Preparation

• 1). Clean the installation area by sweeping it and scraping off any glue if you have just removed a layer of flooring. Ensure that the installation area is very dry to avoid any wear and rotting.
  
  
• 2). Line the walls with tackless strips that are all positioned half an inch away from the wall. Nail the tackless strips in place using small drywall nails. Make sure that the teeth of the strips are facing toward the wall. Avoid putting any of the strips in thresholds or doorways because they will be felt through the carpet in those locations.
  
  
• 3). Select a carpet pad that is supportive without being too thick or light. A thick pad with a lot of give can damage carpet that is installed on it. Roll out the carpet pad in the opposite direction that the carpet is going to be laid down.
  
  
• 4). Make sure that the padding does not overlap by butting each row in to the next and duct taping them together.
  
  
• 5). Staple it 1/4 inch before all of the carpet strips. Feel for the strips and cut away the padding just before them using a utility knife. This exposes the strips to the carpet that you are about to lay down.
  
  

Carpet Installation

• 1). Cut the carpet down to 3 inches over the dimensions of the room. Measure the length and make a notch at either side of the carpet 3 inches over that measurement. Measure the width make notches 3 inches farther than that.
  
  
• 2). Flip the carpet over and snap chalk lines between the length notches and the width notches. Cut along the two chalk lines using a utility knife.
  
  
• 3). Lay the carpet in the room the proper direction that it is supposed to go with the excess carpet running up the walls. Smooth the carpet out so that there are no wrinkles or folds. Position the knee kicker an inch away from the wall being sure to dig the teeth of it in to the carpet.
  
  
• 4). Lightly swing your knee in to the padded part of the knee kicker to lock this wall in place. You aren't stretching the carpet yet so only a light amount of force is needed to set the carpet.
  
  
• 5). Move to the opposing wall and set the knee kicker 1 inch away from the wall. Swing your knee in to the kicker with a great amount of force stretching the carpet and locking it in place. Continue this procedure down the rest of the wall.
  
  

Tightening the Carpet

• 1). Pick one of the two remaining walls and lightly set the carpet in place using the knee kicker.
  
  
• 2). Move to the opposing wall and forcefully stretch the carpet into place using the kicker.
  
  
• 3). Cut the excess carpet vertically where it comes together in all four of the corners to separate them into two pieces. Set the wall trimmer to the height of the carpet.
  
  
• 4). Hook the wall cutter in to one of the strips of carpet that is sticking up. Run it along the length of the wall making sure that it stays down against the floor.
  
  
• 5). Run the wall cutter along the rest of the sections of excess carpet. Remove the strips of carpet and tuck the edge of the carpet under the baseboard with sharp angular jabs going under the baseboard with the stair tool.