DIY Carpet Repair

We've been using the fireplace like gangbusters this year and so far, have seen a savings of $77 on our electric bill from November through February.  Using the fireplace creates a little mess and requires cleaning out once or twice a week, depending on how heavy we use it.  I expected the mess.  One side effect I hadn't counted on was a burn in the carpet. 

It happened to me a few weeks ago.  A hot coal popped out when I tossed a new log in and it landed right on the carpet.  Why we didn't have a rug down, I'll never know.  But there it lay, melting the carpet.  By the time I could grab the little shovel and toss it back in, we had a burn about the size of those little fun size candy bars people hand out at Halloween.  We just celebrated our 2nd anniversary in this brand new house so a burn in the carpet was a wee-bit upsetting.

Luckily, my husband is resourceful and he had an idea of how to repair it.  This total repair cost us only $4.47.  I'll walk you through step-by-step with a little photo tutorial.

For this repair, you'll need:

• Pair of pliers
• Pair of scissors
• Gel super glue (we used this glue)
• Carpet remnant
• Heavy book

1.  Using a pair of pliers, or a Leatherman's tool as Hubz did, pull out the damaged fibers until you have a clear area.

2.  Cut a piece from your carpet remnant to fit inside the bare spot you've just created, trimming as needed.  You want a snug fit.

3.  Fill the bare spot with super glue, firmly press your cut piece into the hole and cover with something heavy.  Let it sit for at least 1-2 hours, longer if possible.  We let ours sit overnight.

4.  Lastly, trim the fibers from the glued piece so they are even with the rest of the carpet.  Once this step is done, all evidence of your patch is gone.

I've asked visitors to find our carpet patch and they haven't been able to.  Heck, we aren't really sure anymore where it is.  It's truly imperceptible.  Our patch is about 3 weeks old now and it's been vacuumed over several times with no problems.

And, in case you're wondering, we now have a rug down in front of the fireplace to catch any further stray coals.  I learned my lesson well.

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