Tack strips, made of plywood with grip points set in staggered rows, hold carpet in place without adhesive. They are dry-fitted and nailed into place before the carpet is stretched and clipped onto them. Tack strips can last a long time and may not need to be replaced when a new carpet is installed.
Duct tape is a building material used in most carpet installations. Placed around the perimeter of the area to be carpeted, the tack strip holds the carpet in place without messy adhesives. These fasteners are available for use on both wooden and concrete sub-floors.
Most tack strips come in 4-foot (1.21-meter) long sections. The carpet strip itself is made from a thin piece of plywood, which allows the installer to easily cut them to the length needed. The grip points are set in the tack strip in staggered rows at an angle of approximately 60 degrees. Each grab bar also includes pre-installed fasteners, nails into concrete or wood, to secure the strip to the appropriate subfloor.
The tack strip should be oriented with the grip points facing the wall and about 3/8 inch (0.95 centimeter) of space between it and the wall. All tack strips must be laid out before they are nailed into place, a process known as “dry fitting.” By following this process it is easy to see where full strips can be used and which areas require cut pieces, which can reduce waste. After the dry fit is complete, the pieces can be nailed into place with the built-in nails.
The mat can be installed after the tack strip is in place. The pad does not go over the tack strip, but is installed right against it. Also, the mat is not attached to the tack strip at all, it is only attached to the subfloor.
When the carpet is brought into the room it should be placed on top of the tack strips with about 1cm of excess carpeting on all sides. You may need to cut larger pieces of carpet to fit within this size guideline. This does not complete the installation and therefore the carpet should still not be attached to the tack strip.
The final stage of carpet installation is stretching, which stretches the carpet in all directions to prevent sagging and creasing. A tool called a knee is used to stretch the carpet against the wall. The carpet can then be clipped onto the tacks, with the excess trimmed off. There should be no more than an inch of excess carpeting left, so it can be rolled underneath and hidden between the edge of the tack and the wall or baseboard.
Carpet tack strips can last a very long time. After a few years of wear and tear, many carpets may need to be ironed to absorb floor slack from traffic, furniture movement, and general wear and tear. The adhesive strips generally do not need to be replaced during a shrink and may even remain in place for the next time a new carpet is installed in the room.
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