Laying a carpet

[andrew Deathe]

When I put down the gripper rods around the perimeter of a room, ready for a new carpet, how close should they be to the skirting board?

Thanks for any advice on this.

[Mike]

[John Rumm]

Depends a bit on the carpet. Minimum distance would be about 1cm, but you may want a little more if it is a heavy or difficult to handle carpet.

[EricP]

If you put them about an inch from the skirting you can leave the carpet oversize and fold the excess under and into the gap between the skirting and gripper. It makes an easier novice install.

[Owain]

Or if you want to run some phone/data/speaker cables between the gripper and the wall.

Owain

[Lobster]

Is that not the standard way of laying a carpet? Not something I ever do myself - I consider carpet-laying to be a black art, alongside plastering - but I'm sure every pro I've watched has done it like that.

David