Removed Carpet and Found Great Flooring Underneath

by Nicole

10 Materials

$50

3 Days

Medium

The carpet in our closet (well really the entire house) is really dated and boring so I decided to pull it up. I thought I would figure out what I would do for new flooring later, but as I exposed the concrete foundation underneath an idea started to form... What if I just painted the concrete?! And so I did!

removed carpet and found great following underneath

Point of no return

Using a sharp utility knife I cut straight out from a corner. Scoring the carpet a couple times ensures you cut thru the carpet completely. Then just start tugging all around the wall to pull carpet of the tack strips.

All clear!

Pull up the carpet pad underneath after rolling and removing the carpet. I recommend a mask as this step will be very very dusty.

Using a flat bar/pry bar and hammer, pull up the tack strips that are glued down.

Using a putty knife, scrape away any glue and remaining remnants that are stuck to the concrete.

Sweep and vacuum the floor. Then using a pole sander, gently sand the concrete using a fine (220 grit) sandpaper.

Sand at least twice alternating directions.

Sweep and vacuum again.

You can paint or stain the floor, this is up to you. I chose to use a concrete stain because that's all I found at my local Lowe's. Prior to staining tho, I applied a primer designed for concrete.

The stain is tintable and I chose moonlight grey!

After applying the primer I waited as per the instructions about an hour before applying the stain.

Took about 3 coats for me to be satisfied with the result but it was stunning!

When the carpet was removed the baseboards will have a gap under them that will need to be filled. Fill the gap to the concrete by adding quarter round trim to the bottom of the baseboards. I used an 18v brad nailer to attach the quarter round. Caulk the new trim in to give it a finished look.

Sand and paint the quarter round to match the existing trim (or repaint all of it a new bold color!).

The final look was so awesome I decided to keep going with my closet makeover and added a built-in and fresh coat of paint! I'll have another post soon about how I added the built-in for extra storage!

The cost estimate is an estimate as I don't have numbers for every item and most of the tools I already have. NOTE: The estimate does not include the cost of a Brad nailer which is about $120