Lay carpet in a small room

Fit gripper rods, underlay and carpet in a small room, from clearing the floor to trimming the final edge.

CA-01Clear the room and check the subfloorRemove furniture, old carpet, underlay and any old gripper rods. Sweep and vacuum the bare floor. Check for loose floorboards, damp patches or crumbling concrete and sort these out before you go any further, since carpet will hide problems, not fix them.

5 each · Bin bags

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1 each · Stiff brush or vacuum hire (if needed)

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CA-02Work out what floor you haveTap the floor firmly. A dull, solid knock usually means a concrete slab; a slightly hollow sound with a little give means timber joists under floorboards or chipboard. Look near the skirting for confirmation — a smooth grey surface is concrete, visible board edges or sheet joints mean timber. This decides which fixings you need for the gripper rod in a later step.

CA-03Check for pipes and cables before fixing anything downGripper rods get nailed close to the skirting, which is exactly where pipes and cables often run under a timber floor. Run a cable and pipe detector along the edges near sockets, radiators and the boiler, but treat it as a guide, not proof — detectors miss deep cables, pipes in conduit, and anything under thick chipboard. Find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns before you start, so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. If you have any doubt at all, isolate the relevant circuit at the consumer unit before nailing, and turn off the water at the stopcock before working near a suspected pipe run.

CA-04Fit gripper rods around the roomCut gripper rod to length with tin snips or a hacksaw, leaving a gap of 8-10mm between the rod and the skirting for tucking the carpet later. On concrete, fix with masonry nails or a suitable adhesive gripper strip; on timber floors, use the nails already set in the rod, angled to bite into the boards. Work right round the room, mitring corners, and leave gaps at doorways for the threshold bar.

15 m · Gripper rod (tackless strip)

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1 box · Masonry nails (for concrete floors)

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1 each · Hacksaw or tin snips

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CA-05Lay and fix the underlayRoll out underlay between the gripper rods with the correct side down, butting edges together without overlapping. Staple or tape the underlay to timber floors every 100mm, or use adhesive on concrete. Trim it flush to the inside edge of the gripper rods — never let underlay sit on top of the rod.

12 m² · Carpet underlay

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1 roll · Carpet tape

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1 box · Staples (for timber floors)

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CA-06Cut the carpet to rough sizeRoll out the carpet allowing at least 100mm extra on every side for trimming later. Cut from the back with a straight edge and a sharp utility knife, keeping the pile direction facing the main doorway. Leave the offcuts until the room is fully fitted in case you need to adjust.

12 m² · Carpet (offcut or roll to fit room)

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CA-07Stretch the carpet onto the gripper rodsStarting in one corner, hook the carpet onto the gripper pins, then use a knee kicker to stretch it firmly towards the opposite wall, working row by row. Push each edge down onto the gripper with a bolster chisel before moving to the next wall. Keep the tension even across the room so the carpet doesn't bag or ripple later.

1 day · Knee kicker (hire)

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1 each · Bolster chisel

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CA-08Trim and tuck the edgesUse a stair tool or the bolster to push the carpet down into the gap between the gripper rod and the skirting. Trim the excess with a trimming knife held at a slight angle, working right round the room. Check every edge is tucked neatly with no gripper pins showing.

1 each · Stair tool

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CA-09Fit a threshold bar at doorwaysCut a threshold or door bar to width and screw or pin it down where the carpet meets another floor covering, trapping the carpet edge underneath. Pick a bar height that matches the carpet thickness so there's no trip hazard at the doorway.

1 each · Threshold/door bar

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CA-10Clear up and settle the room back inVacuum the new carpet to lift the pile and remove loose fluff. Bag up old carpet, underlay and offcuts — most councils won't take large carpet pieces in general waste, so check your local collection rules before you dump it outside. Move furniture back once the carpet has settled, usually after a few hours.

3 each · Heavy-duty rubble sacks

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