As a carpet repair expert, I am often asked what is the best way to remove a carpet. The answer really depends on the type of rug in the room, how it is installed, and what you want to do with it after removing it.

Most of the rugs that a homeowner wishes to remove will be installed over the padding with tack strips along the edges. There may also be some kind of transitional metals between the different floor surfaces.

– Start by removing the mat from the transitions

Some different types of transitions and how to remove the carpet:

– Carpet to something flat like concrete, linoleum, asphalt tile.

It will probably have a Z-bar. You know you have a Z-bar in the transition if the carpet is folded and you can’t see any metal at all. When you remove the carpet from a Z-bar, simply pull it out. The Z bar is not that strong. When you pull on the carpet, the Z-bar disengages and releases the carpet.

– You may have a metal clamp instead of a Z-bar. If you have a metal clamp, you can use a chisel or ladder tool to gently pry it open. Just pry it open enough to remove the rug or you could tear it apart.

– You can have a flat gold or silver metal nailed to the top of the mat. If so, pull out the nails and the metal will just pop off.

– Carpet-type floor transitions to ceramic or stone:

If you have a transition where the carpet meets ceramic tile or something of that thickness, there is probably nothing holding it in place except the tack strip. As with the Z-bar, pull it a little and it should come out.

– Once you have removed the mat from all transitions, you are ready to begin removing the mat. If you want to save part or all of the carpet, cut it first. This can be useful if you have patches to do in the rest of the house or if you want to replace some stairs.

– The easiest way to cut the backing mat. Pull up the rug along the wall and flip it over.

– Use a slotted knife to cut the carpet into easy-to-handle strips. When I don’t feel like working too hard, I cut it into 2 ‘x 10’ strips and roll it up. If I want to throw the carpet in the trash, I cut it into even smaller strips.

– Once all the carpet is cut and removed, you can do the same with the padding. Cut it into easy-to-handle strips with the slotted knife. I usually keep it in sturdy garbage bags and take it outside right away.

– When you removed the pad, you may find staples on the wooden floor. Remove the staples with a pair of pliers. If the padding was glued to the concrete, it probably didn’t come out very clean. Use a scraper to remove as much of the stuck pad as necessary.

– If there is animal urine on the ground, this is the time to deal with it. Buy the product at the pet store that contains enzymes and use it generously.

– Now that you have removed all the carpet and padding from the room. If you need to remove the tack strip, you will want to use a pry bar to pry it out. Be very careful not to get stuck with one of the millions of small nails.

Hope you enjoyed this short article. It was a pleasure writing it. Steve Gordon.