Installing a new carpet in a room can be a pretty exciting project.
New flooring always translates to a better-looking space. Whether you are installing carpet in the living room, bedroom, or home office, you are sure to have a more beautiful and elegant room.
Once installed, new wall-to-wall quality carpet flooring increases the level of comfort in a room, as well. With a softer, warmer surface, you can walk barefoot in the area. The additional covering also helps reduce sound, making the space more conducive for relaxing, work, and other activities you intend to do.
Additionally, installing carpets is quite straightforward. You can take the DIY approach or hire contractors to complete the project.
However, there is one small issue you have to face when installing a new wall-to-wall carpet: what to do with the scraps. There is always a need to trim excess carpeting during the fitting process.
What to Do With Excess Carpet
Throwing away the trimmed pieces of carpet is not your only option once you are done with installing your new floor covering. Here are some tips for repurposing carpet scraps and getting more from your investment:
Turn them into rugs.
If the carpet scraps are large or medium-sized, cut them into rectangle or oval-shaped mats that you can place near doorways. With this simple trick, you will have additional features that will help you maintain a clean floor.
In case you want to turn the cuttings into a big area rug to cover hardwood or ceramic flooring, look for a company that can custom bind them. Regardless of the trimming shapes and sizes, these can still be repurposed into other useful items you will love having in your home.
By turning scraps into rugs, you will have additional functional floor features that match the carpet in the other rooms of your home.
Use them as a lining material for chests or trunks.
Painting is not your only option when you have old chests and trunks that you want to bring back to life. You can use carpet scraps to redecorate them.
Use the cuttings to line the inside of your old chest and trunks. You can also attach them outside to change the looks of those items dramatically.
With the improvement in their appearance, you can then turn these features into ottomans or end tables, which make for great decorative and functional pieces in any room.
Attach them to furniture legs.
Whether you are pushing or pulling a chair as you sit down or have to move a coffee table to another part of the living room, you can avoid scratching your floor by attaching carpet remnants on their legs.
Glue cutouts of the carpet to the bottoms of chairs, tables, dressers, and other furniture pieces. Doing so allows you to avoid making unsightly marks on or damaging your wood or vinyl floors, which can cost a lot to repair or replace when you need to sell your home.
This simple trick can make it easier for you to move furniture around, as well.
Add them as protective features in your workshop.
If you have a workshop in your garage or basement, protect the floor and tools at the same time by putting the carpet remnants strategically around your work area.
Place carpet remnants around your workbench and storage area for your tools. When you drop a wrench, hammer, or any of your heavy apparatuses, you can be sure you won’t break them.
You also get to cushion your concrete floor, which can be expensive to repair.
Use them to protect your garage door and walls.
Aside from your workshop, your carpet cuttings can be used in the garage, too.
Attach scraps of carpets on the garage door and walls to shield these surfaces from scratches or dings when your car accidentally hits them. Once installed, these will work great as protective padding.
This DIY padding can protect your car from scrapes and bumps, as well.
Turn them into functional items for your pets.
While improving your floor with a new carpet, take the time to enhance your dog house.
Use a piece of carpet as a rain flap for your pup’s tiny home. With this makeshift door, you ensure your pet won’t get wet or feel cold while inside his home.
You can also install carpet remnants to line the roof, walls, and floor of the doghouse for added insulation.
Your cat can also benefit from your carpet remnants. Create a scratching post for your feline friend by gluing pieces of the scraps around a wooden post or PVC pipe attached to a wooden base.
Use them outdoors.
Although carpets are typically indoor features, you will find several uses for carpet scraps outdoors.
Save carpet remnants and use them whenever you do some gardening chores. They work great for cushioning your knees whenever you are planting or weeding.
Additionally, carpet scraps can also help prevent weeds from growing in your lawn. Place them upside down and cover them with bark, straw, or pebble mulch.
Aside from preventing weed growth, this makeshift mulch can insulate plants and help them retain moisture in longer.
If you already have a weedy patch, you can get rid of the weeds by covering the area with your carpet remnants. Cover it with mulch or potted plants. When you remove whatever is on top of the covered area after a year or so, you will have a fresh, weed-free patch of soil ready for planting.
Lastly, you can also use large remnants as lids for your compost pile. The carpet helps keep the light out and moisture and heat in. This then hastens the whole composting process and protects the heap from pests.
Install them in your vehicle.
Finally, you can use carpet remnants in your vehicle, too.
Instead of buying mats to keep the interior of your vehicle clean, lay down some of your carpet scraps. If the remnants are large, cut a piece to fit the car floor.
You can do this for both the driver and passenger seat sections if you have enough large carpet leftovers.
This simple hack can help you save money and minimize the cuttings you have to throw away.
Whether you have small or large carpet scraps, don’t throw them away immediately. Follow these tips and you will get more from your investment in your floor covering and help reduce environmental waste at the same time.
AUTHOR BIO:
James Prathap is the General Manager at NGC Nafees, one of the leading distributors of wallpapers, floorings, and fabrics in the Middle East and South Asia. Formed three decades ago, the business also offers high-quality panoramics, coordinated fabrics, and creative stickers for residential and commercial projects.