Removing old carpets is pretty easy and doesn’t take a long time. It is probably the easiest part of the job. Use the below steps to help you move along quickly.
To take up the old carpet, cut the carpet into long pieces about 3 feet wide. This can easily be done with a carpet knife.
Once you have made your cuts, place your hook knife into a corner near the wall with the tip facing down, and pierce the carpet with the tip and gently rock the knife away from you and pull backward.
The carpet should release from the corner fairly easily. It also could take a few tugs to get it out, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come right up. When it does loosen, grip the edge firmly and pull up and towards you.
Once you have this down and remove the carpet from the edges, roll up the sections and carry it out to a waiting trash can or dumpster.
Also, read about carpet pre-installation.
When removing carpet from steps, follow the above steps, but always start at the top and work your way down.
To take up an old pad, you can do the same as you did for the carpet, cutting it into manageable pieces with your carpet knife. You should be able to grip the corner then and pull back.
You can release the staples while pulling them back, holding them down by sliding a hook knife sideways along the floor.
Roll up these pieces and dispose of them. The disposal can be done on-site, or you can load your truck to take the scraps to the dump.
For removing glued carpets, you can follow the same instructions. In addition to the above tools, you can use a scraper to help release the adhesive.
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