Turning a Carpet Remnant Into Rug

Turning a carpet remnant into an area rug.

A tiny remnant of a big thing is better than a whole little thing. – Abraham Isaac Kook

Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.

We are working on this game room area and here is what we started with:

Here was our design inspiration board:

So far we have accomplished ~

• Reclaimed Wood Planked Wall
• Industrial Bar Table
• Brass Ceiling Fan Makeover
• Inexpensive Window Shade

CARPET REMNANT INTO RUG

*We use affiliate links and could earn from qualifying purchases.  You can read more of our disclosure policy for additional information.

We knew this area needed a substantial size rug however the ones that we looked into were too costly. 

Back when we purchased this fixer-upper home we purchased carpet for the bedrooms.  Wow, you should have seen the carpet!!

Anyways, we saw the store had carpet remnants for sale so we thought why not look into one that would be the size we needed. 

We found one that would work and they would cut it to size if needed.

The carpet wasn’t finished, on the edges, so it started slightly fraying.

We needed to bind it, but the cost to do this was going to be about $150.00 which would defeat the whole purpose of using the remnant in the first place.

SUPPLIES FOR BOARDER

We use affiliate links and could earn from qualifying purchases.  You can read our disclosure policy for more information.

• Heavy material (After much deliberation, we purchased 4 yards of denim type material from JoAnn’s.  We needed 4 yards so we would have long strips and no seems.)
• Drywall tape (The Mister used a roll of drywall tape to act as a guide/boarder for the material)
• Straight edge ruler
• Pencil/Pen
• Contact cement
• Rotary Cutter
• Cutting mat

REMNANT BORDER TUTORIAL

1. Lay border fabric face down on top of carpet slightly less than the width of the drywall tape from the newly trimmed carpet edge.
2. Using a straight edge/ruler, draw a line on the border fabric 5/8-3/4″..from the edge.
3. Lay a strip of drywall tape along the inside of the line you just made.  Leaving the 5/8 to 3/4 of an inch fabric showing.
4. Draw a line 2″ from the inside edge of the drywall tape (as shown below) 

You should now have, from carpet edge, approx. 2 inches of carpet showing, 5/8 to 3/4 inch border fabric, 1 strip of drywall tape, and approx. 2 inches more of border fabric to the last line drawn.

Note- In the picture shown, the 5/8-3/4″ fabric has already been folded over which will be done in a later step.

1. Using Contact Cement, apply over the entire area from carpet edge to the last line drawn on the inside. Cement the underside of carpet edge approx. 1 1/2 ” wide.

Note- We didn’t trim border fabric at this time so the access fabric would protect the carpet from cement application.

Note 2 – Make sure to follow proper handling/instructions for contact cement!

1. Once the cement has been applied and allowed to dry, pull the 5/8 to 3/4″ fabric and fold evenly over the drywall tape {as shown in the picture above}.  This will be the inside edge of your border so be sure to keep it as straight as possible.  After this is folded, you will need to apply the contact cement to the now exposed fabric edge.

Note – The material was cut in long strips using a rotary cutter and cutting mat.

ATTACHING BORDER TO REMNANT

• Lift the inside edge of the drywall tape free from the border fabric from one end to the other.  Flip the drywall tape over and align with outside edge of carpet remnant. 
• Press cemented surfaces together firmly. 
• Again, it is crucial that you follow the cement instructions and allow proper dry time PRIOR to adhering!
• Flip lose border fabric over the top of the drywall tape.
• Tightly pull down, and under, attaching to the cemented underside of carpet remnant.
• You should have a nice crisp inside edge of the border and evenly rolled edge on the outside. 

For the corners:

You can use overlapping 90-degree corners or fold to 45 degrees, whichever you prefer.  We choose 45 degrees..the hard way!

REMNANT RUG COST

$15 Contact Cement

$40 Material (quite a bit leftover but we needed long pieces)

$3 Dry Wall Tape 

$90 Carpet Remnant

TOTAL COST $150

12 x 12 Rugs run from a couple of hundred dollars on up.  We were able to do the entire rug for the cost to bind the carpet remnant.

UPDATE- The area rug is going strong and we have had some questions on some of the techniques so here is a little video demo on it.

MORE HOME DIY PROJECTS

Here are more budget-friendly projects for the home:

• Under $500 Thrifty Kitchen Makeover
• Dining Room Makeover -On a Budget
• The Building of Our DIY Walk-In Pantry

Thanks for stopping by today.  Our goal is to help make the most with whatever you have by sharing budget-friendly, time-saving, and reusing/DIY ideas for all parts of your home and life.  If you enjoyed this post on learning how to turn a carpet remnant into a rug, we would appreciate a share on any social media: Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.  Plus, don’t forget to follow us as we share even more ideas on each account.

Series Navigation

<< Brass Ceiling Fan Makeover