How to Patch a Carpet

Your carpet may be the best you ever purchased, and does wonders for your room. But an unsightly stain or hole in the carpet can often lead to damaging the appearance of the entire room. At such a time, you may begin to believe that going in for carpets was the worst idea, and you begin fretting over how to cover up the gaping hole, or stain. It is natural, since the prices of carpets are so high, redoing the entire process is going to leave a big hole in your pocket. Moreover, you cannot redo the carpeting for a small patch or hole. Here, we tell you how to go about patching carpets, without having to replace all of it, and also without having to hire a professional to do it. Fortunately, it is a simple process that requires minimal tools, most of which can be found at home, or can be easily purchased from a hardware store. Even though you are a novice, you will easily be able to follow this procedure and do it yourself.

Patching Carpet Holes

Holes may be caused due to the placement of heavy furniture on the carpet, or because of a burn. Fortunately, the procedure of patching carpet burns and holes is not so difficult. In fact, it is a simple task that you can do yourself. Take a look at these steps.

1. First, locate a piece of carpet that matches the carpet that has been damaged. You may have a leftover piece after carpet application. If you do not, then you can go to a carpet dealer after cutting out the damaged portion, to get a matching patch. Lastly, if none of these options work, cut out a piece of carpet from an area under furniture, which you are sure will not move.
2. Use a utility knife or a sharp carpet knife and begin cutting around the area that is damaged. Use a template such as jar lid, to cut the patch out straight. Don't cut into the padding of the carpet unless it has also been damaged due to a burn or any other reason. If you don't have a new spare piece of carpet, use this cut-out to match it with a new piece at your local carpet dealer.
3. Set aside the piece you cut out, and use the template to cut out a patch from the new piece of carpet. Ensure that the carpet fibers on the new patch are in the same direction as the damaged piece. The new piece should be exactly like the damaged patch you just cut out.
4. Use a strong carpet adhesive, and apply a layer over the back of the new patch. Ensure that the layer of carpet glue is even. Now place the patch in the cut-out area, with all the carpet fibers running in the same direction. Run your hands through the carpet fibers to try to cover up the evidence of carpet repair. Allow the glue to dry overnight, and then proceed to vacuum or tread that area.

Sometimes, even stains on carpets cause severe damage. If the stain is too strong and deep, you may have to replace the affected patch. In such a case, you can follow the same procedure as mentioned above to replace the patch. This of course, depends on the size of the stain. Patching a carpet is not such a tough task, and if you can successfully take up this home improvement project yourself, you will definitely be able to relish the wonderful feeling of being able to save a few bucks. Though traces of carpet repair may be visible, doing it yourself is definitely an affordable solution to your problem.