Installing Carpet Padding On Concrete

If using the waffle pad style of carpet pad the waffle side of the carpeting pad should be face up for maximum cushioning and it is cut to fit inside the tackless strips with about gap so that the carpet itself can be attached to the tackless strips and the padding does not interfere with the securing of the carpet.

Installing carpet padding on concrete.

Lay carpet grippers down 1 2 inch from the base of the wall. If you re not going to install your carpet on a subfloor you ll need to make sure that you re picking a kind of fiber that will stand up to concrete s tendency to collect moisture. Place tackless strips around the entire perimeter of the room. The strips should be installed 1 2 from the wall with the tacks facing the wall.

Step 4 lay out the padding. They look similar to carpet padding but they have a plastic film on the surface to block moisture. One rubber pad that sounds like a great recycling idea is a 100 rubber under pad made out of recycled car tires. Consider carpet made from olefin face fiber.

Moisture barriers as the name implies set up a protective barrier to block moisture from reaching the pad and the carpet. Step 3 install carpet grippers. Use tin snips to cut the strips as necessary. Shoot masonry screws into the strips every 6 8 on center to fasten them to the concrete.

Concrete absorbs and retains water and the moisture can seep into the carpet padding and then into the carpet. Nail the tack strips to the wooden subfloor or if installing carpet over concrete use masonry tacks or an epoxy adhesive attach the strips to the floor. Place carpet gripper strip parallel with the wall and leave a inch space between the strip and the wall. The best will be quality rubber pads not foam pads.

Secure the strips with epoxy adhesive. Some carpet is backed with jute which is too absorbent to use on concrete. Keep a space equal to about two thirds the thickness of the carpet between the walls and the tack strips using a scrap piece of carpet as a guide. If it remains dry then you can install as on any concrete floor except do not use under pads that can absorb moisture.