How To Remove Carpet Tack Strips From Concrete

Upgraded Home Team
by Upgraded Home Team

Carpet tack strips are quite handy when holding carpet to slabs of concrete. However, removing them is far from convenient. It is not a complicated process, but it can be time-consuming. If you want to remove carpet tack strips from concrete without damaging concrete, you’re going to need some guidance.

Carpet tack strips are generally secured with nails to the concrete. Removing them takes some patience and the appropriate tools.

To remove carpet tack strips from concrete, you will need tools, time, and effort. You will use a crowbar or pry bar to gain leverage underneath the nail holding the strip to the concrete. Using the pry bar, you will pry up the nail from the concrete.

To be safe and effective in removing carpet tack strips, there are complicated steps to follow. With this guide, you will have access to all of the information that you will need to get started.

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Purpose of Carpet Tack Strips

If you are having some trouble removing your carpet tack strips, there’s a reason why. Carpet tack strips are very durable parts of the carpet placement process. They are designed to hold your carpet in place over the concrete surface.

For that reason, they are secured with very durable elements such as the nails that hold them. In some cases, they are secured to the floor with glue. They are not meant to move that often. That is why they are so difficult to remove.

The good news is that removing carpet tack strips is not a complicated process. While they are meant to hold your carpet in place, they are not necessarily permanent.

Steps to Removing Carpet Tack Strips

Even if you have never removed carpet tack strips before, the chances are that you can do this yourself. It takes a bit of time, effort, and the necessary basic tools. If you have these, then you can follow our simple process to remove carpet tack strips from concrete.

Step One – Preparation

The first step that you will want to take in the process is to prepare. The best and most successful projects will have a large amount of preparation involved. Preparing for your project will ensure there are no unnecessary delays or safety issues that make the project more difficult.

Preparation includes equipment for safety just as it includes equipment for the job. You will want to gather the necessary safety supplies first. These will include things such as safety goggles, long pants, gloves, and knee pads if you desire them.

The next step of preparation will require that you get together all of the supplies you will need for the actual job. These tools you will be using in the actual removal of the tack strips. This equipment includes a pry bar, hammer, and a broom.

Step Two – Gaining Leverage

Once you have all of the necessary equipment, you can move onto the next step. This is identifying the area that you are going to pry from. For this, you should locate your first carpet tack strip.

The tack strip will be held down by a nail, but you should be able to force your pry bar between the wood and the concrete. Many find it helpful to pound the pry bar with a hammer to get it to fit. It’s very important that you get your pry bar well underneath the carpet tack strip.

If you do have to use your hammer, try to avoid damaging the concrete floor. This could create extra work for you later on.

Step Three – Prying Up The Nail

Now that you are positioned as you should be for the process, you can start prying. You can pull up the pry bar to start pulling the carpet tack strip free. It should start coming up with some effort. Once you have one side of the tack strip up, you can pull on the tack strip.

The tack strip should come up to an extent. The remaining nails will stop you at a point. When you do reach that point, you will need to go back to the pry bar.

Step Four – Continue The Process

When you reach the point that you can no longer pull up using just your hands, you will have to use your pry bar again. You’ll repeat the process that you used on the first nail to pry up another nail. This should give you the ability once again to pull up more of the tack strip with your hands.

You should continue this process over and over again. Continue to pry up nails when needed and pull them up with your hands when you are able. It is important during this step to wear protective equipment on your hands. This step is particularly harsh on your hands.

You will also want to be careful walking on the floor since there will likely be nails lying everywhere. Boots are a good choice for this. Nails may fly up when you pull the tack strip out of the concrete.

Step Five – Get The Stragglers

As you continue to pull up the tack strip from the concrete, you will notice a trend. Some nails will break through the wood and remain in the concrete. If this happens, then you have a bit of extra work ahead of you.

Once you are done pulling up all of the tack strips, you can address this issue. This is usually solved by going back and using the pry bar on each individual nail. However, some nails are stubborn and stuck in the concrete very firmly.

If this is the case, then you will want to use a larger pry bar or rent one as needed. The larger pry bar should be able to give you the leverage you need. The goal is to get every nail out of the subfloor. This needs to be done before you can put down other flooring.

Be sure to check thoroughly a few times over. Protruding nails can cause a tripping and safety hazard.

Step Six – Clean-Up Time

The final step after you are done prying up all of the carpet tack strips is to clean up after yourself. While this sounds very basic, it is actually very important and should not be ignored. You will have to clean up the dust, tacks, wood, and any other debris. If you leave it, it could certainly interfere with the installation of a new floor.

Most of the time, the tool that is best for this job is a simple broom. Make sure that you are thorough when sweeping the room.

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Related Questions

How to repair concrete after removing tack strips?

It is pretty common for the concrete to be damaged during the process. This can especially happen if you are inexperienced. These can easily be repaired by using a concrete epoxy patch on the affected areas. 


How to remove glued carpet tack strips from concrete?

The process is very similar to removing tack strips that are nailed down. Use a crowbar and hammer to pry up the tack strips and defeat the glue that holds them. You will want to clean the concrete afterward to ensure no residue remains. 

Upgraded Home Team
Upgraded Home Team

We are a team of passionate homeowners, home improvement pros, and DIY enthusiasts who enjoy sharing home improvement, housekeeping, decorating, and more with other homeowners! Whether you're looking for a step-by-step guide on fixing an appliance or the cost of installing a fence, we've here to help.

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