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Handyman Has a Square Cut for Carpet Repair

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Here’s a handyman tip for patching carpet. If you are lucky enough to have a scrap or a remnant of carpet laying around that matches the area you need to patch, count your blessings.

Regardless of whether you do or don’t have a remnant, you will need to cut out the damaged area of carpet. This can be tricky because you want to make the cut in the shape of a square, but not cut any fibers of the carpet. You want to cut the backing while leaving the fibers intact. That is easier said than done.

You can use a carpenter’s square and push it down onto the carpet. Spread the fibers of the carpet like you are parting your hair. You should be able to make a straight line that runs the length of the square. Cut along the square with a sharp utility knife. Ideally you want to cut only the backing and not the fibers, but in all likelihood you will cut some fibers. Continue cutting in this manner until you have a square patch removed.

You can cut the new patch in the same manner from your remnant using the old patch you removed as a template. If you don’t have a remnant, go into an inconspicuous spot, like in the corner of a closet and repeat the process for cutting out a new patch.