How do you pull up carpet tack strip?

Question

We are using a hammer. Do you know of an easier way? Thanks!!

Answer 1

try a flat head shovel, if on concrete, or you do not care about what is underneath.

Answer 2

People who lay carpet for a living must derive some sort of (perverse) pleasure in using as many tacks as humanly possible to hold down your rug and pad. I suppose all those tacks are needed, but they are sure a pain to remove when a carpet is retired.

After the carpet and pad are removed, you face the task of carefully pulling up the tack strip. This nasty device is used to hold your rug in place and is located at every edge of the room. I say "nasty" because even though they do a great job in holding the carpet, they become angry sharp toothed writhing snakes when being removed. placed a soft, thin wood strip on the floor. He then carefully placed a flat bar under the end of the tack strip and lifted it up a bit. He now can slide the flat bar along the thin protective wood strip while gently prying up the tack strip. Take your time. Do not rush this process. Notice that his right hand is covering up the other end of the flat bar. That part is curved and has a fairly sharp edge. Putting your hand (gloved I hope) over this end of the bar protects your newly uncovered wooden floor. Yes, I learned this the big time hard way The next picture shows you all the staples left behind when the padding is removed. From the pattern, I would guess the carpet person was about 5'9", 175 lbs, and a lover of rum.

Each of these bubbas has to be removed very carefully. By the way, when sweeping the floor after removing the pad, do NOT sweep clean the staples. Leave a little bit of pad so you can find each one easily. Trust me, finding left behind staples with you bare feet is.....unpleasant.

You could use a pair of pliers and simply yank each staple out. I have found though that many of the staples have become almost "one" with the floor. They take extra effort to remove.

Here you see another thin, soft piece of wood placed on the floor first. A pair of vise grips have been turned over so that the curve of the pliers can rock on the wood piece. I adjust the pliers so they clamp onto the tack, lock in place, then roll the pliers onto the wood piece to pull out the staple. Most of the time, the pliers never touch your wooden floor. This method does not always work. Sometimes I have had to use a cutter to slice through the middle of the staple, then use a thin knife blade to pry up each half. Then I go back to the vise grips as above.

No matter what method you use, get all those tacks and staples out of the floor. Most holes left behind will be too small to worry about. They are the reason that throw rugs exist.


Sometimes you just cannot get a grip on a small tack. It is simply too close to the surface. In those cases, I use a pair of cutters (Dad called them "nippers") to first cut through the middle of the staple. Then, I slip a very thin knife blade under each section to lift. As you see in the picture, you can also (sometimes) use the nippers to gently pry up the cut ends. Vise grips will now easily work again.

Answer 3

Buy a flat pry bar at a hardware store, put the 'flat' end against the floor and pound the angled end until the flat part is under the wood strip, then pull the bar up on the angled end. That levers the wood strip up, but it takes a lot of work because that wood stip splinters each time it's pried up. After you break off a section you will need to use the curved end of the prybar to pull out the tacks that held the strip tp the floor - and be careful, those tacks sticking up in the narrow plywood strip stick your hand very easily..

Answer 4

A flat blade shovel will work, but I use a "Wonder Bar" or the tool specifically designed for that purpose.

Easy is relative. The issue is more related to what part of that tack strip nail is left that may be above the surface of the existing base flooring.

If it's plywood, then very often those short nails designed to hold that strip in place will pop out cleanly,,,unless rusted. If it's concrete slab, then they may break off cleanly, but there is no promise of that.

I've done a bunch of this and always go back a second time to check what's left and patch holes.

Rev. Steven

Answer 5

I have always used a hammer and chisel or flat tip screwdriver. With the hammer, pound the chisel under the strip and then lift up. Mine were always nailed down.

Answer 6

Pulling Up Carpet Tack Strips

Answer 7

Chisel or a flat head screwdriver and hammer. It's usually glued down.

Answer 8

Use a crowbar - place something underneath it to protect the floor - also helps with leverage.

Answer 9

Use a tool made for chipping ice, heavy long handle with a chisel tip, Pain in the *** isn't it. lol

Answer 10

no i DON'T KNOW, but i always used a claw hammer. try useing a smaller claw on a hammer.......make sure to wear heavy gloves also.

Answer 11

We used a crowbar. It came up pretty easily