I built a home theater in my basement with tiered seating for 3 rows
of seats, each row rising 6 inches. The first row of seats is on the
concrete, the second row on a plywood platform 6 inches up, the last
row on a plywood platform 12 inches up. I am now ready for the
carpeting. It seems that the installer will have an easy time
installing the carpet onto the platforms as they are plywood and they
can nail on the standard tack strips and just stretch out the
carpet...

My question is how will they install the carpet on the concrete? I
have hot water heat tubing imbedded in the concrete slab, so I dont
want them just shooting nails in there just for tack strips and risk a
puncture. Also the front area by the TV screen is radiused so tack
strips wont bend those corners anyway. Will the installers simply do
a glue down for the concrete area then? Or do they have some way of
gluing the tack strips? If they do a full glue down, how do they
handle padding and vapor barrier?

Thanks, I am really in the dark about carpeting installs, this is the
first home I've ever owned that had even a single room of carpeting in
it, (Im a hardwood kinda guy, but carpeting will work better
acoustically in the theater).

I hope to post some photos in a month when completed.

Thanks

RickH wrote:

I built a home theater in my basement with tiered seating for 3 rows
of seats, each row rising 6 inches. The first row of seats is on the
concrete, the second row on a plywood platform 6 inches up, the last
row on a plywood platform 12 inches up. I am now ready for the
carpeting. It seems that the installer will have an easy time
installing the carpet onto the platforms as they are plywood and they
can nail on the standard tack strips and just stretch out the
carpet...

My question is how will they install the carpet on the concrete? I
have hot water heat tubing imbedded in the concrete slab, so I dont
want them just shooting nails in there just for tack strips and risk a
puncture. Also the front area by the TV screen is radiused so tack
strips wont bend those corners anyway. Will the installers simply do
a glue down for the concrete area then? Or do they have some way of
gluing the tack strips? If they do a full glue down, how do they
handle padding and vapor barrier?

Thanks, I am really in the dark about carpeting installs, this is the
first home I've ever owned that had even a single room of carpeting in
it, (Im a hardwood kinda guy, but carpeting will work better
acoustically in the theater).

I hope to post some photos in a month when completed.

Thanks


The nails in the tack strip only embed in the concrete about
3/8", which should be well above the level of your tubing.

They cut the tack strips into smaller pieces to make the
radius. The strips WILL bend if the radius is not too tight.

When they come to install the carpet, just mention that you
have radiant heating in the floor. It will be fine.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

On Aug 8, 9:55 pm, Robert Allison wrote:
RickH wrote:
I built a home theater in my basement with tiered seating for 3 rows
of seats, each row rising 6 inches. The first row of seats is on the
concrete, the second row on a plywood platform 6 inches up, the last
row on a plywood platform 12 inches up. I am now ready for the
carpeting. It seems that the installer will have an easy time
installing the carpet onto the platforms as they are plywood and they
can nail on the standard tack strips and just stretch out the
carpet...

My question is how will they install the carpet on the concrete? I
have hot water heat tubing imbedded in the concrete slab, so I dont
want them just shooting nails in there just for tack strips and risk a
puncture. Also the front area by the TV screen is radiused so tack
strips wont bend those corners anyway. Will the installers simply do
a glue down for the concrete area then? Or do they have some way of
gluing the tack strips? If they do a full glue down, how do they
handle padding and vapor barrier?

Thanks, I am really in the dark about carpeting installs, this is the
first home I've ever owned that had even a single room of carpeting in
it, (Im a hardwood kinda guy, but carpeting will work better
acoustically in the theater).

I hope to post some photos in a month when completed.

Thanks

The nails in the tack strip only embed in the concrete about
3/8", which should be well above the level of your tubing.

They cut the tack strips into smaller pieces to make the
radius. The strips WILL bend if the radius is not too tight.

When they come to install the carpet, just mention that you
have radiant heating in the floor. It will be fine.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks Bob,

3/8 should be ok, the slab is 6 inches thick and the tubing is tied
onto the 6x6 reinforcing mesh at the bottom to center of the slab.
Thats reassuring, I'll let them shoot the nails then.

