Should I remove old carpet or install laminate over top in my McKenzie Towne home?

You absolutely must remove the old carpet before installing laminate — installing laminate over carpet is not a viable option and will lead to a failed floor. This applies whether you're in McKenzie Towne or anywhere else in Calgary. No laminate manufacturer supports installation over carpet, and doing so will void your warranty immediately.

The reason is structural. Laminate flooring relies on a firm, flat, stable surface to support the click-lock joints that hold the planks together. Carpet and carpet padding are soft and compressible, which means the laminate planks would flex and bounce with every step. This constant flexing puts enormous stress on the click-lock connections, and within weeks to months, joints begin separating, edges lift, and the floor develops gaps and squeaks. The soft substrate also creates hollow spots that feel spongy underfoot, and the laminate surface will eventually crack at stress points. It's not a question of whether the floor will fail — it's a question of how quickly.

Removing carpet in a McKenzie Towne home is straightforward and relatively affordable. Most McKenzie Towne homes were built in the late 1990s through the 2010s, so you're typically dealing with standard residential carpet over plywood subfloor on the main and upper levels, with carpet over concrete in finished basements. Professional carpet removal in Calgary runs $1 to $1.50 per square foot, including disposal. For a typical 800-square-foot main floor, that's $800 to $1,200. If you want to save money, carpet removal is one of the easiest DIY tear-out jobs — cut the carpet into manageable strips with a utility knife, roll them up, pull out the underpad, and remove the tack strips along the walls with a pry bar and hammer. Budget a half-day for a medium-sized room and arrange a trip to a Calgary landfill or schedule a junk removal pickup.

Once the carpet is up, inspect the subfloor carefully before installing laminate. In McKenzie Towne's plywood-subfloor homes, check for squeaky spots (screw them down with construction screws into the joists), high spots (sand them flat), and any areas where moisture may have caused damage. In basement areas with concrete slab, do a moisture test before proceeding — tape a piece of plastic sheeting to the slab, wait 48 hours, and check for condensation underneath. If moisture is present, you'll need a vapour barrier underlayment at minimum.

For McKenzie Towne basements specifically, keep in mind that standard laminate is not waterproof. If your basement has any history of moisture, even minor dampness, LVP at $4 to $9 per square foot installed is the safer choice. For the main floor and bedrooms, laminate at $3 to $7 per square foot installed is an excellent option that will look great and perform well.

Need help finding an installer for your McKenzie Towne flooring project? Calgary Floor Installers can match you with local contractors for free estimates through the Calgary Construction Network.

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Looking for experienced contractors? The Calgary Construction Network connects homeowners with qualified professionals:

• Premium Built Structures
• Makki Abatement
• Canadian Closet
• Universal Slate International Inc.
• Mr & Mrs Paintastic Inc