Carpet & Padding Removal

Getting Started/ Prepping The Work Area:

• Move Furniture & Content: Get the furniture and content out of the way prior to getting started.

• Drying Equipment Present: If drying equipment is onsite & running, it must be switched off, wrapped up, and moved out of the work area.

• Dehumidifier readings should be collected before moving them, if running.

• It's going to be in the way: It'll just be something else that requires manipulation in the room.

• Dehumidifier(s) should be moved into another area out of the way, and keep it running, as they take a while to start dehumidifying again

  • Ensure that the discharge hose is still in the drain. (even when switched off, the discharge can activate by leaning the unit back for repositioning.)

• Air movers should also be switched off and moved, as they 2 will be in the way & create issues in production efforts.

• Air Filtration Devices should be be operated as normally while work is ongoing to control dust & debris. 

  • Special considerations may be required if they are absolutely going to be in the way. 

  • This requires special shutdown sequences on many situations. 

• Protect Surrounding Areas: Cover adjacent floors with protective material or drop cloths to prevent damage associated with the removal.

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Wear safety glasses, gloves, a dust mask or respirator, and knee pads for comfort.

• Tool Selection: Depending on installation type, different tools may be required, But you'll likely need;

  • A utility knife

  • flat pry bar.

  • A hammer

• Setup a Containment Barriers: Especially if saws will be required or if you suspect there will be mold growth discovered.

• Use Air Filtration: Especially if saws will be required at any point during the project, or if mold is likely to be discovered during removal. (Negative Pressure is Preferred)

Water Extraction Prior to Cutting:

Weight Reduction: Saturated carpet and padding can be extremely heavy, posing a significant risk of back injuries. Extracting as much water as possible before cutting reduces this weight, making the material more manageable.

Billing: The extraction is required, so therefor billable to the customer as it is required in most situations. However, it's not recommended to bill for heroic actions such as weighted extraction for materials that are going to be immediately removed. Understand that a quick pass with subsurface/ weighted extraction is different than the through typical extraction associated with this action relative to attempting to save the carpet.

Safe Use of a Utility Knife:

Protective Gear: Wear cut-resistant gloves and eye protection.

Sharp Blades: Always use a sharp utility knife with a fresh blade. Dull blades require more force, increasing the risk of slips and cuts.

Cutting Technique: Cut away from your body and keep your free hand away from the cutting path. Use a firm, controlled grip.

Cutting Position: This requires crawling on your hands and knees. Make the first cut into the carpet to allow insertion of your non-blade hand into the hole, and push the blade through only the carpet, as you crawl into the cut. This is awkward at first since we by default want to pull the blade towards ourselves. 

Issues with pulling the blade: Pulling the blade versus pushing the blade leads to increased likelihood of cuts & injuries. Pushing the blade also pushes it through the carpet and potentially into the padding & subfloor material. eg: Concrete or plywood subfloor. Coming into contact with padding staples or concrete dulls the blade and leads to further potential injuries.

Blade Changes: Change blades frequently, especially when cutting carpet & padding on a concrete slab. A dull blade can create unpredictable behavior when cutting through the carpet and padding, increasing the risk of injury. Dull blades should be disposed of in a manner that will not create an unexpected injury while transporting trash bags. Simply tossing dull blades into a trash bag can lead to unexpected punctures & cuts.

Furniture & Content Manipulation:

Complete Removal: If possible, remove all furniture from the work area. This provides a clear, unobstructed space for carpet and padding removal, minimizing the risk of damage to both the furniture and the flooring. However, this is rarely practical.

Cutting Around Furniture: If furniture removal is not realistic, carefully cut around the furniture, leaving a safe margin between the furniture. Then, shift the furniture as needed to remove the remaining carpet and padding that's beneath the furniture.

Bed Disassembly: Beds should almost always be disassembled before carpet removal. This involves removing the mattress, box spring, and frame. Disassembling the bed prevents damage to the bed itself. Especially as king sized bed frames normally have center support that can break when the bed is shifted to facilitate carpet removal.

Disassembled Beds: These mattresses & box springs, when disassembled must be temporarily stored while work is being performed. Ensure that a mattress or box spring isn't put into standing water. Quickly laying out a few trash bags on the floor will allow a temporary place to set these items while continuing to remove carpet & padding & not wetting these items in the process.

Cutting Samples: 

Samples of the carpet & padding: Ensure that samples of the material, from each area where removed are collected, labeled & saved. (If different material)

Ensure that these samples aren't disposed of: Make sure that everyone on the project knows that the samples aren't being tossed & they are important. 

• This warning is extended to include overly helpful customers.

Bagging and Or No Bagging:

Category 3 Water: Carpet and padding exposed to Category 3 water (sewage, floodwater) must be bagged after removal to prevent the spread of contamination.

Hauling Through Unaffected Areas: Even if the water damage is not Category 3, bagging is essential when hauling carpet and padding through unaffected areas of the home. This prevents the spread of water throughout the property.

Bagging Technique: Roll or fold the carpet and padding into manageable sections and place them directly into the bags. Avoid dragging the materials across clean surfaces.

Disposal: Dispose of bagged carpet and padding into onsite container.

Clean Up After Demo:

After the removal is complete, the work areas must be cleaned up to avoid debris stirred up by activation of the air movers. 

Staple removal is most easily resolved with a floor scraper as the blade either sheers the staples off, or they catch on the blade and are pulled out by the motion of the blade across the floor. Removal of staples ensures that all bits of padding have been removed. 

Sweep up debris left behind after removal.

Vacuum up debris left behind after sweeping.

Setup Drying Equipment: (If Applicable)

Equipment Setup: If equipment was removed from the room before getting started, reset that equipment as it was previously.

Documentation:

Photographs: Take photographs of the carpet and padding before, during, and after removal. Document any damage discovered during removal. 

• Document use of PPE if required during removal. 

• Document use of containment's constructed prior to removal.

• Document trash hauling upon completion to show fullness, ideally with the property visible in the background.

• Document use of bagging of debris if required.

Notes: Keep detailed notes of the removal process, including the type of water damage, the amount of material removed, and any challenges encountered.