Ever take up a carpet?

Has anyone here ever taken up their carpet? I can get it and the padding underneath up with no trouble but it's those darn tack strips that I can't seem to budge. Any suggestions anyone? Thanks

Crowbar. And gloves - be careful with those tacks.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

Crowbar. And gloves - be careful with those tacks.

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It's yucky, yucky work. Any crud in the carpet will come flying at you, the tacks will sometimes escape from the strips and stay in the floor (they're a real pain to find on a dark wood floor). It also depends on what's under the carpet. I was a lot more careful on my hardwoods than on the rooms with the plywood subfloor...while I hate the tack holes in my hardwood floors, I have to thank whoever put that disgusting wall to wall down as it kept the previous occupants from doing a refinishing hackjob on all my floors.

Thanks, I'll try the crowbar tonight (just bought one at lunch) I was trying to get the strips up with a screwdriver and hammer (advice from a friend) .

I had to do that at a commercial building I own. If the floor is concrete, go ahead and use hammer and screwdriver. If its wood, your better off with a crowbar, because the screwdriver can cause serious damage to the wood when ya pounding on it with the hammer. Either way, its not fun work.