On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:26:50 -0700, RickH
wrote:

Will the installers simply do
a glue down for the concrete area then?

Who knows, but tell them all that you have heat in the floor.

On Aug 8, 9:26?pm, RickH wrote:
I built a home theater in my basement with tiered seating for 3 rows
of seats, each row rising 6 inches. The first row of seats is on the
concrete, the second row on a plywood platform 6 inches up, the last
row on a plywood platform 12 inches up. I am now ready for the
carpeting. It seems that the installer will have an easy time
installing the carpet onto the platforms as they are plywood and they
can nail on the standard tack strips and just stretch out the
carpet...

My question is how will they install the carpet on the concrete? I
have hot water heat tubing imbedded in the concrete slab, so I dont
want them just shooting nails in there just for tack strips and risk a
puncture. Also the front area by the TV screen is radiused so tack
strips wont bend those corners anyway. Will the installers simply do
a glue down for the concrete area then? Or do they have some way of
gluing the tack strips? If they do a full glue down, how do they
handle padding and vapor barrier?

Thanks, I am really in the dark about carpeting installs, this is the
first home I've ever owned that had even a single room of carpeting in
it, (Im a hardwood kinda guy, but carpeting will work better
acoustically in the theater).

I hope to post some photos in a month when completed.

Thanks

I have carpet over concrete in my basement. I have a perimeter drain
- tubing under cement around the perimeter of the basement, leading to
the sump. I used Loctite's Instagrab to put down the tack strips the
day before the carpet went in. No problems so far. I was pretty
generous in my use of the adhesive, but it only took a couple tubes to
do it.

If you are having the carpet installed, the installer would have to do
the tack stripping one day, then come back the next after the adhesive
dries to put in the padding and carpet. (If you put the tack strips
in yourself, remember the direction of the tacks has to be toward the
wall, and use whatever spacing the installer recommends)

On Aug 9, 9:46 am, " wrote:
On Aug 8, 9:26?pm, RickH wrote:





I built a home theater in my basement with tiered seating for 3 rows
of seats, each row rising 6 inches. The first row of seats is on the
concrete, the second row on a plywood platform 6 inches up, the last
row on a plywood platform 12 inches up. I am now ready for the
carpeting. It seems that the installer will have an easy time
installing the carpet onto the platforms as they are plywood and they
can nail on the standard tack strips and just stretch out the
carpet...

My question is how will they install the carpet on the concrete? I
have hot water heat tubing imbedded in the concrete slab, so I dont
want them just shooting nails in there just for tack strips and risk a
puncture. Also the front area by the TV screen is radiused so tack
strips wont bend those corners anyway. Will the installers simply do
a glue down for the concrete area then? Or do they have some way of
gluing the tack strips? If they do a full glue down, how do they
handle padding and vapor barrier?

Thanks, I am really in the dark about carpeting installs, this is the
first home I've ever owned that had even a single room of carpeting in
it, (Im a hardwood kinda guy, but carpeting will work better
acoustically in the theater).

I hope to post some photos in a month when completed.

Thanks

I have carpet over concrete in my basement. I have a perimeter drain
- tubing under cement around the perimeter of the basement, leading to
the sump. I used Loctite's Instagrab to put down the tack strips the
day before the carpet went in. No problems so far. I was pretty
generous in my use of the adhesive, but it only took a couple tubes to
do it.

If you are having the carpet installed, the installer would have to do
the tack stripping one day, then come back the next after the adhesive
dries to put in the padding and carpet. (If you put the tack strips
in yourself, remember the direction of the tacks has to be toward the
wall, and use whatever spacing the installer recommends)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Last night I thought of that solution. In building the basement I've
already glued down all my stud wall sill plates anyway (they hold
better than nails BTW). So I am familiar with gluing down to my
floor.

How much gap should I leave between the tack strip and the wall
baseboard (for the tuck down)? Is there a standard for this gap?

On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:57:58 -0700, RickH
wrote:

How much gap should I leave between the tack strip and the wall
baseboard (for the tuck down)? Is there a standard for this gap?


