Before Your Carpet Arrives
Prepare your home for the arrival of your new carpet.
If winter is coming, or summer, you do things to your home so it’s ready for the seasonal change. Saturday night dinner guests also require a certain degree of readiness. And a new baby? Preparing the home begins months in advance.
Owning a home is all about being prepared. And the arrival of new carpet is no exception.
One thing is certain, being ready for the installation of your new carpet will make the entire process go faster and more efficiently.
It goes without saying, go with the pros.
Carpet installation is a skill that is developed through years of experience, so using our professional installers is just plain smart.
Also, understanding the basics of carpet installation will increase your knowledge of the process and enhance your confidence in the professionals working in your home. Some of these basics follow.
Our installers use a seaming diagram as their “blueprint”.
This shows the overall layout of the carpet, the correct placement of seams and transitions, and assists them in the preparation and cutting of the carpet.
Our professionals know the fine art of seaming.
While seams are inevitable, our installers excel at minimizing and hiding seams. They call on years of experience and tried and true industry methods. Case in point: they’ll insure seams are placed away from areas subjected to pivoting traffic, and not run seams perpendicular to doorway openings.
You should keep in mind that, occasionally, additional carpet must be ordered to better match patterns at the seams, which will add to the cost.
We do our very best to insure a smooth transition.
When two different flooring products meet – say, carpeting and a hardwood floor – it’s called a transition. Our professional installers will try to match the surface heights of various flooring products to minimize transitions. It is a good idea to review this with them prior to the installation.
What to know and do before installation day
Relocate your furniture.
Remove all furniture and other objects and materials from the areas to be carpeted. Before moving, you’ll also need to empty the contents of china cabinets, closets and the like.
What’s to be done with your present floor covering?
Please consider how your old floor covering will be taken up and disposed of. This can be a time consuming and messy task. We will be happy to discuss removal options with you.
If you prefer to remove your present floor covering yourself, do it at least one day prior to installation to allow for cleanup and floor preparation. If removing old carpet, please leave tack strips in place and pull the staples out of the floor from the original pad.
Now turn your attention to the trim.
You should know that, in many cases, moldings and baseboards need to be removed for carpet installation. Our installers will do this for an additional charge but will not be responsible for damage or breakage due to dry or brittle wood.
Painted baseboards, woodwork and paint may need retouching after the installation is complete. If necessary, this is your responsibility.
Get expert council on your sub flooring.
While typically not necessary for carpet installations, your existing sub floor may need to be prepared to receive the carpet, or a new sub floor may be required. This is a job best left to the professionals and, again, we can help you with these decisions.
Include a door plan in your preparation.
When carpeting is installed, there’s always the possibility that the doors, especially closet doors, basement and bedroom doors, may not clear the new carpet and swing free.
Our installers may remove doors in order to install the carpet and re-hang them at an additional charge. If there is a clearance issue you may want to arrange for a qualified carpenter to shave or cut down your door(s) after the installation of your new carpet.
Don’t let clean-up be a toss-up.
Installing new carpet will produce waste. These materials will be collected and disposed of by our installers. Please consult with us regarding additional costs.
What to know and do during installation day
On installation day be home and handy.
Be prepared to be at home the day of installation and be available in case our installation crew has questions. Your presence will insure that the correct carpet is installed in the right areas. Because it is difficult to estimate the length and circumstances of each job, we may not be able to give you an exact time of arrival but we will provide a time frame.
Your family is our concern.
Our installers will use a variety of tools and techniques that can make the work area hazardous. Please make sure that your children and pets are kept out of the work area on installation day.
Follow through with a walk-thru.
We recommend that, prior to the completion of the installation; you walk thru the job with our installation team. This will give you the opportunity to ask questions and be clear on any final details.
What to know and do after installation day
Prepare for a healthy environment.
If you are sensitive to odors, good ventilation should be established. Some of the chemicals used in the construction of carpet, as well as the adhesives or hot melt seaming tapes, can have an odor for as long as 48 to 72 hours after installation. So be prepared to provide the room with adequate ventilation.
Address post-installation issues.
Shedding is a natural part of a new carpet. Frequent vacuuming for the first few days should remove any loose fibers from the carpet’s surface.
Sprouting refers to small tufts or loops of carpet that become visible after the installation. Use a small pair of scissors to carefully trim the loose fibers flush with the surface of the carpet.
Finally, if wrinkles or ripples appear in the carpet, it may be necessary to re-stretch the carpet. Please contact us to have this done professionally.
Being prepared is the result of being informed.
We want you to be as well informed as possible about the installation of your new carpet. To that end we’ve assembled the most knowledgeable sales people and the most experienced installers to provide you with solid information, reliable resources and proven solutions.
We hope that the information we’ve featured here leads you to a better understanding of how to prepare for installation day.