What is the best way to rip up carpet?

Question

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Answer 1

from the floor?   Cut a big x and pull it up.  Into pieces - use a sharp hooked knife and cut from the rear.

Answer 2

You'll need heavy work gloves and a razor knife.  Begin by pulling up the edges of the carpet - you need to get it off the tack strips.  Then, with your razor knife, cut it into section that you can work with - maybe 4' X 10'.  Roll or fold that section up and discard.  Repeat till the carpet and padding are all removed.

If you are removing carpet/padding from a concrete slab, sometimes they glue that padding down.  We had to actually scrape the padding off.  

Good Luck!

Answer 3

razor knife cut in 2 ft strips pull up

Answer 4

Razor knife cut up the carpet. You will need tough gloves and  take up the tack strip Crow bar works best.  Also, a tool to take up glued on carpet padding.

Answer 5

Depends on how it's layed.

Conventional indoor carpet is put down with tack strips around the edges of the room.  Starting in one corner (while doing the splits and putting your weight near the edges so you're off the carpet) use a pair of pliers to grab the carpet and push it toward the wall and then yank it up.  That should get it unhooked from the tack strip and let you get started.  Remember that the tacks are sharp, they'll be dirty, and they point away from the center of the room.

Get the carpet all loose and then simply roll it up and haul it out.  You'll probably have to cut it at the doorway.

Then you'll have the chore of pulling up the padding, and getting down on hands and knees with pliers to pull up all the staples.

You'll also need a hammer and a flat bar to get the tack strips pulled up.  If you're working over hardwood, use a prying block so you don't mar the hardwood any more than you have to.

If it's indoor-outdoor, its most likely glued down.  Use a flat blade shovel to scrape it off the floor.

Answer 6

Use a sharp utility knife and cut it into 3' wide strips. Then roll it up. This makes it easy to handle. If it has tack strips along the edges, be careful pulling the carpet up since they are very sharp.