Stairway Carpet Patch

Tools:

carpet paddle
heavy-duty shears
leather gloves
carpet needle
marking pen
comb
carpet remnant
seaming glue
seaming tape
upholstery thread

1. Use the carpet paddle to slide under the carpet and free up a section (figure A). Trim off any frayed edges.

2. Position remnant piece so the nap lines up with the original. Use a non-permanent marker to mark the back of the remnant along one side.

3. Cut off the marked side, then reposition piece and mark for next cut. Continue until the piece is sized to fit the repair area. Leave a little extra along the top and bottom of the patch to tuck under the existing carpet.

4. You may need to fine-tune the piece carefully if dealing with a complex area such as the corner of a stair (figure B).

5. Once you have a patch ready, cut a couple of pieces of seaming tape and slide under the existing carpet so the tape catches both the old carpet and the patch (figure C).

6. Peel off backing of seaming tape, put into place under existing carpet, then stick patch to tape. Use the carpet paddle to tuck excess patch under existing carpet (figure D).

7. Thread a carpet needle with upholstery thread and carefully sew the edges of the patch to the existing carpet (figure E).

8. Blend the fibers of the patch into the existing carpet using a comb. Once that's done, seal the edges with a little seaming glue.