How to Get Bumps Out of Carpets



How to Get Bumps Out of Carpets

Over time, your carpet can develop lumps, bumps and wrinkles that are unattractive and potential tripping hazards. The bumps may appear when the carpet padding wears down enough to create slack in the carpet above or if the carpet was installed incorrectly. Humidity can also be a factor; not only can it affect the way the carpet and padding lay, but it can affect the wooden subfloor beneath the carpet. Regardless of the reason for your bumps, you can restretch your carpet to regain your flat, hazard-free floor.


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1 Remove all the furniture from the room where you need to get rid of bumps in your carpet.

2 Pull one corner of carpet out from under your baseboard using needle-nose pliers until you can grip the carpet with your fingers. Pull it away from one wall, popping it free from the tack strips. Continue pulling away from two other walls, leaving one wall of carpet connected. Don't separate seams when pulling the carpet from the tack strips.

3 Lay a piece of scrap wood such as a 2-by-4-inch piece of lumber along the center of the baseboard on the wall that still has carpet connected. Slide the back end of the power stretcher against the lumber to prevent damage to your baseboards. The power stretcher has an extendable bar to reach the other sides of the room and a gripper on the end with teeth to hold the carpet firmly while stretching. You control the stretch using a pressure handle on the top of the power stretcher.

4 Start stretching in the center of the wall directly across from the piece of lumber where the power stretcher rests. Press the head of the stretcher into the carpet about 12 inches from the wall, then press down on the handle to stretch the carpet. Press the carpet firmly onto the tack strip using the blunt back side of your carpet cutter.

5 Move the to side about 18 inches, then stretch the next section and press it into the tack strip. Once the first wall is finished, stretch each side wall using the same technique.

6 Place the knee kicker into areas too small for the power stretcher, such as corners. Press it into the carpet about 6 inches from the edge, then kneel behind it. Kick it with your knee to stretch the carpet, then press the edge of the carpet into the tack strips with the back of your carpet cutter.

7 Cut away excess carpet by running your carpet cutter along the baseboards. Tuck the edges under the baseboards with your fingers or the edge of your carpet cutter for a finished look.

Things You Will Need
  • Needle-nose pliers
  • Scrap lumber or 2-by-4 board
  • Power carpet stretcher, purchased or rented
  • Knee kicker
  • Carpet cutter
Tip
  • It should be difficult to press down on the power stretcher handle, but not overly hard. If it's easy to push down, you're not stretching the carpet tight enough and you need to adjust the tension dial on the stretcher. If you can barely push it down, the tension is too tight and needs to be loosened.
Warning
  • Tack strips are sharp, so wear gloves to pull carpet away from the strips or to push carpet down onto the strips.

Location: Raleigh, NC, USA

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