How To Remove Wall-To-Wall Carpeting And Save The Floor Underneath

Wall-to-wall carpeting is less popular today than it once was, and often homeowners would just like to tear it out. If you are lucky, you may find hardwood oak flooring underneath, or perhaps another kind of wood flooring. Removing the carpet and saving the flooring underneath is an easy DIY project. In this video I'll discuss and demonstrate the whole process from start to finish, including some of the inexpensive tools to make the job easier. Just skip to the part where you need help! I'll also show how to check what's underneath in advance before you get started, which can be useful if you are looking to buy a home or you are a new homeowner.
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[@rdm26]

This is the only useful carpet removal video on KZbin.

[@enduringcharm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lufia1624]

You did what few other youtubers have done and actually showed the tools and different scrnariosnin which you might use them. I didn't know nail pulling pliers existed. Thank you!

[@mariomonteiro6219]

Very helpful video. Thanks. Suggest using a plastic bucket/cardboard box into which you chuck the used screws/staples/tacks as you pick them loose or they will lie all over the floor as hazards until you sweep/pick them up.

[@kaepou]

Just bought my home and am wanting to take up the carpet - this video was EXACTLY what I needed! Thank you for being so thorough, showing tools, showing how to use said tools, managing expectations, etc. Subscribing to your channel now :)

[@enduringcharm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@krn14242]

Nice John. I went through this process for each and every room in our house when first purchased. Former owners had old mauve carpet... After ripping out carpet I hired some someone to sand and refinish the thin strip oak floors. Best to do this before moving into house due to all the dust and smell. Great reward after all the hard work though.

[@amandamalzacher8047]

Wow, wow, wow this video was so helpful! Thank you for showing the tools with names. I also love when how to videos provide enough detail and context to give you enough information to problem solve things that might come up. This was great! This is the only video we will need.

[@enduringcharm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Ogalleria]

I recently discovered hardwoods under the carpet so this vid was so helpful! The amount of staples omg!

[@enduringcharm]

Yeah, carpet installers love their staples!

[@batbawls]

John, I've gotten a lot of value from your videos. I hope the channel continues to grow. Thanks for producing these.

[@enduringcharm]

I appreciate that!

[@aluckyfind]

I cannot thank you enough for this very descriptive video. This is exactly what we needed to know and you did an excellent job of describing everything! We have used your techniques to get out all the staples/nails out of our hardwood floors and loved your idea to fill with the color matched wax pencils and clean with the murphy's oil soap. Our floors came out beautiful without having to sand or refinish. Thank you!!

[@enduringcharm]

That's great to hear, I'm glad it was helpful!

[@DucDuk]

Shame we didnt get to see the final product, but thank you i have a whole living room and hallway to tear up sooner or later and this video has helped a whole lot!

[@lara6707]

I did it! Thank you so much for this informative video. It gave me the confidence to remove the carpet in my son's bedroom.

[@enduringcharm]

Glad it helped!

[@ellenbertels870]

I can’t tell you how wonderful this video was for me! Thank you so much. I appreciate how specific you were when describing the different staple types, how to manage difficult staples and nails, and what to expect in terms of time and energy commitment. Just a wonderful resource.

[@enduringcharm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@roberthoffmann9757]

If your not worried about scratching the hardwood floors use a flat spade shovel to remove the staples. Put the blade flat to the floor and push, you may have to change direction at times but you'll get over 99% of the staples and if you have to remove the tack strips it works great too.No getting on your knees. I did my whole house that way. Then we had wall to wall carpet installed!

[@kristiec5237]

Thank you so much for your detailed video!! My partner and I have just bought our first home and have not a lot of spare money to get in tradies. Thanks to your video we are going to try things ourselves. And thank you for showing what tools we will need to start us on our journey 😃

[@enduringcharm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@justmike1529]

Thanks. If my knees survive it looks pretty simple. Like most home improvements good hard work is the price of success! Thanks again you’re a great teacher.

[@tedl7538]

Perfect video, so well made and helpful, thanks John! 🏠

[@barbiedoll6071]

John, you have given me the motivation and courage to try this with my bedrooms upstairs in this almost 200 year old home. I will keep you posted but got everything out of one of the rooms today. Ready to start demolition (translates to carpet removal)! Very thorough video and explanation. I will be wearing gloves to protect my delicate skin!