I've always used my index finger to space the strips along the wall. I
was taught that way, so I'm jaded (G). Not a tight fit, though.

Other sources suggest:

"Allow a space between the wall and each tackless strip that equals
roughly 2/3 the thickness of the carpet (using spacers makes this
easier)."



--
Oren

"I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you."

On Aug 9, 9:57?am, RickH wrote:
On Aug 9, 9:46 am, " wrote:





On Aug 8, 9:26?pm, RickH wrote:

I built a home theater in my basement with tiered seating for 3 rows
of seats, each row rising 6 inches. The first row of seats is on the
concrete, the second row on a plywood platform 6 inches up, the last
row on a plywood platform 12 inches up. I am now ready for the
carpeting. It seems that the installer will have an easy time
installing the carpet onto the platforms as they are plywood and they
can nail on the standard tack strips and just stretch out the
carpet...

My question is how will they install the carpet on the concrete? I
have hot water heat tubing imbedded in the concrete slab, so I dont
want them just shooting nails in there just for tack strips and risk a
puncture. Also the front area by the TV screen is radiused so tack
strips wont bend those corners anyway. Will the installers simply do
a glue down for the concrete area then? Or do they have some way of
gluing the tack strips? If they do a full glue down, how do they
handle padding and vapor barrier?

Thanks, I am really in the dark about carpeting installs, this is the
first home I've ever owned that had even a single room of carpeting in
it, (Im a hardwood kinda guy, but carpeting will work better
acoustically in the theater).

I hope to post some photos in a month when completed.

Thanks

I have carpet over concrete in my basement. I have a perimeter drain
- tubing under cement around the perimeter of the basement, leading to
the sump. I used Loctite's Instagrab to put down the tack strips the
day before the carpet went in. No problems so far. I was pretty
generous in my use of the adhesive, but it only took a couple tubes to
do it.

If you are having the carpet installed, the installer would have to do
the tack stripping one day, then come back the next after the adhesive
dries to put in the padding and carpet. (If you put the tack strips
in yourself, remember the direction of the tacks has to be toward the
wall, and use whatever spacing the installer recommends)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Last night I thought of that solution. In building the basement I've
already glued down all my stud wall sill plates anyway (they hold
better than nails BTW). So I am familiar with gluing down to my
floor.

How much gap should I leave between the tack strip and the wall
baseboard (for the tuck down)? Is there a standard for this gap?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I don't know exactly. I went about 3/4" from the wall, but I think
the type and thickness of the carpet play a role as well.

On Aug 8, 9:26 pm, RickH wrote:
I built a home theater in my basement with tiered seating for 3 rows
of seats, each row rising 6 inches. The first row of seats is on the
concrete, the second row on a plywood platform 6 inches up, the last
row on a plywood platform 12 inches up. I am now ready for the
carpeting. It seems that the installer will have an easy time
installing the carpet onto the platforms as they are plywood and they
can nail on the standard tack strips and just stretch out the
carpet...

My question is how will they install the carpet on the concrete? I
have hot water heat tubing imbedded in the concrete slab, so I dont
want them just shooting nails in there just for tack strips and risk a
puncture. Also the front area by the TV screen is radiused so tack
strips wont bend those corners anyway. Will the installers simply do
a glue down for the concrete area then? Or do they have some way of
gluing the tack strips? If they do a full glue down, how do they
handle padding and vapor barrier?

Thanks, I am really in the dark about carpeting installs, this is the
first home I've ever owned that had even a single room of carpeting in
it, (Im a hardwood kinda guy, but carpeting will work better
acoustically in the theater).

I hope to post some photos in a month when completed.

Thanks

I ordered the carpet from Carpet America last night, the guy said "oh
yeah we glue tackstrip for radiant floors all the time", very matter
of factly. So I was worrying about nothing, I had an image of a band
of non-english speaking guys swarming the room with nail guns and only
one hour to get it laid and mestanding there trying to stop them.
They glue when they come to measure, then just install when carpet is
delived.