Maybe you’re here because you’re thinking about a DIY carpet install. Or maybe you’re shopping for someone to do it for you. Whatever the case, both the person installing new carpet and you, the homeowner, have multiple things to be aware of to make sure the job is done right.
Sure, things like carpet roll width, types of carpet pile, synthetic vs. wool carpet and more are all crucial to know about, too. But those are also things you’ll find right away in a Google search.
How about the stuff people forget to talk about? The insider secrets? The stuff that could really surprise you?
For the reading pleasure of all my Belleville, Shiloh and surrounding area neighbors, as with anyone else stumbling across this article, here are TWO of the things that my clients have told me were the “most surprising” facts that they definitely didn’t know about installing carpet flooring.
1: What to know about subfloors
Yes, subfloors could be rotted, and you wouldn’t know it until the old carpet comes up. And whether your subfloor is rotting or is just uneven or riddled with cracks, this condition will ultimately mean your carpet install could end up looking majorly “off.”
When Valor Home Services comes in for a carpet install, as soon as old flooring is removed we inspect the subfloor for loose or missing nails and silence squeaks. We fill large cracks, we fix depressions, and we remove floor register covers and interior doors when necessary, too.
2: Wait, what’s that about doors?
Yes, we said “remove interior doors” along with the floor register covers. Why would that be necessary to install a carpet, though?
That has a pretty simple answer. It’s so simple, in fact, that this second “surprising” point is a bit of a forehead-slapper.
In the case new carpeting is thicker than whatever flooring was there before, even if only for its “newness” and fluff, your doors might not swing as freely as they did before the install.
When that happens, you have two options:
- Trim the bottom of the door a little
- Butt the edges of your carpet right to the base molding
So, what do you say? Were these two things you actually already knew about carpet installs? We’re always working to communicate better and give homeowners the information they need, so let us know if you have other questions you/ want to see answered.
