Fix carpet coming up at the edge
Carpet that's lifting along a wall or at a doorway has usually slipped off the tack strip, the thin wood strip with angled pins that holds it around the edges. Hooking it back onto the pins, nailing down any loose strip and tucking the edge fixes most of it. At a doorway, a metal transition strip hammered closed holds the edge flat. If it keeps pulling free, the carpet may be loose across the whole room, and that's a job for a carpet installer with a power stretcher.
What holds carpet down
Wall-to-wall carpet is stretched and hooked onto nailed around the room, and the edge is tucked into the gap between the strip and the baseboard. When the carpet loosens, or a strip comes loose from the floor, the edge pops up and wrinkles.
At a doorway there's no wall to tuck into, so the edge is held by a transition strip, often a metal strip with teeth that's nailed to the floor and hammered closed over the carpet.
Why carpet edges lift
Loose carpet lets the edge work off the pins.
There's nothing for the carpet to hook onto.
Transition strips loosen or bend.
Damp padding or subfloor loosens the strip's grip.
| Where | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A short stretch along a wall | Carpet slipped off the strip | Hook it back and tuck it. |
| Along a wall, and the strip moves | Loose or broken tack strip | Nail it down or replace it. |
| At a doorway | Loose transition strip | Hammer it closed or replace it. |
| Ripples in the middle of the room | The carpet has stretched | Needs restretching by a pro. |
Reattach the carpet, step by step
- Look at the tack stripWearing gloves, lift the loose edge and look at the strip underneath. If it's loose, broken or missing, fix that first. If it's fine, the carpet just slipped off the pins.
- Nail down or replace the stripTap a loose strip's nails back in with the hammer, or replace a broken section with new strip, pins angled toward the wall. Leave a small gap between the strip and the baseboard, a little less than the carpet's thickness.
- Hook the carpet back onUse a knee kicker to push the carpet toward the wall, then press it down onto the pins. For a small loose spot, you can press it forward onto the pins with a stiff putty knife.
- Tuck the edgePush the carpet edge down into the gap between the strip and the baseboard with a stair tool or a wide screwdriver, working along the wall.
- Close a doorway stripAt a doorway, pry the lip of the metal strip open a little with a flat screwdriver, lay the carpet edge in, then hammer the lip closed over a block of wood so the blows don't dent the metal. Close it gradually along its length.
Watch it done
- The edge lies flat and stays hooked on the tack strip
- The carpet edge is tucked neatly into the gap at the baseboard
- A doorway strip's lip holds the carpet closed along its length
Edge keeps lifting? The carpet likely needs a pro to restretch it.
If it lifts again or ripples
If there's a burn or hole in the carpet, check our guide for patching a hole or burn in carpet.
If the edge keeps lifting, the carpet has probably stretched and needs to be restretched with a power stretcher, which is a job for a carpet installer.
If a doorway strip keeps working loose, replace it with a new one fastened the way the strip's maker recommends for your floor.
What a pro typically charges (a rough estimate; prices vary by area): A carpet installer typically charges $100–$250 for small repairs, and more to restretch a room.
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