Carpet Repair Guide

A well worn carpet is a view into a life well lived… Sometimes. When it’s time to fix that one stain, burn mark, or hole in the carpet that has been bothering you, one great solution is a simple patch. Doing a patch yourself is simple if you know what you are doing. That’s why we have this guide for you! After you complete your patch, seal the deal with a good carpet cleaning from our professional carpet cleaners.

Assess the Damage

Pesky carpet damage is annoying, enough to want to rip it up and start over, but not all types of damage are the same. Sometimes, you won’t have to replace a part of your carpet after all. With different types of damage, there are different solutions. 

• Small Tears and Seam Rips: Small tears in the carpet and along the seams can sometimes be easily fixed by carpet glue or tape. Apply the glue or tape a,d press the sides of the tear together to seal it up.

• Buckled or Wrinkled Carpets: Carpets that are separated from what is underneath are a unique problem. They will need to be stretched out with a special tool before being stapled back into place. In most cases, this calls for a professional to get it just right. Check out our article on buckled and wrinkling carpets to learn more.

• Burns and Stains: Deep stains and burns in the carpet are usually grounds for replacing a piece of your carpet with a patch.

• Large Holes and Tears: The larger the hole or tear, the more likely a patch or replacement will be needed.

Patch Your Carpet

1. Get Your Supplies
   Before you cut away a part of your carpet, you will want to make sure you have all of the tools and materials you need. Once the carpet is cut, there’s no going back. For a simple patch, you’ll need a utility or carpet knife, carpet glue or carpet tape, a piece of matching carpet, and a seam roller or old comb. 

2. Mark the Area
   Mark the area around the stain, burn, or hole that you want to cut before you cut it by separating the carpet fibers to expose the base of the carpet. When you are marking the area, keep the mark close to the damaged spot, especially if you have a limited amount of matching carpet. Square pieces are easiest to replace.  

3. Cut the Carpet
   Use your knife to cut the exposed base of the carpet. Be careful to not cut apart the carpet fibers while cutting the base and not cut the carpet pad below the fiber layer. Keeping the carpet pad intact makes the process of adding the carpet back in easier. However, if a stain leaks through to the carpet pad, it will also need to be replaced.

4. Cut the Patch to Size
   Using the previous cut out, trace where to cut the new carpet piece. When lining up the new piece with the rest of your carpet, make sure the carpet fibers are oriented the same way. Most carpet fibers lie flat in one specific direction unless the carpet has short fibers. Move around the carpet on the piece with the rest of the carpet to find the right way to place the patch.

5. Apply Patch with Glue or Tape
   With two different ways to attach the new piece of the carpet, there are two slightly different ways to apply the patch of new carpet. If you use glue, be sure to spread it evenly before applying it to the hole in the carpet. If you use tape, firmly place the one side of the tape onto the new carpet piece. Most carpet tapes are double sided and easy to apply onto the floor after removing the backing on the second side. There are also heat-based adhesives, but these are not advised often because there is a chance that the heat from the iron can burn the carpet. After you put the new carpet piece in place, use the seam roller or comb to blend the new piece of carpet with the rest of your carpet. 

Hire a Carpet Cleaner

While some stains prove too much and require a patch, others can be removed with professional carpet cleaning. Light stains and surface stains are perfect examples of when a deep carpet clean will do the trick. It is also recommended to get professional carpet cleaning once or twice a year to remove stains and keep your carpets cleaner for longer.