Whats the best way to remove old carpet?

[Pete Lamberty]

I have to rip up some old carpet in the upstairs hallway and down the stairs. I have never removed carpet before. Are there any special tips or tricks? Are there any special tools that I should use? Thanks for your help.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Pete.....I have removed old carpet a couple of times. If it's glued down, you need to remove the old glue to get a good base for the new carpet. I was able to rent an electric tool from the same place that sold me the carpet and was installing the new carpet. It looked kind of like a floor buffer but it had a motor with knives that moved back and forth like electric knives. You simply turned it on and moved the knives along the surface of the floor. The base had a set of wheels and you could control the dept of the "cut" by tipping back or forth on the handle. It worked well. I was younger then and could do manual labor with the best of them. I tried a "manual" scraper and realized I'd retire before I got it done manually. Good luck!

[Pete Lamberty]

Thanks Ken for the advice. I think that the carpet on the stairs is held down with tacks/staples or whatever, not sure about how it is connected in the hallway. There is a red oak floor under the carpet that we will have sanded and refinished. Thanks.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

When I've removed carpet from over hardwood floors, I simply pulled up the carpet and pad. Then using blocks of wood, prybars and needle-nosed pliers, remove the tack strips and/or staples. Use the wood under the prybars to remove the tack strips. Good luck! This type is easier than the gluedown type!

[Dave Brandt]

I always cut it (with a razor knife) into manageable pieces, as it can get really heavy. Then, just roll it up and off to the dumpster.