Do It Yourself Outdoor Carpet Laying
Modern outdoor carpets come in a dizzying array of shapes, colors and types, and you may be forgiven in thinking that installing them has become more difficult. But the truth is that installing outdoor carpets yourself is not particularly difficult, and you can do it without the costly services of a builder if you are so inclined.
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.
Before you start, double-check that the outdoor carpet you have is the right one for the job. Humidity and sunlight are the major hazards for outdoor carpeting, so if the are a of installation will be subject to any of these, you need to make sure that you have the right high-quality carpet.
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.
Once that is done, place down the outdoor carpet in the first area and measure it well against the edges of the area that is to be carpeted. Leave a couple of extra centimeters against walls, and cut away the remaining protruding carpet. Cut the carpet perpendicularly to its main surface, not at an angle.
Now lay down the outdoor carpet and ply one half of it on top of the other. Prepare the glue strips and add the liquid adhesive. Make sure to follow the glue’s instructions carefully, as setting times, and thicknesses vary between manufacturers.
Now you can finally start to place down a piece of the carpet. Lay down the first half steadily, without haste, to avoid unseemly creases. Don’t rush and make sure that the carpet adheres to the tape and glue evenly and perpendicularly to the floor area.
Then repeat on the other side. Take off the covers from the double-sided strips and add glue before fixing the outdoor carpet. You have installed the first piece of carpet! If you hired a carpet roller, use it now to fix the flooring to the ground.
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.
Now repeat the whole procedure in the next area, and seam together the join between two pieces of outdoor carpet, or lay down a metal binder. Keep on going for the whole house, and you will have installed outdoor carpet like a pro!