list of carpet-fitting tools?

[Harry Davis]

I'm going to be fitting wall-to-wall carpets throughout a house my aunt has recently bought. I know about underlay and grippers, but what tools do I need to cut and fit the carpets themselves?

Thanks!

Harry

[NT]

[Dave Liquorice]

Rather you than me, fitting carpets is a bit like plastering. Those that do it as a living make it look easy... The hard bit is the final edge trim to tuck between the gripper and skirting, not too much so it doesn't fit in the space, not too little so there is a gap between skirting and carpet.

Stanley knife with hooked blade, loads of them as carpet takes the edge off them in double quick time and you do need a very sharp blade to make controlled cuts.

Knee kicker, blunt bolster and medium hammer.

[NT]

It does depend on the carpet type, but almost 100% of carpets can be fitted fine without a kicker or any stretching

Scraper or bolster, mallet if you like, stanley knife & blades (I use plain blades) (avoid cheapskate thin ones), pencil & tape masure, and whatever fixing system youre using.

NT

[Reentrant]

A tip from our fitters - if the carpet has come straight from a cold warehouse, let it get to room temperature for a day or so before you cut it. Otherwise it will expand slightly as it warms and need (re)stretching.

[ss]

I have done about half dozen carpets. You need tools as mentioned in previous posts. I would recommend working ahead of yourself ie if fitting a room lay out and rough cut the carpet as it lets any creases diminish. As some have mentioned the difficult/time consuming part is the final trimming, take extra care at this stage as you cannot add carpet back on. Start with the smallest room to get a feel for it. I didnt find it difficult just time consuming (compared to proper carpet fitters) Took me about 3 hours to do a 15 x 15 foot room, carpet only not the underlay and gripper.

[Roger Mills]

Having watched a few carpet fitters at work, I do the following - which seems to work fairly well:

Cut the carpet so that it's a few inches (maybe 4" - 100mm) oversize on each edge, so that the extra stands vertically against the skirting board.

Use a blunt bolster chisel to force the carpet into the gap between gripper and skirting, thus forming a sharp crease.

Cut it along the crease with a sharp Stanley knife.

Remove the surplus and use the kicker to stretch the carpet fully onto the spikes, and push the edge into the gap with the bolster chisel.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Good knee pads, if you want to be able to stand and walk afterwards.

[Harry Davis]

Hi and thanks to everyone who's replied.

Roger Mills wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Just to check that I understand this right: does this mean that the gap between gripper and wall should be less than the height of the gripper? So narrow that when you force the carpet into the gap it goes down and then straight back up again, i.e. you've creased it once at 90 degrees and then folded it at 180 degrees, and you cut along the 180 degree fold? Excuse my ignorance, but do you take it out of the gap to cut it?

Or, if this isn't right, is the carpet now lying on top of the gripper, then creased sharply downwards along the back of the gripper, then creased to go along a small stretch of floor, then a third 90 degree crease to send it straight up the wall, and then you cut along the third

90 degree crease?

[Roger Mills]

They're roughly the same. The thicker the carpet, the larger the gap needs to be, but 1/4" is usually about right.

Yes - so the carpet comes over the gripper, and then down into a V shape, and up against the skirting. This is quite easy to achieve by pushing a 3" bolter chisel into the gap. You don't need to hit the chisel with a hammer, but you do need to 'jab' it down by hand (nothing too gentle!)

No, you cut it in situ, with the Stanley knife at about 45 degrees, with the point aiming at the intersection of the floor and skirting - so you're cutting into the inverted apex of the V. When you remove the offcut, there will be a *slight* gap between the edge of the carpet and the skirting. This is where you use the knee kicker to stretch the carpet so that the edge is slightly compressed against the skirting, and use the bolster to push the edge downwards. You'll then get a perfect fit against the skirting.

The cutting operation might have scored the skirting slightly, but any cuts will be below finished carpet level, and won't show.

[mick]

I did our living room a couple of years ago. It was the first time I'd laid a carpet, never mind a complete room and stairs! Now I know why I would gladly pay a carpet fitter to do it next time. That may not be an option if you are doing a full house, though you might get a big discount.

A "proper" carpet pusher seems to be better than an ordinary bolster chisel. They are smoother, with a rounded end rather than the normal chisel end. I tried both and the proper thing was easier to use for me, although YMMV of course.

You may be able to hire a "kicker", but they aren't all that expensive anyway. Get *lots* of *good quality* blades - not the cheap stuff - don't skimp. You'll probably need an average of one blade per two medium walls (i.e. a new cutting edge for every wall). The cheap ones have about

1/10 of the life of good ones - if they cut at all.