If using the waffle pad style of carpet pad the waffle side of the carpeting pad should be face up for maximum cushioning and it is cut to fit inside the tackless strips with about gap so that the carpet itself can be attached to the tackless strips and the padding does not interfere with the securing of the carpet.
Installing carpet padding on concrete.
Use apoxy adhesive to secure them to the concrete floor.
Concrete absorbs and retains water and the moisture can seep into the carpet padding and then into the carpet.
The strips should be installed 1 2 from the wall with the tacks facing the wall.
Lay the padding on the floor pull it up to the grippers and staple it to the gripper strip.
Place tackless strips around the entire perimeter of the room.
Step 3 install carpet grippers.
Secure the strips with epoxy adhesive.
One rubber pad that sounds like a great recycling idea is a 100 rubber under pad made out of recycled car tires.
They look similar to carpet padding but they have a plastic film on the surface to block moisture.
Moisture barriers as the name implies set up a protective barrier to block moisture from reaching the pad and the carpet.
If it remains dry then you can install as on any concrete floor except do not use under pads that can absorb moisture.
Consider carpet made from olefin face fiber.
The best will be quality rubber pads not foam pads.
If you re not going to install your carpet on a subfloor you ll need to make sure that you re picking a kind of fiber that will stand up to concrete s tendency to collect moisture.
Keep a space equal to about two thirds the thickness of the carpet between the walls and the tack strips using a scrap piece of carpet as a guide.
Shoot masonry screws into the strips every 6 8 on center to fasten them to the concrete.
Some carpet is backed with jute which is too absorbent to use on concrete.
Place carpet gripper strip parallel with the wall and leave a inch space between the strip and the wall.
Step 4 lay out the padding.
Lay carpet grippers down 1 2 inch from the base of the wall.