Carpets can start to wrinkle and buckle for any number of reasons. Any material that is subject to the types of wear and tear that a carpet can endure over a lengthy period of time is bound to start showing signs of fatigue. This can occur even with high-quality brands that cost more to buy and install.
When that fatigue happens, you’ll notice pretty fast and it means the carpet needs to be stretched. This can happen due to humidity, improper or cheap padding beneath the carpet, or when you move a heavy object across the carpet. All of these can contribute to the problem and it’s going to require repair.
Luckily, this is something you can do yourself, without the need to pay for an installer to come in and solve the problem for you. It won’t take much time either, most jobs like this can be accomplished in about a day or so.
All you need to do is get the tools necessary to help you through each of the various steps, which are relatively simple to implement on your own. When you’re finished, your carpet will look as good as new just like the day it was originally installed.
Clear the Room
First things first, you need to remove all of the furniture and other items that are currently sitting on the carpet. You need to have the freedom to work in order to do this right, without anything holding the carpet down as you try to reposition it.
So take out everything that can potentially be a hindrance as you work.
Vacuum the Carpet
This might be a good time to give the carpet a good vacuuming. Now that you’ve removed all of the furnishings, you’ve eliminated the hard to reach places for a vacuum cleaner. This isn’t necessarily an essential step, but it can help with the overall health of your carpet and the home.
If you want to go even further, find carpet cleaning alexandria va and have it professionally deep cleaned so that your carpet looks and feels its best when you are finished.
Lift the Carpet Edges
When your carpet was installed, the workers used tack strips to hold it in place. These are located along the edges, underneath the carpet. Pick one side and begin to lift the carpet off the tack strip. Do it slowly and gently, otherwise you may tear the material.
Do this along the rest of the perimeter, but leave one edge intact. You’ll need to keep the carpet held in place at one side in order to stretch it properly. If you release the carpet entirely, you have a free-floating carpet in the room.
Check the Strips
When you’re done, examine all of the tack strips to see if any are damaged and need to be repaired or replaced. If your tack strips are not up to snuff, then you are doing all of this for naught. A successful restretch relies on effective tack strips.
Damaged strips that can’t be repaired must be replaced before you go any further.
Watch the Pad
Now that the carpet is brought up, you need to do the same with the pad. Be careful when you pull it up because it can tear even easier than the carpet material. So be very delicate about removing the staples instead of using the pad to yank them out.
Reattaching It All
The pad can be reattached first and then the carpet. Replace each carpet edge to the strip from which you removed it, taking care to ensure that you are pressing the carpet firmly into place where the strip and the wall connect. You want the carpet to appear flush against the wall, without any visible spaces.
You may need to re-do this once or twice so that you the job looks professionally done.
Stretch the Carpet
Getting your hands on a stretching machine is going to be critical for this step as this is the most important tool necessary to get the job done correctly. But it will only work if you’ve properly replaced the carpet at all of the strip edges.
So double check that you have securely fastened the carpet to the strips before you use the machine. When you are ready start it up and stretch the carpet nice and tight. Be sure to watch out for any rippling or wrinkling, as you may need to do it all over again if you mess up. Don’t worry if you do, you can take another crack at it.