I have a finished basement that currently has a very thin carpet glued to the floor. I want to get better quality carpet installed along with a decent padding. I would like to simply have the new carpet and padding laid right over the existing stuff. What I have now is the really thin indoor/outdoor type stuff you often see on those huge rolls in the Home Improvement stores. It is in perfect shape, buy ugly. It could be pulled up with some effort but otherwise it seems to be in really good shape. My floor is completely flat, bone dry, with no dampness or water damage, etc...

So, do I leave the existing carpet or rip it up? Pros and Cons...?

And let me say "thank you" in advance. Our little group is a rather smart mix of people and this website never fails to amaze me at the collective knowledge presented.

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I saw a basement carpet-over such as you describe several years ago. It looked like shit. The owner said it looked good for about a year but the traffic from 3 kids and several parties it was loose and worn terribly. I helped him tear it out and removing the base carpet with the newer carpet was a bitch.

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can you? sure, I'd rip it up. carpet under padding will cause the padding and new carpet to wear much faster, the padding is designed to be on a hard smooth solid surface

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not to mention trapped dirt and moisture in the base carpet
it should go

Okay, I'm convinced. Old carpet coming out in a few moments. Thanks for the replies.

__________________
2009 DL650 'Prime Mover'

"It is better to live alone in the desert than with a nagging wife" - Proverbs 21:19

Looking out the door I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners.
Parading in a wake of sad relations as their shoes fill up with water. - Jeff Buckley, 1994

http://photobucket.com/mid-life-crisis-tour

Heat gun and a big scrapper worked for me. Just don't singe the carpet, smells awful.


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Yep, having a big scrapper in to do the work sure beats doing it yourself!

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