Removing Carpet Spikes

Removing these strips that once held your carpet is the most tedious part of carpet removal.

Removing carpet spikes. How to lift a carpet up without damaging it. Remove the baseboards and pull up a corner of the carpet using a claw puller or pliers. For concrete subfloors tack strip or the actual nail removal can be frustrating. Then grab the carpet by hand and continue to pull it up along an entire wall.

To detach the carpet from the tack strip that holds the carpet in place along walls start in a corner. In order to remove carpet easily and efficiently it s best to cut the carpet into 4 foot wide strips. Use measuring tape to determine proper width image 1 then use a carpet blade to cut the carpet into 4 foot wide strips image 2. Pry up the metal nosing and remove it if present.

You may also need to remove your carpet if you have hardwood floors underneath that you would like to refinish. If not cut the carpet near the top of the top stair riser. Carpet can stain and wear out over time so plan to replace it every five to ten years especially if it is installed in high traffic areas like living rooms. Carpet is installed using glue or tack strips.

A very easy way to remove carpet tack strip from the basement concrete floor. In most cases glue down carpet cannot be lifted up without damaging the backing or tearing the carpet. During removal small divots in the concrete will appear and should not be a concern. Roll up the strips and tape them for easy handling.

Just grab the carpet with pliers and pull. After pulling up your carpet you will most likely have tack strips left around the perimeter of the room. You need to loosen about a foot of carpeting to attach to the machine. If you re aggressive enough one or two solid blows with the hammer against the heel of the pry bar should be sufficient to dislodge the nails.

If you are pulling up carpet from stairs.