[@enduringcharm]

Good luck!

[@angelhairpasta99]

Thank you for your detailed explanations and examples! I just bought my first house and my husband and I are expecting our first baby and need to remove the carpeting in the house. Very, very helpful video!❤️

[@AlanCarterTravel]

Sounds kind of like Jason Alexander. Thank you for the instructional video. Very thorough.

[@karolegi6539]

Best video I've seen! You answered all my questions like how to fix staple/nail damages. I knew but you answered about putting cardboard under the pry bar to prevent damage to the hardwood. You answered all the questions. Thank you! One suggestion, encourage wearing gloves because that backing would rip my lady hand to shreds. You mention that but your hands are naked. By far, the best video. I was very concerned about those tack strips and damage to my 100 year old hardwood floor.

[@wolffman2445]

What an incredibly informative video. Very helpful.

[@MShort0]

Hope there’s more videos of this bedroom transformation to come. Thanks for producing this, John!

[@enduringcharm]

Actually, there will be two others related to this and another bedroom I was doing at the same time. They'll be out in the next few weeks!

[@SharpTac]

Excellent detail in this video

[@PanCircumsonus]

Love this channel. Always great information and demonstrations, John!

[@enduringcharm]

Much appreciated!

[@jerryannclifford6538]

Very clearly explained and demonstrated. Thank you!

[@kimberlyraed1]

Very good and straight-forward!!

[@kiwitoffee]

Many thanks, John. This is very helpful.

[@adamswinney1910]

This was very valuable, thank you

[@enduringcharm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@balasubrahmanyam1553]

Thank you for this detailed vedio, actually I am searching for it.

[@mommeylovez]

This helped me so much.

[@NinaSandcastle]

Great video!

[@chainlinked]

Appreciate the guidance, thank you!

[@colethompsonz]

Amazing video man, I subscribed ;)

[@techbuildspcs]

Dont even own a property but you never know when you'll need to know this stuff. Thanks!

[@enduringcharm]

Knowledge is power!

[@liuyang4485]

Thank you for the demo!

[@Hells_Gift_MB]

Really helpful, thank you

[@parvanehanderson492]

You are the best!

[@lisaperson222]

My house is from 1912 and someone flipped it in the early 2000s. Downstairs there is definitely just plywood under the carpet and over the subfloor, but upstairs looks different. I can see 3 distinct layers when looking at a crossection for the intake vent(plywood, middle layer, and the plank subfloor). How destructive is plywood over wood floor if there is still wood beneath the plywood?

[@enduringcharm]

I'm not certain I follow your description--do you mean that there was originally a plank subfloor over the joists, and then finish flooring over that? And then somebody added a plywood layer and carpeting over that original finish floor? That would be an odd choice to make just to put down carpeting, unless maybe they had an issue with floor height between rooms. Anyway, if that's the case then the nails or screws to hold down the plywood over the original finish flooring probably did a number on it. Or, maybe the original finish flooring was not in great shape anyway. There's only one way to find out...

[@lisaperson222]

@@enduringcharm yeah it will be interesting when we pull that carpet out and see what's underneath! I've only seen a cross section where I can see multiple layers of flooring- but there is definitely something in between the plywood and the subfloor 🤔

[@sergemakitapika5102]

Thanks you

[@tuesboomer1623]

Nice!

[@tyrellteague6511]

My wife and I just bought a house, and there is hardwood underneath, but there seems to be some kind of black stuff on the wood under the pad that may have kept it glued down? It also kind of looks like black dirt too. Do you know what that would be? I’m renting a Home Depot floor sander, and hoping that gets it up, but I was just curious as to what you think it is.

[@enduringcharm]

Without a picture it's tough to know, but it could be that there was linoleum glued down at one point and you are looking at the old adhesive. In other words, somebody pulled up linoleum which was glued down and then decided it was too much work to go further, and they put down carpet instead. Just a guess. Before you go sanding, try using a putty knife to see if it scrapes up. And try leaving some solvent on a small area to see if the black stuff melts a little bit, sort of like tar. You can use mineral spirits, turpentine or almost any petroleum based product. If the stuff melts or becomes gooey, you probably don't want to sand it. The sanding will heat up the adhesive and make a mess of the floor.

