If you’ve just purchased a home or you’re thinking about redecorating your home, there’s a good chance you’re thinking of beautiful hardwood floors. Whether it’s the aged elegance of reclaimed wood or new bamboo, parquet or any other kind of hardwood, the first step is getting rid of your existing flooring – and all too often, that means tearing out carpeting. It’s a big job, but it’s not nearly as hard as you might think. Even if you’re not up for the challenge of laying down new floors yourself, this is definitely a DIY project.

Don’t Try To Take It Out In One Piece

Your carpet may have arrived in one piece, but there’s no reason at all that it has to leave the same way. You’ll have a much easier time dealing with it if you cut it into smaller, more manageable pieces. A box cutter works wonders here – don’t use scissors, this is actually a lot harder than using a knife. Strips of 2’ by 8’ are pretty easy to handle. Start from the edge and work your way through the room. Not only are these smaller pieces a lot easier to work with, you’ll also have a much easier time getting them into a trash can or dumpster.

Get Rid Of The Padding

Taking out the padding is equally easy. Just repeat the same process you used to take out the carpet, cutting the padding into manageable pieces and taking them out.

Tack Strips

This part can be a challenge, at least until you get the hang of it. However, with the right tools, this can be a very quick and easy job. If you’re planning to lay down a new floor, then there’s an especially easy method: push a chisel (or the end of a pry bar) under the tack strip and push to remove it. This can scratch up your floors, so you may want to skip this method if you’re not installing new flooring afterwards. The slightly less easy method involves a flat head screwdriver and a hammer. Slip the head of the screwdriver under the tack strip and give the handle a gentle tap with the hammer to force the tack strip up. After you have all of the strips out, use the hammer to pry up any remaining nails.

Now, it’s just a matter of cleaning up and preparing your floor for the next step. If your goal was just to expose your existing hardwood floors, then there is no next step. It really can be that easy to give your décor an upgrade and even increase the value of your home!