Install Wall-to-Wall Carpet with Tack Strips

Category: Flooring · Difficulty: Intermediate · Time: 6.5h · Estimated cost: $700

Tools needed

Install tack strips
Nail tack strips around the perimeter, leaving a 1/4" gap from the wall (carpet tucks into that gap). Tack pins face the wall.
Duration: 1h
Lay and staple the pad
Roll pad with the waffle side up. Cut to fit just inside the tack strips. Staple every 6" along seams and perimeter with the hammer tacker. Butt seams, don't overlap.
Duration: 1h
Position carpet rough
Unroll carpet into the room, leaving 4" extra on each wall. Pile direction should run consistent (toward the main entry).
Duration: 30 min
Seam pieces if needed
Lay seam tape adhesive-up under the joint. Run hot seaming iron along the tape at the directed speed (usually about 1" per second). Press carpet down behind the iron.
Duration: 1h
Hook one wall
Press carpet onto the tack strip pins along one corner wall using the stair tool. This is the anchor edge.
Duration: 30 min
Power stretch wall-to-wall
Set power stretcher with the foot at the anchor wall, head 6" from the opposite wall. Lever down to stretch carpet 1-2 percent, then hook onto tack strip. Knee-kick edges into place.
Duration: 1h 30m
Trim and tuck
Trim excess along walls with carpet knife held at 45 degrees against the wall. Tuck cut edge into the 1/4" gap between tack strip and wall using the stair tool.
Duration: 1h

Power stretcher kicks back hard if it slips off the tack strip — keep your knee out of the head's path.
Carpet knife blades are surgical — always cut away from your body and replace blades often.
Tack strip pins point UP — never walk barefoot during install.

Stairs (every tread needs to be wrapped and stapled) or rooms over 250 sq ft with seams — pros do it in half the time.