First you need to look at the condition of the current floor.
Can you lay carpet over glued down carpet.
Glue the carpet down or use an under pad to protect the back.
And of course there s the insulation benefit of having two layers of carpet.
To install carpet on concrete choose a carpet that is constructed of synthetic products only as natural fibers are often too absorbent.
And if the carpet you re about to cover was glued instead of tacked to your subfloor you d theoretically save a lot of time because no one not even professionals enjoys tearing out glued down carpet.
Installing carpet over carpet can be a cost efficient unique and fast way to change the look and feel of a room.
If the current flooring is fixed to the subfloor and in good condition you may be able to apply a new flooring over top.
Whether for a basement enclosed porch or a finished garage you can use carpet to cover concrete floors.
When padding is not desirable the carpet ends up directly on top of the concrete.
Before you install the carpet make sure to check the concrete for any moisture issues that need to be addressed.
When indoor and outdoor carpeting is glued down removing the carpeting to get to the hard surface underneath can be a daunting undertaking.
Plus installing a pad is not necessary as the existing carpet acts as padding.
Installing allure flooring over plush indoor carpeting should not be attempted because as you walk on the vinyl flooring the carpeting underneath will give significantly.
Then lay tack strips around the perimeter of the room and install your strips of padding.
We did get them tested and there was no asbestos thankfully.
And if the existing carpet was glued down not tacked it can be a huge time saver to lay the new carpet over the old.
The carpet is glued to the vinyl tiles and we had these same tiles in another area of the basement that we removed.
Installing carpet directly over concrete can be a do it yourself project if using the glue down method.
Thanks for the responses so far.
Leaving the existing carpet provides one extra layer of insulation for cold floors.
If the flooring you purchase can be installed over existing flooring you will still need to consider some other things.
If you choose to use the soft under pad be sure you have a carpet that is compatible with such an application because many are very stiff designed to be glued down and they will simply crack and break if you bend them every time you.