Underlay really necessary?

meg72 · 21 December 2011 at 8:52PM

brightonman123 wrote: »

ask on gumtree, freecycle etc, if anyone has spare..

tried using a few layers of old newspaper, for now? this also gives a fascinating read, whenever you go to replace it !

Second the newspaper idea. We bought our first house in 1966 and had to use newspapers as pretty skint, We left in 1976,carpet wasnt worth taking but the Newspapers were a very interesting read.

I_HATE_BRITISH_GAS · 22 December 2011 at 1:27AM

I use the heavy duty double sided tape for putting down Vynyl/lino/marmolium etc but it would also stick the carpet down pretty well (fun getting it up again if you so ever chose to and again you get what you pay for and the cheap stuff is next to useless, buy some proper stuff from a carpet shop), the only thing to be careful with it is tape never sets/goes off like glue and eventually if you are holding something under tension the grip will eventually fail, no problem if the carpet is a good fit and you are just simply rolling it out flat only a problem if you really have to stretch it (eg its 1/2" short and you are stretching it to make it fit). I would spray the line of floor that I was applying the tape to first with the spray glue as it helps it adhere to the floor better (especially concrete floors) and then you dont get the tape coming back off the floor when you are trying to remove the white "unsticky" side if that makes any sense! Firstly I would put the tape around all the edges of the room as close to the walls as possible to prevent curling and then you may as well use the rest of the roll up and lattice the tape on the floor, mainly in the "traffic areas" if you havent got enough tape then get the carpet in place, fold back 1/2 (whilst standing on it so it doesnt move) and stick and then do the same with the other 1/2, and then cut it in. this will prevent the carpet from rippling for years to come and you will get loads more use out of it. I find an easy way to get the tricky white unsticky backing off is using a new blade in my knife I stab the tape about 2mm from one of the corners and then pull up, grab tape between thumb and the FLAT of the blade and then pull, seems to work for me, that or grow nails!

I think the worst chemical in the glue I use is Dichloromethane which if used in very large quantities can lead to kidney/liver damage amongs other things, its in a lot of solvent based products (varnishes etc) and not only in spray glue, going off memory I think its the chemical which allows these solvent based products to "go off/dry" by evaporating into the air. You can buy a ventilated mask to wear whilst using the product quite cheaply online (DONT use the cheap white dustmasks they actually make the tiny airborn particles stick to the outside of the mask which actually results in you breathing in MORE harmful chemicals than if you didnt use a mask at all!) TBH if you are using it in a well ventilated room that you have then allowed to breath for a few hours afterwards everything should be fine.

If your fitting a decent amount of carpet yourself its worth renting a "fitting kit" from a carpet firm which will consist of a kicker, bolster and any other handy tools you may need, like with a lot of jobs the right tools will make all the difference, especially the kicker to stretch the carpet.

A cheap alternative to a kicker is to basically make one using some wood (2"x4" with a small square of wood attached to the front bottom end) with some pieces of upside down grippers nailed to it (spikes facing away from you) and make the pad that you would kick your knee against out of spare underlay folded over another square of wood that is attached to the other end (attach wood 1st then underlay), you can also chamfer a small piece of wood into a makeshift bolster, not ideal but definately better than using nothing. Make it once and then use it time and time again.

ALSO NEVER TAKE ANY CHANCES WITH STAIRS ALL STAIR CARPET SHOULD BE INSTALLED PROPERLY BY A FULLY QUALIFIED CARPET FITTER, you can use either glue, tacks, staples or grippers on stairs if you know what your doing but imagine if one day you were coming down the stairs and the carpet came loose and slipped off the step - you would be surprised how easy it is (bad glue, badly fitted etc):eek:

Careful_with_that_Axe · 22 December 2011 at 1:54PM

Another really useful post. Thank you.
I am intending to save (long and hard) for a new carpet for hall, stairs and landing as one piece all matching would look so much nicer. I would be incapable of trying to fit it myself. I am already disabled and don't wish to have any more accidents!!

I'm a girlie, I do have long nails

but if I chip my nail varnish or break one, I ain't gonna be happy!

I_HATE_BRITISH_GAS · 23 December 2011 at 10:05AM

Carpet fitting can be very labour intensive, especially the stairs, it could take me 2 hours to fit a 20 square M HSL whereas I could fit 3 or 4 20 square M rooms in that time and dont forget we get paid by the square meter. Most fitters would add a small charge onto the stair price (£25ish) for the fact that it is more labour intensive and you have to measure up, work out a cutting plan, cut it all to size and then fit it. let the fitter do all the hard work for you as this can be a bit tricky and the last thing you want to do is cut your new carpet incorrectly and have to buy more. If the fitter makes a mistake he has to sort it free of charge. When choosing a fitter ask how much he charges per square meter for fitting stair carpet with G+U a reasonable figure would be around £3 depending on where in the UK you live. And also make sure he gives you the actual final price for the job with no hidden extras (EG : "yeah I know I said £200 but that was just the square meters, Ive added the cutting fee and 6 x metal door strips @ £6 so I need an extra £55") Most wouldnt but some definately do so its worth the mention.

ed110220 · 24 December 2011 at 9:53AM

In the house I've just moved into the carpets upstairs have been laid without underlay. They have put scraps of old carpet down instead, with newspapers underneath. The newspaper are dated 1982 and apart from being faded, the carpets are in OK condition.