Is your home filled with nasty, old carpet? Pull it up with 10 tools needed to remove carpet. Learn how to remove the carpet, tack strips, and staples in any home by using the best tools for carpet removal.
My husband and I have gotten pretty good at removing carpet (3 different homes and at least 3600 sq ft of it). Carpet removal is a beginner-friendly DIY project and an easy way to save money when installing new flooring. Once you have the right tools needed to remove carpet, tack strips, and staples, it’s a straightforward job.
Using the right tools for the job is half the battle of any DIY project.
The 10 Best Carpet Removal Tools
Tools Needed to Remove Carpet
1. Heavy-Duty Utility Knife
It’s fairly easy to pull up an entire room of carpet in one section. However, it’s NOT easy to roll, transport and dispose of such a large carpet roll (for example, a 10×10 room would result in a 10′ long section of carpet, rolled… HEAVY).
If the carpet is installed over hardwood: Be careful not to puncture the carpet pad. Start in a closet and get a feel for how much pressure should be applied to the utility knife. Then, once the carpet is up, lift the carpet pad off the floor a cut it with the utility knife. This will prevent any damage to the hardwood.
TIP: We like this knife by Stanley which includes a quick-change blade.
2. Pry Bar & Hammer
Once the carpet is removed, locate the nails which attach the tack strips to the floor. At those points, slide a pry bar under the tack strip. Press the pry bar in order to begin lifting the tack strip.
Then, tap it with a hammer until the tack strip pops up. Slide the pry bar down to the next nail and repeat until the strip is loose from the floor.
Plus, the hammer will also come in handy when a tack strip splits, leaving the nail in the floor. Use the claw end of the hammer to remove a stubborn nail.
3. Heavy-Duty Staple Remover
4. Pliers
5. Footstool and/or Knee Pads
6. Gloves
7. Eye Protection & Dust Masks
8. Heavy-Duty Trash Bags
9. Screwdriver
10. Shop-Vac & Broom
After the carpet is removed, there is a fair amount of dust and carpet debris. Then, as you remove tack strips and staples, it gets worse. A broom is handy to keep the mess under control, but you’ll need a shop-vac in order to really clean the floor.
Typically, I’ll sweep an area and then repeat with the shop-vac. It picks up stray staples, tacks, and dust that I missed with the broom. I also like to run the shop-vac along the baseboards to get dust that has collected in that gap.
How long does it take to remove carpet?
- how large the room is and
- how many carpet staples are in each room.
Typically, removing the carpet is the quickest part of the job. The tack strips can take time, but they are only located along the walls and doorways. The number of carpet staples, however, will depend on the original installation.
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After Carpet Removal
We’ve never regretted taking out nasty, old carpet in any house. The look and feel of new floors always make the hard work worth it. Interested in how our floors turned out? Check out the Navy Master Bedroom Makeover and Budget Bohemian Nursery to get a glimpse of the finished product.
If you liked this DIY project, you might also like:
- How to Remove Carpet Staples from Wood Floors (the easy way!)
- Install a Faux Brick Backsplash (budget kitchen remodel)
- How to Install Board and Batten in Small Spaces
- Paint a Brick Fireplace (with the Right Paint!)
Danielle
Monday 26th of July 2021
I did it! Used the staple remover and had a worker at the house while I worked on one room. He was amazed and said he was going to buy one. My question is do you have a way to get the carpet pad stains out of the hardwood?
Lora Green
Wednesday 28th of July 2021
I'm so glad to hear it was helpful! That tool felt life changing when we found it mid-way through a carpet removal project - haha! I've never dealt with stains from the carpet pads. I would probably try some safe-for-hardwood floor cleaners, first, and then move to stronger liquids. If you end up using something stronger, just make sure to check an inconspicuous spot, first. Good luck!
Bobbie Ennab
Sunday 11th of July 2021
I have never removed carpet, but willing to try. These instructions seem very easy to follow.
Lora Green
Monday 12th of July 2021
It is fairly easy, just requires some sweat :) Hope it goes well!
Ashley
Tuesday 28th of July 2020
I totally agree with Brenda above! I was slightly afraid of tackling my carpet removal/vinyl floor install but now I feel much more at ease. Thank you!
Lora Green
Thursday 30th of July 2020
I'm so glad it helped you feel at ease! Hope you love your new floors when you are done :)
Brenda
Sunday 24th of May 2020
I was glad to find a site with a "regular," everyday, practical person to find out the tools needed to remove carpet. I have cats, cats have hair! Lots of Hair! I'm am sold on never having carpet again, only area rugs, due to this. I am very glad I don't have to go buy specialized equipment (very expensive, usually), to do this job. Looking forward to having easy to clean, fresh floors! Thank you for your website. I feel like I will be a frequent visitor.
Lora Green
Wednesday 27th of May 2020
I'm so glad it was helpful, Brenda! I'm sure you'll love your new clean floors! Area rugs are definitely more manageable with pets. Have a great week!