Thursday, February 26, 2009

DIY Outdoor Carpet Installation

By Zak Stanislawski

Nowadays outdoor carpets come in all shapes and sizes, but don't let that fool you into thinking that there are also tons of different and difficult ways to install the flooring. The basic technique is easy to learn, and if you follow this guide you will soon be installing outdoor carpeting like a pro!

As for all do it yourself work, you need to start out with the right tools. For outdoor carpet installation, these are pretty simple, and utility knife and some measuring tape being the main ones. But you also need the right adhesives to glue down the carpet permanently, plus double-sided scotch tape to fix the carpeting onto the ground.

Don't forget that you need the right type of outdoor carpet for the job. Don't save on waterproofing if the area you are installing the carpeting in is not covered, and get UV-resistant materials if sunlight and color fading could be an issue. The glue should be specific and high-quality or all your effort will be naught in a short time.

To start, wash, dry and clean the floor area thoroughly and unroll the outdoor carpet somewhere near, so that it can air out. Then glue strips of double sided tape, with strips at a half meter distance, on the floor in a grid pattern. Don't uncover the upper adhesive sides yet.

If the outdoor carpet does not already come cut to size, you now need to trim it. Make sure that you leave some extra carpet on the edges at this stage, as you will do some more trimming later.

Next, ply half the outdoor carpet on top of the other half, and start uncovering the adhesive tape from the free half of the area. Apply extra glue to the floor, if needed. Make sure to precisely follow the instructions specific to the glue that you are using.

Time to fix the outdoor carpet to the floor. Take extra care to lay down the carpet smoothly, so that you do not create any wrinkles and furrows on the material. Make sure that the fitting with regards to walls and other fixes obstacles is correct.

Now do the same thing on the other side, removing tape covers, applying glue and rolling down the other outdoor carpet smoothly and steadily. One you are done with the whole area, if you have a carpet roller this is the time to use it to smooth out the outdoor carpet even further.

Now you can trim the edges of the piece of outdoor carpet to the correct size, using a pair of scissors or a sharp knife. Be careful when cutting, and never cut towards yourself with a knife. Finish off my removing any excess glue with solvent.

Repeat the process on the next area to be carpeted, until all the outdoor carpet has been installed. Where two pieces of carpet meet, the area can either be sown together or covered with a special metal casing. You will soon have a perfectly installed outdoor carpet! - 16035

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