Small carpet repairs are fairly simple and can be done by homeowners to save money by keeping their carpets in good shape for longer. Whether you’ve got stains that won’t come out or pulls and tears in your carpeting, small patches are easy to replace and blend in. Here are the important steps to follow:
Get a Remnant Piece
Hopefully you held onto remnants from the original installation of your carpet because it makes life a lot easier. If not, you can attempt to match the color and pile at your local home improvement or carpet store or you can cut a small portion of carpet from the back of a closet or other out-of-the-way space to provide a repair piece.
Mark the Damaged Area
Using an empty can or similar type of object, press down firmly over the damage.
Remove the Damaged Carpet
Using a utility knife, cut along the outline. The diameter of a standard can is a good guideline for the size of a replacement piece. The goal is to keep the cutout area as small as possible but still allow carpet tape to be inserted into the space and laid flat beneath the carpet backing.
Trim the Remnant
Take the same can you used on the carpet and repeat the process on the remnant piece. Then use tape marked with an arrow to indicate the direction of the carpet’s nap on the repair piece. Then use another length of marked tape to identify the direction of the nap near the damaged area of the carpet.
Insert Carpet Tape
Peel away the backing on the tape and insert it into the cutout area. Make sure it is smoothed flat so it sticks securely to the carpet backing. This can be a little time consuming. Be patient and work carefully: handling the stickiness of the tape can be a challenge. For a cutout this size, it generally works best to cover about half the space with one piece of tape and use a second piece to cover the other half.
Insert the Remnant
Once you have the tape securely positioned, you’re ready to install the remnant. Line up the arrow on the back of your remnant so it points in the same direction as the one on your carpet then press it firmly into the cutout. Apply extra pressure all around the edges of the new piece, working the fibers into the surrounding carpet.
Fix into Position
Set something heavy on the newly lain piece; a heavy piece of furniture, a stack of books, an iron, etc. Leave it there for about a day and your carpet repair should be complete and sturdy.
