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]

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Carpet_laying


NT

[Dave Liquorice]

On Thu, 9 Feb 2012 13:29:31 +0000 (UTC), Harry Davis wrote:

> I'm going to be fitting wall-to-wall carpets throughout a house my aunt
> has recently bought.

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.

> I know about underlay and grippers, but what tools do I need to cut ...

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.

> ... and fit the carpets themselves?

Knee kicker, blunt bolster and medium hammer.

--
Cheers
Dave.

[NT]

On Feb 9, 1:56 pm, "Dave Liquorice" <allsortsnotthis...@howhill.co.uk>
wrote:

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.

--
Reentrant

[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]

On 09/02/2012 13:56, Dave Liquorice wrote:
>
> 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.
>

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.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

[Andrew Gabriel]

In article <nyyfbegfubjuvyypb...@srv1.howhill.co.uk>,

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

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

[Harry Davis]

Hi and thanks to everyone who's replied.

Roger Mills <watt....@gmail.com> wrote in
news:9pi5um...@mid.individual.net:

> 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.

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?

> 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.

Harry

[Roger Mills]

On 09/02/2012 17:58, Harry Davis wrote:
> Hi and thanks to everyone who's replied.
>
> Roger Mills<watt....@gmail.com> wrote in
> news:9pi5um...@mid.individual.net:
>
>> 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.
>
> 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?

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

> 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?

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!)

> Excuse my ignorance, but do you take it out of the gap to cut it?
>

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.


--
Mick (Working in a M$-free zone!)
Web: http://www.nascom.info
Filtering everything posted from googlegroups to kill spam.