Removing Carpet Nail Strips

Removing old carpeting may be necessary to save labor costs if you are having your carpet replaced.

Removing carpet nail strips.

The strips of metal nails under your carpet and carpet padding are called tack strips. Locate the brad nails that hold the first piece of tack strip to the floor. After pulling up your carpet you will most likely have tack strips left around the perimeter of the room. If you are pulling up carpet from stairs.

Begin at the top of the stairs. Step 5 remove the carpet tack strips. Carpet tack strips are wooden boards installed around the perimeter of a floor to hold carpet in place. Carpet tack strips are pieces of wood with small sharp nails sticking out of them that grip a carpet and hold it in place.

The strips are nailed to the subfloor and while removing them is labor. Use the 6 in 1 painter s tool and a hammer to lift one end of one of the strips. If not cut the carpet near the top of the top stair riser. If you re removing your old carpet and planning to install new carpet in its place you don t have to remove.

Typically there will be three nails spaced evenly along each three foot section of tack strip. Pick somewhere to start either a corner or a break between two tack strips. Removing tackless strips is a job requiring a certain amount of patience and care if you do not intend on refinishing the floor. If you decide to remove the carpet you must also pry up the tack strips which are held in place with nails.

A very easy way to remove carpet tack strip from the basement concrete floor. You may also need to remove your carpet if you have hardwood floors underneath that you would like to refinish. Grab the cut end of carpet and pull it from the stairs using gloved hands. Carpet tack strips can usually remain in place but look for rust rot or other damage.

Step 3 place the curved edge of a small pry bar against the tack strip lining the pry bar up with the first nail. If the floor is made of concrete you are left with unsightly holes along the perimeter of the room. Some people have a hard time with this step but i ll show you how to remove carpet tack strips the easy way with three simple tools.