Ripping up a carpet?

115K

Hi,

We had a carpet laid a couple of years ago but our cats and dogs have wrecked it. :mad: We were thinking about having bare floorboards instead.

I was just wondering is it fairly easy to rip up the carpet ourselves?

I have looked online and it seems quite simple but I was worried about the gripper things underneath, are they hard to get up or is it better to get someone in to help? We are not great DIY people as you can tell.:rotfl:

Thanks

Grimbal

hubby's just done this - and he's by no means a DIYer at all

get a crowbar from B&Q for a couple of quid & the gripper rods will come up quite easily. You may also need a pair of pliers if they've tacked down the underlay too

115K

Grimbal wrote: »

hubby's just done this - and he's by no means a DIYer at all

get a crowbar from B&Q for a couple of quid & the gripper rods will come up quite easily. You may also need a pair of pliers if they've tacked down the underlay too

Oh okay, thanks!:) I might have to look to see if we have those actually as we have some DIY tools upstairs.

Did it take long for hubby to do?

Southend1

It's a really easy job. You can pull the carpet up easily, though it may help to loosen it from the gripper if you use an old screwdriver. Use the screwdriver to lever up the gripper rods too. Things to be aware of.... Wear gloves as gripper is nasty stuff! Have you thought about how the holes left by the gripper will look on a bare floor? Also are you sure there is no hardboard/ply under the underlay? If there is it may well be pinned down with a million nails which will leave holes in your floorboards too.

27col

I am finding it difficult to understand how someone would actually need to ask how to take up a carpet, even without much diy experience.

115K

Southend1 wrote: »

It's a really easy job. You can pull the carpet up easily, though it may help to loosen it from the gripper if you use an old screwdriver. Use the screwdriver to lever up the gripper rods too. Things to be aware of.... Wear gloves as gripper is nasty stuff! Have you thought about how the holes left by the gripper will look on a bare floor? Also are you sure there is no hardboard/ply under the underlay? If there is it may well be pinned down with a million nails which will leave holes in your floorboards too.

Okay, thanks.

27col wrote: »

I am finding it difficult to understand how someone would actually need to ask how to take up a carpet, even without much diy experience.

Helpful comment, cheers.

Grimbal

115K wrote: »

Oh okay, thanks!:) I might have to look to see if we have those actually as we have some DIY tools upstairs.

Did it take long for hubby to do?

nope ! less than an hour for stairs which are full of gripper rods He's not the athletic type either so if he can, you'll be fine !

because

Just done mine very easy.My tip is to get a Stanley knife and cut the carpet into strips before you lift it ,then it can be easily rolled up,lifted and taken to the tip.

Francesanne

because wrote: »

Just done mine very easy.My tip is to get a Stanley knife and cut the carpet into strips before you lift it ,then it can be easily rolled up,lifted and taken to the tip.

Exactly what my hubby does. Very simple and straightforward.

MadelinesMum

When I had new carpets laid I didn't realise until an hour before that I hadn't paid for them to remove the carpet (thought I had until I read the invoice and the box wasn't ticked!).

Managed 3 rooms in that hour using the claw of a hammer to ease up the gripper rods. Just be careful around the toilet pans though as they can easily break.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

this is carpet gripper,



held down by the black nails, about 3 to a metre, the slanted pins point towards the wall for the grip.

Just lever underneath where the black nails are, if the strip breaks then pull nails out with pliers.

Careful of the sharp pins.