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Brigitte finally gets rid of the TV with rabbit ears! And her new plasma screen TV can’t go in any old room. It is the featured element in Brigitte’s new screening room – a room with brand new Berber on the floor.
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DO get the right tools. You need a kicker, a wall trimmer and a carpet iron to do the job right.
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DON’T opt for inexpensive carpet. A lower price means a lower quality and the difference becomes apparent in a very short time.
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- Choose your carpet and underlay carefully. Consider the texture that you want, colour (of course) and durability. If the carpet is in a high-traffic area you need a carpet that’s going to kick butt. Consider the density of the pile. That is, the number of fibres per square inch. The denser the pile, the better. (see fig. A)
- If air quality is a consideration, research a number of the new products available on the market today that are much more air quality friendly.
- The quality of your underpad is as important as the quality of your carpet. It should be thick enough to provide a good cushion but not too thick or it could cause buckling. Brigitte chose a 7/16 “ rebonded foam underpad. It’s a good quality product and it’s recycled!
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| Fig. A |
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Fig. B |
- The first step to carpet installation is tackless strips. They are strips of wood that have needles installed directly into the wood surface. The needles angle toward the wall. The carpet stretches over them, catches and then remains taut. The tackless strips come with nails already in place to nail them to the floor. Nail the tackless strips around the perimeter of the room, about ¼” away from the wall. (see fig. B)
- Roll out the underpad and staple it into place. (see fig. C)
- Roll out the carpet making sure that it reaches the edges and overlaps slightly. Start on one wall and work along the length of that wall using the kicker to stretch the carpet over the tackless strips. As Brigitte discovered, this is not as easy as it looks. (see fig. D)
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| Fig. C |
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Fig. D |
- Use the wall trimmer to cut off the excess and tuck in the edge. Makes sure that you use the right tool to do this so that you don’t overcut, undercut or damage your baseboards.
- Go to the opposite wall and do the same. Continue until all edges are stretched, cut and tucked.
- If you need to make a seam to join two pieces of carpet, you’ll need a carpet iron and some silicone heat carpet seam. First, trim the edges so that they are straight and even. (If the carpet has a loop pile make sure that you cut straight between the loop rolls so that there won’t be any loose fibres sticking up later.) Lay the strip of silicone heat seam on the floor where the seam will run. Place the carpet iron between the two joining pieces of carpet, over the heat seam. Work your way slowly along the seam, letting the iron melt the heat seam for a few seconds and then pressing the carpet pieces into place. (see figs. E & F)
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| Fig. E |
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Fig. F |
- Place some weight on the seam for a few minutes so that it stays flat and you will have completed a “seamless” transition between two carpet pieces.
- If the carpet runs to a doorway, nail an edge strip into place. (see fig. G)
- To cover stairs, wrap the carpet around the lip of the step and staple into place. Tuck the carpet into the underside edges with a chisel. (see fig. H)
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| Fig. G |
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Fig. H |
| Building Materials, and Sico paint |
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BMR/Builders Warehouse
3636 Innes Rd.
Orlean, ON K1C 1T1
p. 613-824-2702
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| Audio and visual equipment, and location |
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Audio Centre
1366 Clyde Avenue,
Ottawa, ON K2C 3Z4
p. 613-723-2923
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Speakers, audio system, and DVD player (manufacturer) available at Audio Centre. For other locations, please check their website
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Lenbrook Industries
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Plasma TV (manufacturer) available at Audio Centre. For other locations, please check their website
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Marantz
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| Carpet, location and installation |
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Westboro Flooring and Décor
195 Colonnade Rd. S
Ottawa, ON K2E 7K3
p. 613-226-3830
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