Is it customary to build “built-ins” over carpet

built-inscarpetcustom-cabinetry

I am planning on doing built-ins on either side of the utility door in the image below:

Current area

This is a crude mockup of the cabinets I'm going to build:

Mockup of Cabinets

What I'd like to know is whether it's customary to build these cabinets over the carpet?

If it's good practice to remove the carpet under cabinets like this, is there any magic to tacking it back down properly?

Best Answer

You should cut away carpet. The cabinets will last longer than the carpet and will just be a mess when it's time to install new carpet. I'd want the cabinets secured directly to the floor, not through carpet/pad.

When you pull up the carpet and baseboard, you'll see the tack strip. If you are careful, you can re-use it, but it is cheap to replace. You'll probably want a tool called a knee kicker carpet stretcher to properly re-attach the carpet to the tack strip. You can rent them or cobble one together yourself.

Edit: It looks like you are working on a slab. In which case you'll need special tack strip with concrete nails and removing the old tack strip will be more of a chore.

In a pinch, or where the carpet is hidden from view, I have used large headed button-head screws.