How to Splice Carpet
Carpet in a house is rarely one single piece. More often it is made of several strips that are spliced together. When done properly the splice lines are invisible, creating the illusion of a solid carpet surface. Splicing two pieces of carpet is accomplished with the use of a seaming iron and seaming tape.
Both of these items are available at your local hardware store. If you have never spliced carpet before, practice on a few remnants first.
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Line up the two pieces of carpet. If the edges are not perfectly straight, overlap one on top of the other slightly. Use a sharp knife to trim the edge of the lower piece, using the edge of the upper piece as a guide.
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Lay a strip of hot-melt seaming tape under the seam created by the two pieces of carpet. The seam should run down the middle of the tape.
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Turn on the seaming iron and give it time to heat.
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Hold the sections of carpet open and press the iron against the tape at the beginning of the seam. Let it sit for 30 seconds.
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Begin sliding the iron slowly forward, heating the tape as you go. Have a second person press the two pieces of carpet together into the hot tape behind the iron, creating as tight a joint as possible.
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Continue ironing the tape and splicing the carpet until the seam is complete.
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Sew the two halves together using a curved needle and fishing line if the splice is in a particularly high-traffic area. Keep the stitches as small as possible to prevent them from being noticed.
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Roll a carpet tractor over the seam to blend the carpet from both sides together.
Things You Will Need
- Seaming tape
- Seaming iron
- Curved needle and fishing line (optional)
- Carpet tractor