Good things don\’t last forever, right? When furniture and décor age, varnishing can turn them into beautiful antiques. When walls become stained and moldy, new coat of paint makes them look vibrant again. But none can be said the same for carpets. The discoloring can make your home look dull with hidden harmful germs. So, it\’s not a bad suggestion to remodel your carpets when the time\’s ripe.
Replacing your old carpets is not as daunting as it sounds because it all boils down to proper planning just like every project you undertake. Here, you\’ll need a utility knife, crowbar, screwdriver and gloves. And like most projects, the plan needs to be executed in different fractions. In this project, divide your house into different parts. Then when you are prepared to start your big carpet replacement, shift everything out, including wall pictures, from the first part to another part of the house temporarily.
Whether you opt to replace the carpets with new ones or refinish the hardwood floor underneath the carpets (if any), the method in removing the carpet applies across the board. Start with the removal of floor stripping by using the crowbar to pry up all nails. If there\’s any wall-to-wall carpet fixed in your house, take out the tiny tacks pined on the tack boards carefully by using gloves. The screwdriver, acting as a lever to lift the carpet and pad foam from the corner, allows you to rip out the carpet upwards. If there is sticking point, use the utility knife to slice the strips that you can roll up. Once these are done, the underlying tack boards will remain and you can either remove or leave them for the next installation.
Before you think of buying new carpets for the several areas you\’re remodeling, reusing your still-in-good-shape old carpet is an option you can consider in installing another room. After all, all it needs is a great shampoo and cleaning. If new carpet is a must, think of buying from a manufacturer that has a return and recycle program so that you\’ve an avenue to dispose of your old carpets in your next carpet remodeling.
If you want to use the hardwood floor tucked underneath, start with a floor sander (I\’ll recommend a loaned one) to sand the entire floor. But you may have to get on the ground to use a hand sander to reach the corners you could not get with the floor sander later on. After cleaning away all the dust from the sanding, stain the floor. Then apply the sealant with a long handled roller and let the floor dry overnight. Repeat this process the next day. A perfectionist may want to carry on the same routine for more than two rounds of the entire process though.
Generally when you are remodeling your old carpets, precautions should be taken if your house was built before the 1980s when dangerous lead-based paint was frequently used. Be careful in removing the carpets, possibly contaminated with lead dust or debris because the activity may stir up the lead material. One of the ways in reducing lead contamination is to cover your furniture and any air ventilation system. Before you remove the carpets, mist the carpet with water from the spray bottle until it\’s damp enough to keep the dust down. As you\’re towards completing your work, remove any traces of lead using a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter vacuum cleaner.
Now that you\’ve remodeled your old carpets, the feel of just shifted into a new home will set in. Although this home project will make you think like it\’s a major makeover which involves a few days (or a week) with lots of sweating and feeling dead tired, take cheer that it\’s a job that only needs to be carried out once in every few years. Take care of your carpets and enjoy your success!
Additional Reading:
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Image Credit:
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