carpet install question

[Ashful]

It seems I've spent my whole adult life tearing wall-to-wall carpeting out of old houses to get back down to wood floors, and now I'm preparing to do an install for the first time, with a few questions:

- I installed new baseboards in this room, and set them 1/2" above the subfloor, per advice I found online. The carpet we chose is on the thinner side (a low-pile commercial carpet), about 3/8" thick.

- The guy who came to measure for the carpet store commented that the baseboard was set a bit high for a thinner carpet. The store called me to suggest I choose a thicker pad.

- I don't understand why the pad thickness should matter, as I've never seen the pad run under the baseboard. Coming out from the wall, it's usually tack strip first (1/4" thick wood), then pad.

- I have three doors in the room, all separating heated space from unheated space. Two of them close against a 1-1/4" high stop at the floor, so I can cut the bottoms to clear just about any carpet + pad. The third (our main access to the room) closes against a stop that's only 3/4" high, so there's a limit to how high I can cut the bottom of that door.

- It seems the 28 oz. felt pad we had originally considered is thick enough to bring our carpet up tight under the baseboards (as if it were actually run under the baseboards, which I do not think it will be). It also minimizes how much I need to remove from the bottom of each door.

- The carpet store also sent me samples of 1/2" foam and 40 oz. felt pads, with a suggestion I consider one of those, with the baseboard height (1/2") being the reason... but again, I cannot figure out why the pad thickness would be a factor.

Advice?

Thanks!

 

[ironpony]

go with your first choice, I doubt anyone will see an 1/8 inch. You will never be seen once you put stuff in the room. I hate doors cut high to clear carpet. Once the tack strip is down it will hold the carpet up.to bottom of base.

 

[Ashful]

Cool. I'd actually be fine with either of the felt pads, I think. I measured tonight, and they're about 5/16" for 28 oz., or 7/16" for 40 oz. I might not mind the extra insulation (sound and thermal) between the garage below and my drum kit above.

 

[Warm_in_NH]

Generally, as you know, the pad runs to the tack strip, the carpet goes over the tack strip and tucks under the base.

The padding really should have zero affect on the whole situation, maybe it'll fool the eye, but the carpet still needs to be down tight on the tack strip and that's not going to change.

I've trimmed more rooms than I want to admit and hold the base 3/8" off the floor, sometimes higher or lower if the floor is wavy, NEVER had an issue. I think you'll be okay.

If there is a gap and you can live with it, re trim it after the fact or add a 1/4 round...