How To Lay Down A Rug Pad

Laying the carpet padding is an important part of the carpeting installation process not only because it can make the carpeting feel more comfortable but it will also have an impact on the durability of the carpet.

How to lay down a rug pad.

Trim around the obstacles. Glue the seams together. Like the cushion under a wall to wall carpet a good rug pad helps to protect the area rug from wear and tear by absorbing the majority of the impact from foot traffic the pad is designed to compress and bounce back even a firm pad will do this slightly which takes the strain off of the rug fibers. Lay the rug pad out on the floor and measure the length that you determined for the pad down the side of the rug pad.

Clean the whole room to ensure that the pad will stay securely in place. Starting at the center point lay the first four carpet tiles at the corners of each quadrant to form a square. Keep about 3 inches lapping up the wall. When laying an area rug over a hard surface such as hardwood flooring the biggest concern about the rug s movement is that it will slide around.

Placing the rug pad. Remove the film covering the adhesive backing and carefully place the carpet tiles along the chalk line. Now it is time to install the carpet pad. Trim the excess carpet.

Before you can put down the rug pad you will need to start by clearing out any furniture that can inhibit your full view of the space since having furniture in the way can keep the rug from laying flat. Layout the carpet and secure the seams unroll the carpet with the backing face down along the wall onto the padding in the room. Tack strips should be spaced away from the wall at a distance equal to the thickness of the carpet being installed. Make relief cuts at corners so the carpet lies flat.

Peel and stick carpet tiles. Staple any pad seams. Next place the carpet pad within the tack strip layout and then staple it to the subfloor. The pad is easy to trim with a utility knife.

Notch corners for trimming. Cut straight across the pad to cut a piece slightly shorter than the length of the carpet. Trim the excess from the edges. When laying the rug over carpet however the concern is more about the rug wrinkling or rippling which presents a big tripping hazard wrinkling will occur because as one area of the rug is stepped on it will shift assuming it is not properly.

Attach the first edge of the carpet. Trim the carpet to size. Install the carpet pad.