Carpet

Your room doesn’t need to be completely empty to restretch a carpet, but you’ll need enough space that you can move around furniture to access the wrinkled areas and the wall where you’re reattaching the carpet. A contractor will move your furniture out of the way before they start the job, but you can save money by moving your furniture before they arrive.

Mold can grow quickly in wet carpet: in as little as 12 to 24 hours. That’s why it is crucial to take action immediately if there’s any sign of water damage under your floor. Remove as much water as possible with a shop vac and towels, then use baking soda to help remove moisture deep in the fibers. Always steam clean the carpet or use an antibacterial carpet sanitizer to kill any mold growth.

Yes, you can tackle small rooms yourself if you're handy and have a flat, clean subfloor to work with. But seams must be sealed properly, or the barrier will fail. Any gaps will let moisture sneak through and defeat the purpose of installing this more expensive type of carpet padding. For larger rooms or areas, professional installation is usually worth the extra cost.

While some carpet repair kits exist and only cost around $15, they are not usually appropriate for Berber repair. Typically, they include small pieces of fibers to use as patches, and Berber carpets are typically colored very differently from other kinds of carpets. This is why it is imperative to try and locate a spare piece of carpet from your original installation when you need to patch up an area.

In addition, the tools these kits include are often watered-down versions of the ones you can buy individually from your local hardware store (e.g., the glue in the kit will not be as strong as your hot glue gun or the double-sided carpet tape).