- 1). Put the carpet tack strips along the perimeter of your room, spaced about the thickness of your pad and carpeting from each wall. Attach them to the floor with 2-inch nails every 6 inches. The tack strips have tiny tacks protruding from them that are at a slight angle, so make sure the tacks are facing the walls. If you are re-laying your carpeting, gently pull it up, remove the staples from the facing of the pad, and peel the pad back. Pry up damaged tack strips and replace them. Wear heavy gloves when working with tack strips to avoid injury.
- 2). Lay the pad. For new carpeting, unroll the pad to the perimeter of the room, trim it with a utility knife and dispose of the remains. Staple it in place. Since the existing pad fits the room, simply re-lay it and restaple it to the floor.
- 3). Lay the carpeting on the floor. If it is new, trim it so it is about 3 inches too long on each wall. With your power stretcher resting on the baseboard of the opposite wall, place its head about 6 inches from the wall and push down on the lever to stretch the carpet. Then press the carpet onto the tack strip.
- 4). Use the knee kicker in the areas where you cannot use the power stretcher, such as tight corners and the sides of fireplaces. Once the carpet is firmly on the tack strips, trim the excess with the carpet cutter or utility knife. If you are stretching existing carpet, the chances are good that you will have excess, as well.
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