Before you begin to install carpet you should equip yourself with all the necessary tools, and here is a list of most of the tools that you would need to accomplish your task.
Simple Tools: Staple, Hammer, Chalk line, strips (tackless), utility knife, tape measure, roller, knee pads, gloves and safety goggles. For some of the more powerful tools you might have to either purchase them at a second hand store, or you can probably get them at a tool rental shop near you, which would be cheaper in the long run, tools such as a power, stretcher, seam tape, wall trimmer, strip cutter, seam roller, knee kicker, seaming iron.
Start by vacuuming the old carpet to avoid breathing in all that dust, then cut up the carpet into strips which makes for an easier disposal. Remove the molding around the floor in order to take off the doors to have enough space to move the old carpet out and bring in the new one in. Pull the carpet off the tackless strips and start rolling it up in sections.
Remove all tackless strips and dispose of them along with the old carpet. Vacuum the floor to make it ready to receive the new carpeting. Start installing the new tackless strips around the border of the room; be careful not to install any at the entrance ways.
Leave a ½ space between the strips and the wall and make sure those tackless strips and securely butted against each other. Start laying the under pad strips down so that they overlap the tackless strips and make sure that they are butted snugly against each other, now start stapling the underlay along the inside edge of the tackless strips.
You will have to trim off any excess underlay along the inside of the tackless strip and seal the seams with some duct tape.
To begin laying the carpet start with a piece that overlaps the edge of the floor approximately four to six inches, this excess will be trimmed late on to allow the carpet to fit properly. Measure the room at it's longest point and add about six inches to that measurement then cut your section to fit that measurement.
Place a mark on the back of the carpet on both edges using this same measurement and join the two marks with a chalk line. Now fold the carpet over and cut through the backside of your carpet. When you have finished cutting the carpet place a piece of seaming tape on the floor underneath where they join and make sure that it lines up exactly in the center where they are joined.
Check to make sure that the adhesive side of the tape is facing up and use a seaming iron to heat up the adhesive and activate it, and then butt the edges together and seal the seams with a carpet roller. Now you will have to use that knee kicker that you probably rented to attaché the carpet.
Position the toothed end of the knee kicker approximately three inches away from the wall and push down with your keen into the padded end of the knee kicker. This action will allow the carpet to stretch over the tackless strip where the tacks will grab and hold it into position.
It is now time to change from the knee kicker to the carpet stretcher to finish the carpet installation. Position one end of the carpet stretcher against the wall where the carpet is already installed and place the other end of the carpet stretcher approximately six inches away from the far wall, then push on the activations lever to stretch the carpet over the tackless strip near the far wall.
Continue this action until the carpet has been fully installed, and remember to trim the carpet nearest the wall with a wall trimmer. Almost done, now use a stair tool, to tuck the carpet down into the gap between the tackless strips and the wall, and be sure and trim the carpet at the front of the doorway so that the edge is centered under the door, which should be in a closed position, and install the edge strips on the door.
One more step and you're all done cut any necessary vent openings and install the molding on the baseboards and that's it you are all done.
