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When getting your carpet installed there are a few things that you should do to get ready for your install.
Soft surface:
Are you taking up your own carpet? If so, make sure that you take it all up. The carpet and the pad is the easy part. When it comes to the staples, that is a bit of a different story. Each of the staples need to come up. If they do not come up, you can get charged by the installers for prep to get all the staples out of your floor. If the staples are left it can cause little lumps in your carpet, and we do not want that to happen. If we are taking up your carpet, please make sure that your floor is clean. Even though the carpet is going to the dump we have to handle it. If you can have your room empty and the carpet vacuumed that would be wonderful!
Do you have your baseboards on? Your baseboards should be on before you have your carpet installed. The baseboards should be 3/8 inch off the floor. This allows enough space for your carpet to be tucked under your baseboard. If there is much more than that, you can see the space between the baseboard and the carpet.
When will you be finished painting? When you get your carpet installed, you need to let the paint cure for 48 hours. Installers are very careful not to hurt your walls and baseboards but when the paint is not cured it is to soft and can cause there to be more touch up. If you are painting when the installers arrive, we will not be able to do your install. So give your paint enough time to cure.
Is your room completely empty? To have your carpet installed, your room needs to be EMPTY. This is for a few reasons. The carpet has to be installed wall to wall. If the installers are needing to pick up a couch or a desk, you can be charged additional to move the object up to 7 times. This is really hard on the installers and we try to avoid it if at all possible. If you have things hanging on your walls, I would avoid taking it down just to be safe. If you are getting your closet done, just make sure that the installers have a area to work in. If you are getting a whole home installed, come talk to us. You do not need to move everything out of the house, or onto different levels.
Should I turn down the heat for the installers? You should keep your home at the same temperature that you normally keep it. If it is to cold, the carpet will relax when the heat is turned back up it can potentially cause the carpet to develop wrinkles.
What do I do if I have radiant floors? Please let us know! We install the carpet and tack strip differently when you have radiant floors. We also use a different padding that will allow your radiant floor to do what it is supposed to do (and more efficiently that when you use a regular pad).
I think that I have pet stains on my floor, can these be treated? If you think that you may have any issue with animals in your carpet, you are going to want to take it up and see. If there are spots, go and purchase some KILLZ PRIMER and paint (or roll) it on the affected areas. This will seal the issue and help prevent it from smelling in the future.
Hard surface:
Do I need to clean the flooring before it is taken up? Technically no, although it is a nice thing to do for the installers.
Do you take up and put back toilets? Because there are so many things that can go wrong with toilet placement, it is best to get it done by a professional plumber.
Can I install my new flooring over my existing flooring? That all depends on what type of flooring you are wanting installed. Also if it clears doorways etc. I would recommend coming by so we can check the variables.
Does my room need to be empty? Yes, the area that is being installed needs to be emptied. This will allow the installer to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Can I take up the flooring to save some money? Of course. Although please let us know what is on the floor so that we can let you know how to take it up properly.
Can I paint the floor before it is installed? PLEASE DO NOT! If you paint the floor when we come to install the flooring (especially glue down) the floor is only as good as the paint. If the paint comes up, so will your floor. It just is not a good idea. The paint would need to be taken up, or sanded off.
There are always different situations that an change the answer to questions. Please do not hesitate to ask.
Please let us know if you have any questions that you need answered. Also, where ever you have your carpet installed ask what they would need. Everyone is different. We want you to have the best experience that you can have. Email your questions to johnsonsfloors@gmail.com
We love our customers!