[@dianek2101]

It's likely tar paper.

[@ratedg5503]

I just pulled my carpet and padding up and the subfloor under has 2 big dark spots from cat urine that went through. What should i do now?

[@enduringcharm]

I'm going to assume that your flooring is oak? That species is particularly reactive to the ammonia in urine. Most likely all you can do is have the floors sanded and hope that you can go deep enough to remove the stain. Otherwise you'll have to replace the damaged boards and sand the whole room.

[@cf9478]

if we are re-installing new wall to wall carpet should we leave the tack strips?

[@enduringcharm]

If the tack strips are in good shape you can reuse them. The carpet installers may replace any that they find marginal or add some of necessary.

[@845pops5]

Hello. What would you do for pet stains?

[@enduringcharm]

You mean urine stains in the wood underneath? There's nothing you can do but sand it down and hope it doesn't go too deep. With oak, especially, the ammonia in urine can leave permanent stains.

[@845pops5]

@@enduringcharm thank you for the reply. That is what I was thinking😔

[@rachaelt3294]

I just pulledd up 50-80 year old carpet. It was nasty! Working on the walls now. They placed 1x4 all over the room and attached blue wood paneling all over the walls badly. Lol

[@enduringcharm]

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is just remove what has been done before!

[@MontanaKat1912]

I'm planning to remove the carpet in my hobby room. My question is, the carpet is the same kind carpet that is in the hallway. I don't want to take that out yet, what do I do from the door to the hallway?

[@enduringcharm]

Most likely you will find a taped seam at the doorway, which may be a good spot to make your transition. Either way, you can put a straight edge down in the doorway and cut with a utility knife to get a clean edge. I would sneak up on it by removing the carpet in the room first, making a cut still inside the room a few inches or more from the doorway. Then you'll be able to see how best to make the final cut at the doorway. Once you make the final cut, you can use a metal or wood transition strip to hold down the cut carpet. You'll find them in your box store.

[@MontanaKat1912]

@@enduringcharm Would I have to cut a inch from the door in my hobby room?

[@enduringcharm]

If you are keeping the same door then presumably it was already cut to accommodate the carpet. The transition strip usually compresses the carpet slightly, so I would not expect you would need to cut the door any shorter.

[@dawnjohnson3024]

It's easier to get up tack- board by using a gardening hoe. In a pinch, I used a shovel. Oddly, fewer scratches and less stress on your back.

[@enduringcharm]

With an approach like that I would be careful of two things. One, damage to the finish, despite your luck so far. And, two, greater likelihood of flying wood or nails due to the greater leverage. Personally, I like to have tight control of the strip removal and precise placement of the flat bar.

[@vincebaker3384]

Great video my home is on a concrete slab would this process be different?

[@enduringcharm]

It will be the same, except for one obvious thing--you'll find a concrete slab underneath rather than hardwood flooring! There will still be a pad under the carpet but the pad may be glued to the concrete slab. There will still be tack strips around the perimeter, and they can be removed basically the same way as shown in the video. If you have a concrete slab there are more options today than just putting more carpet back down. Floating "engineered" flooring can give you a hardwood look if you like. There are various manufacturers and styles, but they all basically click or snap together in some fashion and are installed "floating" over a thin mat or cushion. A prefinished layer of real wood is the top layer of what amounts to plywood strips. There are also laminates made in similar manner which snap together. Of course, you can also install porcelain or ceramic tile over the slab as well.

[@vivkho6411]

Why would you remove the door? Why wouldn't you just cut the carpet?

[@enduringcharm]

I just prefer not to have to have to swing the door back and forth as I remove the carpet, the padding and the tack strips. Plus, the backing of the carpet can act like sandpaper and strip the paint right off the door if it gets caught. If you can't remove the door for some reason you can work around it, but it can be annoying.

[@vivkho6411]

@@enduringcharm Thanks for your response, I'm about to rip the carpet out of a bedroom and I was tossing up whether or not to remove the door. It looks a little too technical for me 😄

[@Grant849]

Cleaning wise, invest in a decent shop vac. Thank me later

[@methatlovescats3602]

Be sure to wear some knee guards