There’s nothing like a DIY project to prove to yourself that you have talents you never imagined. Also, you find your greatest flaws while working on some complex home improvement endeavor alone. This week I began a long overdue task of removing an old carpet from an unused bedroom. The carpet was a thin, low pile with rubber backing which dried out and needed attention for some time, but a person was in need of that room to sleep and feel familiar surroundings in, so I didn’t touch it until it was vacated.
First, I took inventory of the situation and found that the carpet was not tacked down. Then I discovered that the dried rubber created dust. Third, I Googled and read that I was unlikely to come into contact with any dangerous substances from the dried-up carpet. I’m nothing if not thorough.
Because the room is fully furnished and it would be impractical to move things around in its present state, my first task is to segment the carpet and remove it in pieces. The section closest to the unused far wall would be first, and it will soon become the location of a curio cabinet. I got a special pair of shears and found, to my delight, that they worked easily to cut through the section I needed. It took about twenty minutes to cut and roll the piece for disposal. Some chunks of rubber dropped or adhered to the wood floor, so my next step was to clean.
A visit to the local discount megastore found me a great bargain in some pre moistened wood cleaning cloths I could use with the wet/dry mop I already had, so I returned to the floor with my dust-sucking device and my mop, and soon had the area in top shape. I even removed a potential splinter or two beforehand.
Next, my curio cabinet came in two boxes. They’re filled with glass panels and seem to weigh as much as two school-age children. The first box I took upstairs by walking and angling it up both flights, but the taller box will be more of a challenge, because it’s long and will not corner well. That’s the next phase. I will probably angle it up the first flight, stand it on end on the landing, and then angle it again onto the second flight.
The plan is to assemble the cabinet, move the items into it and then be free to shift the other furniture as necessary to cut the carpet and slide the pieces out from underneath.
The fun has been in the planning and execution, and I’m glad I have the ability to figure it out and get it done. So far, so good.
I will post part two as soon as it’s finished. If I don’t post again, you can assume I got stuck under a curio cabinet box.
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