How to Resize Carpet With a Utility Knife

If you’re looking for a rug for a specific place in your home, chances are the one you fall in love with won’t fit in that space. But the good news is, if it’s too big for the area, you can resize it yourself using a utility knife and some glue. Here’s what you need to know.

How to resize carpet

While you cannot make the rug larger if it is too small for the space, you can do the opposite. This tip is courtesy of Marin Udvarheyi, the founder of the home blog Wildflower , who ran out of patience in her search for a bath mat and decided to take matters into her own hands. Finding a vintage rug that matched the room’s décor, but was too large, she used a utility knife to cut it to the correct size.

But before you start chopping, there are a few things to know.

Firstly, this method unfortunately does not work on all carpets: according to Kate McGregor of Domino , it works best with “abstract prints or border patterns where there is a clear cropping area without making the pattern look weird. “. “

In addition, you need to measure the area of ​​your floor so that you know the ideal carpet dimensions. Then, place a rug or piece of thick cardboard to protect the floor where you are going to cut. Once you’ve got the right size, grab a utility or box cutter and use a ruler (or ideally a measure) to make sure you’re cutting your carpet in a straight line, McGregor advises.

The next step is to tape the edges of your new rug. To do this, you have several options. Udvarheyi decided to take her rug to a local carpet company , where she chose the color she wanted for the finish, and a few days later, she picked up the finished rug for $ 50 (this particular store charged $ 3 per linear foot).

McGregor says that if you want to use homemade glue, you can use Elmer’s traditional glue to hold the edges together and prevent chafing.

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