A carpet gripper is a long piece of plywood. The dimensions of a carpet gripper are usually 1.5m in length and 2cm in width. There are sharp-angled nails on a gripper that help hold your carpet in place.
The distance between the carpet gripper and the wall should be at least 7mm. However, if you are laying a thicker carpet, you can increase this distance up to a maximum range of 15mm.
If you are wondering what the distance range of the carpet from your wall should be, you can measure your carpet’s depth using a measuring tape. Do not guess the range, as this will cause your carpet to move out of its place and wobble as you walk. When fixing a gripper, start from one corner and make your way around the entire room.
How Far From Wall Should Gripper Rod Be?
The minimum distance between your wall and gripper rod has to be 7mm. If you are using a thicker carpet, it would be better to increase this distance. However, the most you can go is approximately 15 mm.
Pick a corner in your room and start fixing gripper rods with an approximate length of 5ft. Make sure that you always follow your skirting board’s contour and keep it consistent throughout the room.
In some corners where the 5ft length of the gripper rod is too much, you can cut it down to the required length. As far as the distance of your gripper rod is the same as the previous ones, the carpet will hold its place.
When going around your door frames, it is best to use carpet gripper rods of shorter lengths. Once you have worked around the room and the grippers are in place, it is time to fit your carpet underlay.
How Far Should Carpet Grippers Be Away From The Skirting Board?
The distance between your carpet grippers and skirting board must be approximately 15mm. However, it is up to your fitter and the thickness of your carpet. If you are using a carpet fitter to get the job done, they will determine the right length and may fit your carpet grippers closer than the distance mentioned above.
If you have a wooden floor, you can use simple nails to fit the gripper. On the other hand, if you have a concrete floor, you can always use a combination of nails and Gripfill to ensure a sturdy placement of your gripper rods.
Pay Attention to the Following
Fitting your carpet grippers may seem like an easy enough task, but there may be a few obstacles you should be prepared to overcome.
Going around Installations
If you have obstructions or installations, such as a vent or a heater, try to stay as close as possible when fitting your gripper rods around them. Similarly, working around your décor, furniture, and curves is also trickier than placing gripper rods in a straight line.
For curves and corners, you can cut the gripper into smaller pieces to workaround until you can place the long gripper rods in a straight line along the rest of the wall.
Furthermore, you must maintain an exact distance between your wall and the carpet gripper when working your way around obstructions. To ensure that your gripper is solidly placed on the floor, always use a minimum of 2 nails. It is best to work with threshold strips when working around your doorways.
Steps to Install Carpet Grippers
After measuring the depth of your carpet, you can buy the right carpet grippers. It is now time to install them by following the below-mentioned steps.
- Measure your room, including the obstructed areas. This will help you calculate the exact length of gripper you will need for the entire room. Make sure to measure accurately as you do not want to leave any gaps.
- Once you have purchased the gripper as per your needs, it is time to clean the floor to get rid of any debris.
- Also, check for any pipes and wires concealed under the floor because you do not want to puncture them when using nails (especially if you are working on a wooden floor). An electric wire is an electrocution hazard, whereas a water pipe can puncture, causing a leak in your basement.
- Make sure to wear safety gloves, preferably the thick leather ones. This is important because gripper pins tend to be quite sharp.
- You have to remember to place your pins at an angle of 65 degrees facing the wall.
- If you are installing a carpet gripper on a concrete floor, you can use alternatives to nails, such as tapes, staples, or adhesive. Carpet underlay is another option when attaching your gripper.
Are you installing a new carpet? In that case, it’s a good idea to use a carpet stretching machine. This will help flatten any bumps and ensure that your carpet is taut. Don’t worry about having to buy the machine since you can always rent one from a local DIY store. However, if you are hiring professional carpet fitters, they may already have one to get the job done.
Tips for fitting Carpet Gripper
- Always place markers on where your underground wiring and pipelines are. You can use an adhesive to mark the spots and be careful when working around these areas. It will also be a good idea to stick your carpet grippers in these areas to avoid any damage and hazards.
- It is also a good practice to install your door plates prior to fitting the underlay. You must install the threshold strip just under the door. This way, when you close the door, you will not be able to see the gripper.
- You can measure a gripper rod between your door frame and then cut it accordingly using a hack saw.
- When it comes to the nails’ length, you can use a 10mm length when working on a wooden floor. If you are working on a concrete or asphalt floor, you can use Gripfill to stick your gripper rods on the floor and leave them to dry. The sticking method will save your floor from damage due to the nails.
Final Thoughts
Installing carpet grippers is a task for professionals. However, if you take it upon yourself to get the job done, it will require precision and patience. Just be prepared, have the right tools, and most importantly, the right grippers to ensure your carpet stays in place.
Try not to re-use the grippers from any other room. However, if you have recently installed grippers in a room and thinking about changing the carpet, you can re-use them in the same room. Remember the measurements and tips mentioned in this post to get started with your DIY project.
Reference:
diy.com/ideas-advice/how-to-carpet-a-room/CC_npci_100038.art
