Carpet a bedroom — HomeGraft

Strip old carpet, fix the floor, fit new gripper and carpet, then sort the door and threshold over one long weekend.

Guides in this project

01Remove old carpet and gripper rods 02Fix a squeaky floorboard 03Fit carpet gripper rods 04Lay carpet underlay 05Lay carpet in a small room 06Fit a door threshold strip between two floors 07Trim the bottom of a door

AB-01Clear the room and strip out the old flooringEmpty the room completely and move furniture out or into the centre under dust sheets. Follow the guide 'Remove old carpet and gripper rods' to lift the old carpet, underlay and gripper rods, and bag up the waste for the tip or a skip. Check the subfloor as you go for damp patches, rot, or loose boards, since this decides whether you need step 2. Do this on day one, ideally in the morning, so the room can air out before you start fixing anything down.

4 each · Heavy-duty rubble sacks

Buy:B&QAmazon

2 each · Dust sheets

Buy:Tooled UpB&QAmazon

1 box · Disposable gloves

Buy:Tooled UpB&QAmazon

1 each · Local tip or skip bag for waste

Buy:B&QAmazon

AB-02Sort out any squeaks or loose boardsWalk the bare floor and press down firmly every 300mm or so to find squeaks, give, or movement. Before driving in any screws or nails, check the floor with a cable and pipe detector, and still expect something to be there, especially near walls and old light fittings. Use the guide 'Fix a squeaky floorboard' for each problem spot you find. Skip this phase only if the floor is solid and silent all over.

1 each · Cable and pipe detector (hire or buy)

Buy:Tooled UpB&QAmazon

20 each · Floorboard screws, 50mm

Buy:Travis PerkinsB&QAmazon

1 bottle · Wood glue

Buy:Travis PerkinsB&QAmazon

AB-03Fit new gripper rods around the roomMeasure the room again before buying gripper rod, and allow extra for cutting around the doorway and any chimney breast or alcove. Follow the guide 'Fit carpet gripper rods' to fix rods around the perimeter, leaving the correct gap from the skirting. Check for cables and pipes with a detector before fixing into the floor near sockets or old wiring runs, and still expect something to be there. Do this the same day as the squeak repairs if the floor is already up.

12 metre · Carpet gripper rod

Buy:B&QAmazon

1 pack · Gripper rod nails (supplied with rod)

Buy:Travis PerkinsB&QAmazon

1 each · Hammer

Buy:Tooled UpB&QAmazon

AB-04Lay the underlay and carpetBuy carpet and underlay together, and order 10% extra carpet for pattern matching and trimming mistakes. Follow the guide 'Lay carpet in a small room' to fit underlay, then stretch and fit the carpet onto the gripper rods. This is the job most likely to overrun, so set aside a full day, and don't rush the final stretching and trimming around the doorway.

12 m2 · Carpet (mid-range, per m²)

Buy:B&QAmazon

12 m2 · Underlay (per m²)

Buy:B&QAmazon

1 day · Knee kicker (hire)

Buy:B&QAmazon

1 roll · Carpet tape

Buy:B&QAmazon

AB-05Fit the threshold strip in the doorwayCheck the new carpet height against the flooring in the hallway or landing before buying a threshold strip, since strips come in different depths. Follow the guide 'Fit a door threshold strip between two floors' to fix the strip across the doorway, checking for cables and pipes with a detector before drilling into the floor, even here. Do this once the carpet is fully laid and trimmed, not before.

1 each · Door threshold strip

Buy:B&QAmazon

1 pack · Screws (supplied with strip)

Buy:Travis PerkinsB&QAmazon

AB-06Trim the door to clear the new carpetClose the door against the new carpet and check for rubbing or catching along the bottom edge. Follow the guide 'Trim the bottom of a door' to take off the right amount, working in small amounts and checking fit often. Do this last, since cutting too early risks trimming against the wrong floor height. If the door is a fire door, get a joiner to trim it, since too much removed can break its fire rating.

RULES

1 each · Pencil and straight edge

Buy:Tooled UpB&QAmazon

1 day · Fine-tooth saw or electric planer (hire if needed)

Buy:Tooled UpB&QAmazon

1 pack · Sandpaper, fine grit

Buy:Tooled UpB&QAmazon

KNOW THE RULES

Fire doors must keep their certified edge clearances. If the door is a fire door, use a joiner rather than trimming it yourself.

Travis Perkins and Tooled Up links are affiliate links: if you buy after clicking, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. B&Q and Amazon links are plain searches and earn us nothing.

Save this as a project

Back to all guides

Guides in this project

Related guides