tackless Strips

• Cut tackless carpet strips so they match the length of your walls. Secure the strips to the concrete floor using masonry nails or epoxy adhesive 1/2 inch from the walls. Do not install the tackless strips across doorways or thresholds because the tacks on the strip could puncture through the carpet and cause injury.

Laying and Installing the Carpet Pad

• Roll the carpet pad perpendicular, or opposite, to the direction you plan to install the carpet. Staple the padding near the tackless strips. When stapling the carpet pad to the plywood at the seams, stretch the padding so the pieces tightly but together. Use a carpet or utility knife to cut the padding along the interior edge of the tackless strip so it is exposed.

Installing the Carpet

• Measure the length of the room at its longest point and add 3 inches to the measurement. Roll out the carpet with the backing facing up and a notch at either end of the carpet at the points that are the same length as the measurement you recorded. Draw a straight line between the two notches you made and cut the carpet. Roll out the piece of cut carpet in the room and continue placing strip of carpet to cover the flooring. You should have 3 inches of excess carpeting next to the walls. Join the seams of the carpet by placing a strip of seaming tape under each seam with the adhesive side facing up. Use a seaming iron to secure the carpet to the carpet padding, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Beginning at one end of the room, attach the carpet to the tackless strip with a knee kicker. Use a wall trimmer to trim the excess carpet along the wall. For the opposite end of the room, use a power stretcher to attach the carpet to the tackless strips. If the carpeting ends at a threshold, use a binder bar to create a finish look that does not leave the flooring components exposed.