[getzjd]

Before you shoot me.... let me explain. The wife and I are having our first baby and would like to have some carpeting in the great room. A place to lay on the floor, play with the baby, watch tv, etc. Unless an unforseen issue arises, the wife and I do not plan on moving from this house until the children are grown (proof of this can be seen with the deck I built in the project showcase area) .

What I would like to do is get a 14x16 piece of nice carpet and some sort of padding. It would also be cut to fit around the tiled area of the fireplace. This carpet would basically cover from the tv in the corner out to the outside edges of the couches. Outside the L shaped couches i.e. the walkway behind the couches , would still be hardwood. The couches, 55gallon fish tank, tv and end tables should hold the carpet in place fairly well. I understand I can have the outside edges bound, but what would be the best way to place padding under the carpet and what would be the best way to transition from the carpet to the existing hardwood floor without ruining the floor?

Yes I know I will be bashed for thinking of putting carpet over hardwood, but it will make a nice common area to play with the baby as they grow.

Thanks!

 

[epson]

Well you could also look into getting a large area rug.

 

[rusty baker]

Look into some Kangaback carpet. It won't slide around, has an attached pad and won't damage the hardwood.
http://www.kangaback.com/Install_carpet.htm

 

[Marqed97]

I used the kangaback carpet in our living room (16x19) and it's worked out great. Its been in there about 6 months now, no problems at all.

 

[icreate]

Custom Carpet Area Rug

All the floors in our house are hardwood and my kids beg for carpeting. We put a large area rug in the living area and put a "rug pad" under it to hold it in place and protect the hardwood. Rug pads are very thin and usually rubbery so they grip the floor and the back of the carpet. Rug pads are available at carpet stores but you will probably get them for less at Wal mart. They work great at keeping the carpet from sliding around and keeping the carpet backing from scratching the wood floor. If you want a custom shape and the edges bound that can be done by most carpet supply houses for around a $1.00 per foot.
If you do decide to go with installing the carpet in the traditional way i took some pictures and wrote a how to article at http://www.icreatables.com/floorings/carpet-install.html
The only problem with this is that you will have holes in the hardwood floor if you ever take up the carpet.
If you do the rug pad remember to hold it inside the edges about 3 inches so that the edges lay closer to the hardwood and create less of a tripping hazard.
Thanks,

 

[rusty baker]

Interesting video. I do disagree with some of your terminoloy and your method of using the power stretcher. But all in all, pretty good.