In an ideal world, a carpet can be laid in one piece, making it simple to install and leaving no unsightly joints between sections. This is not always possible, however, and in these situations, an improperly laid carpet edge will fray, ruining the look of the room and reducing the lifespan of the carpet. Knowing how to seal carpet edges properly will therefore expand the lifespan of the carpet significantly and also provide a more pleasing look to the room.

  • In an ideal world, a carpet can be laid in one piece, making it simple to install and leaving no unsightly joints between sections.

Lay the carpet so the edges that require sealing are overlapping slightly with one another. Fold back the section of carpet that overlaps and cut the carpet in a straight light using the edge cutter. Repeat for the other part of the carpet that is overlapping, to give a straight seam so the carpet sections line up neatly. Lift the carpet edges and place carpet tape on the floor directly below the seam, sticky side up.

Plug the seaming iron into an electrical socket and turn it on. Follow the instructions provided with the iron to heat the carpet tape. The iron should be placed directly against the tape rather than the carpet, otherwise the tape will not work because the heat from the iron activates the tape. Place the carpet back over the tape.

  • Plug the seaming iron into an electrical socket and turn it on.
  • Follow the instructions provided with the iron to heat the carpet tape.

Follow the instructions provided with the seam roller to seal the seam. The carpet edges will now seal together, forming a strong bond. Use the knee kicker to attach the rest of the carpet once it is laid, to give a perfectly flat carpet that will not move or crease once laid properly.

TIP

For best results, the carpet should be laid so that any edges that need to be sealed are not in common lines of sight. This reduces the impact any seams will have on the overall look of the room and ensures that in most situations, the fact that there is a seam in the carpet at all will not be noticed.

WARNING

Carpet edges must be sealed all along, not just in small sections or on a here-and-there, spot-joining basis. Unless the edge is sealed along the length of the place where two pieces join, the unsealed edges will be prone to fraying, which weakens the seams and could lead to any bonds that do exist being broken.