How To Install Rugs 

So you've decided to purchase a new rug and think you want to try installing it yourself . . .  great! Installing a rug is not as hard as it seems and is a project that many people find that they can handle on their own. So go ahead; with a little effort you can have that rug installed beautifully in no time.

Of course, the first thing you need to do when it comes to installing a rug, is to take the measurements of the room and square them off for the purchase itself. Once you get the full piece home, you need to take the measurements of anything that will protrude into the rug's surface such as doorways, vents, even hearths if they are to adjoin to the carpeted area. 

Once these measurements are taken, you need to lay out the carpet and put the measurements onto the rug itself in the position of where each allowance lies. Then you can easily cut out the pieces that need to be removed for proper installation of your rug. This will allow the rug to fall easily into place without the excess bunching up and perhaps throwing off the measurements for the cutting necessary if you try and lay the rug before measuring and cutting out the overage.

Suggested Rug Shopping Places

Once the rug is cut to size, of course you need a pad for underneath to help the rug wear better and add a bit of cushion between the rug and the floor. Using the rug itself as a stencil, lay the pad over-top of the rug and use the rug as a stencil to cut the necessary pieces out of the pad. Some people feel it is easier to lay the rug on top of the pad for this; however by laying the pad on top, you have the pieces accessible in the order that you will be using them and you do not have to try and get the pad out from under the rug as it needs to go down first.

After getting the rug and the pad to size, you must measure the perimeter of the area the rug is to cover, allowing for all of the protrusions you have cut out of the carpet and the pad. After removing your baseboard molding, then you need to take your tack-boards, which are little strips of wood with the sharp part of a tack pointing out one side, and cut them to fit along the measured perimeter and lay them in place with the points sticking upwards. These are then tacked to the floor to secure them in place, but be careful; you do not want to hit one of the pre-positioned tacks pointing up as you are tacking the strip down!

Once the tack-boards are in place, you need to carefully place the rolled-up pad in the middle of the space and unroll it carefully so as to not get it caught on the tack-board and to make sure you have it properly aligned with the pre-cut out pieces in the pad. Once the pad is lined up and in place, you carefully pull the pad taunt and gently press the edges down over the tack-board being sure to leave some tack protruding for the rug itself.

You then repeat the process with the rug material; and if the rug is hard to pull tightly, then you can either use a rolling machine much like a lawn roller or a rug-puller, each of which you can rent at your local equipment rental store, to smooth out the rug and get it to lie flatly without any wrinkles or bumps that can cause someone to trip.

After both the pad and the rug are in place, you can replace your baseboard moldings and add any additional pieces of molding you may desire such as threshold molding or hearthstone molding.

Voila! You have installed your rug and it is now ready for you to use for your benefit.