Carpet Install – 3rd Time’s NOT a Charm

Not only did this carpet install take sooooo much longer than the first two installs, this was also my worst work.  Boo.  Last fall I installed the same carpet (Stainmaster Aristocrat II in Pale Clay, only $.99/sq.ft. at Lowe’s) in my son’s room  (read post HERE)  and again in Smart Jr’s room (read post HERE) with no problems.   So you’d think that the 3rd time would be a piece of cake, but instead I jacked it up a bit.  I don’t think laying the carpet bent over the staircase railing for 2 nights was a good idea, because the carpet definitely didn’t lay perfectly flat when I unrolled it, not even after I used the carpet kicker. Oops.I’m sure a carpet stretcher will fix the problem, but it’s such a bummer because I got away with only a knee kicker in the chevron and surf shack bedrooms.  I’ll have to look into renting one, although now that I’ve waited a day, the carpet seems to have flattened itself out nicely.  The other really funny thing is that I tore out the old carpet in a frenzy when I found out it was bulk trash day.  Well, guess what?  Bulk trash day is again tomorrow.  That’s right, I tore out the carpet exactly 4 weeks ago and I waited until yesterday to put in new tack strips, carpet padding and carpet.  I know, I have issues.  Um, and my own bedroom looks like this BTW.

I followed all the regular steps that I did to install the other carpets:

• I removed the old carpet and pad and most of the tack strips, which were all rusty for whatever reason.
• I painted the trim and walls – too bad Lulu chose a blue that was almost exactly the same shade of blue she’s been complaining about for the past 5 years.
• I screwed down the squeaky floor board, which was like all of them.  This room had the worst subfloor, complete with a little note from the builder showing a “High Joist.”  Glad I wasn’t trying to put hardwood or something in here.
• I installed new tack strips.

• I stapled down the carpet padding.

• I dragged the carpet in the room and unrolled it (where’s hubby when you need him?)
• Then I kicked the carpet into place.

To recap… while you admire my custom-built closet organizer…

But here is where I ran into a few problems…  All in all I think it was a success.  But I am glad that I am going to do hardwood in the hallway and master bedroom.  Will it ever end???  So glad we bought a fixer upper.  Oh wait, no we paid top dollar for our move-in-ready house.  Hmmm.Smart Girl