Fitting guide · dctuk.com · 0345 222 1544 · Flooring that ain’t boring
DIY fitting guide
How to fit roll carpet and fibre bonded flooring
Carpet on the roll gives you a floor with almost no joints. Contract carpet and fibre bonded — the tough, ribbed stuff you see in schools and offices — is stuck straight down rather than stretched, which actually makes it easier.
- Difficulty
- Moderate to hard
- Time
- A day for a 20m² room
- People
- 2 people
- Skill level
- Some experience needed
What you’ll need
- Sharp knife with straight and hooked blades
- Metal straight edge (a 2m one is worth it)
- Carpet adhesive and a notched trowel
- Heavy floor roller
- Knee kicker (for stretch-fit carpet only)
- Door bars and threshold strips
Before you start
Know which kind you've got
Contract and fibre bonded carpet is stuck down flat onto the floor — no underlay, no gripper rods, no stretching. Domestic carpet is usually stretched over underlay and gripper rods, which is a different skill and genuinely worth paying a fitter for.
Same batch, same direction
Check all the rolls are from one batch. And every length has to run the same way — carpet has a pile direction, and a length laid the other way round will look like a different colour. Run your hand down each piece: they should feel the same.
Get the floor sorted
Clean, dry, smooth and solid. Floorboards need a hardboard or plywood overlay first.
Let it acclimatise
Bring it into the room for 24 hours before you fit it.
How to fit roll carpet and fibre bonded flooring, step by step
Cut your lengths generously
Cut each piece about 5cm longer than you need. You can trim; you can't add.
Lay the first piece
Position it with the excess running up the walls at the sides and ends.
Overlap the next piece
Where two pieces meet, overlap them by about 5cm rather than trying to butt them.
Cut both layers at once
Lay a straight edge down the middle of the overlap and cut through both pieces in one pass. Take the two offcuts away and the two edges will match perfectly.
Fold back and glue
Fold each piece back, trowel the adhesive on, then lay the carpet in. Keep the adhesive about 20cm back from the seam for now.
Do the seam last
Lift both edges at the join, glue underneath, lay them down and press the joint together.
Roll it thoroughly
Go over everything with a heavy roller, especially the seams.
Trim the edges
Press the carpet into the angle at the skirting and cut with a hooked blade. Take your time on this bit — it's what people see.
Finish the doorways
Fit a door bar or threshold strip at every opening.
Watch it being done
Fibre bonded contract carpet installation — A real UK job showing fibre bonded carpet going down.
Mistakes to avoid
- Laying lengths in opposite directions. They'll look like two different colours under the light.
- Butting two edges together instead of overlapping and double-cutting.
- Cross joints in the middle of a busy walkway — keep joints out of traffic where you can.
- Skimping on rolling, so the seams lift.
- Laying it over floorboards without an overlay.
Frequently asked questions
Does contract carpet need underlay?
No. Contract and fibre bonded carpet is stuck straight down to the floor. Underlay is for domestic stretch-fitted carpet.
What's fibre bonded carpet?
It's made by needle-punching fibres together rather than tufting loops into a backing. It's extremely tough, it doesn't fray when you cut it, and it's what you find in schools, offices and entrances.
Can I fit carpet myself?
Stuck-down contract carpet, yes, with care. Stretched domestic carpet over gripper rods is much harder — you need a knee kicker or power stretcher and a fair bit of practice.
How do you join two pieces of carpet?
Overlap them by about 5cm, then cut through both layers at once against a straight edge. The two cut edges then match perfectly.
Can you lay carpet over floorboards?
For stuck-down carpet, overlay the boards with hardboard or plywood first. For stretch-fitted carpet, underlay over boards is usually fine as long as they're sound.
Rather someone else did it?
If it's a big room, an awkward shape, or you just fancy a Saturday off, our own fitting teams cover the whole of the UK. Free site survey, tidy job, no dramas.
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