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Home Improvement Category: Home Improvement, Home Depot, Home Decor, Home Decorating, Home Remodeling, Home Decor, Home Interior, Home Furniture, Home, Do it Yourself, Doityourself, DIY, Diy Network, Do-it-Yourself

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Home Improvement Topics: Home Improvement, Home Depot, Home Decor, Home Decorating, Home Remodeling, Home Decor, Home Interior, Home Furniture, Home, Do it Yourself, Doityourself, DIY, Diy Network, Do-it-Yourself

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CARPET CARE AND REPAIR

Premature Carpet Wear

My 2-year-old, expensive, brand-name, stain-resistant carpet needs to be replaced. Why hasn't it lasted?
Stain-resistant carpeting is just as durable as ordinary carpeting, and just as delicate.

Each fiber of a nylon carpet has little pores (dye sites) where dye is injected to color the fibers. On ordinary carpet fibers, stains can also be absorbed through these pores. On stain-resistant carpet, the pores are sealed so stains are kept on the surface. The sealant has no effect on the wear resistance of the carpet.

If you are maintaining your carpet well (most wear is the result of inadequate cleaning), the premature wear is probably caused by poor installation. Poor carpet padding, for instance, can shorten the life of your carpet and void the warranty. Defective carpeting is rare.

Pet Odor Removal

Apparently the previous owners of our house had animals that were not housebroken. We scrubbed the area and laid new carpet, but the smell persists. What can we do?
Use the three-step approach the pros use: Find it, kill it, seal it.

First remove the new carpet and pad. Use a black light to find the spots; it makes the salts in urine visible. Mark all damaged areas with chalk. Check everywhere—most pets have a favorite spot they repeatedly visit. In addition to the wood under-layment or concrete floor, urine can be absorbed by baseboard, quarter-round moldings, drywall, plaster, even drapes. In severe cases urine may have soaked into insulation and ductwork. Since the bacteria in pet urine can become airborne, spores can wind up on walls, windowsills, and even ceilings.

Let the area air out. Many pros use a fogging machine loaded with an odor counteractant to neutralize the smell. You may be able to rent one from a large rental yard or fire restoration company. If not, saturate the damaged areas with a liquid enzyme product, but don't mix it with other soaps or disinfectants, which can interfere with the reaction that takes place. Let the area dry completely; it may take 2 weeks.

Once the surface is dry, seal the subfloor with a thinned coat of polyurethane. Finally, reinstall the carpet and a new pad, even if the one you're throwing out is only a few months old; pads really trap odors.

Removing Surface Burns

How can I make bum spots on my rug less noticeable?
Remove surface burns by snipping off the charred tips of the carpet with sharp scissors. If the carpet is plush, it helps to feather out the area by lightly tapering the nap in a circle a little wider than the damaged area.

*Snip and feather out burned carpet threads with sharp scissors.

Furniture Footprints

What can I do to remove indentations in my carpet left by the feet of my furniture?
To remove furniture footprints, set your clothes iron on Steam. Hold it 1/4 inch above the dent, then press the steam button. The moisture will make the carpet fibers pop up again and regain their original shape. Use a screwdriver to help fluff the carpet.

*Hold the iron 1/4 in. above the carpet; don't rest it directly on the floor.

Carpet Snags

There are several places where yarn has come loose in my level-loop carpet leaving a noticeable run. Can this be fixed?
If you still have the loose yarn, all you need to repair the snag are scissors, a nail set, and carpet seam adhesive.

First, count the number of loops in the carpet it will take to fill the run. Then count the curls in the loose yarn and cut it to provide the right amount of yarn to fill the entire run. To replace the cut yarn, protect the surrounding carpet with masking tape and squeeze a heavy bead of adhesive into the run. Use a nail set to press each "scab" (where the original adhesive clings to the yarn) down into the carpet backing until each new loop is at the right height.

*You can re-affix a loose yam with seam adhesive and a nail set.

Carpet Tears

How can I fix the tear along the seam in my family-room carpet?
Most carpet tears happen along seams where two pieces were originally glued or sewn together. To fix them, pull the carpet edges together and hold them in place with nails driven about 6 inches from the tear. Then use a curved upholstery needle and heavy fishing line to sew the pieces together. Make the stitch holes about 1/2 inch out from each edge and every inch along the seam. The top of the stitch should be square to the tear, the underside diagonal, for the least visibility.

If you're rejoining a seam that was once glued together, you'll find the old glue tape tough to work a needle through; use needle-nose pliers to help push the needle.

*Use needle-nose pliers to help push the upholstery needle through old glue tape.

When Carpet Is Too Thick

I want to install thick carpeting in my family room, but if I do, the door to the garage won't open. I can't cut the door because it's steel.
Residential steel doors usually have a wood strip at the bottom, which you can trim to fit with a circular saw and carbide-tip blade. You'll probably have to remove and replace the weatherstripping at the door bottom. With some doors, the metal wraps around the bottom and into grooves in the wood. You can trim this type of door, but you must be sure the metal is still bonded in place afterward. Another approach is to remove the door and frame and install a spacer under the threshold.

The simplest solution is to install a small section of vinyl or ceramic tile in front of the door.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

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TITLE: Home Improvement, Home Depot, Home Decor, Home Decorating, Home Remodeling, Home Decor, Home Interior, Home Furniture Store

Home Improvement Category: Home Improvement, Home Depot, Home Decor, Home Decorating, Home Remodeling, Home Decor, Home Interior, Home Furniture, Home, Do it Yourself, Doityourself, DIY, Diy Network, Do-it-Yourself

Shopping Mall: Home Improvement offers do-it-yourself Home Improvement guide and store, Home Improvement, Home Depot, Home Decor, Home Decorating, Home Remodeling, Home Decor, Home Interior, Home Furniture, Home, Do it Yourself, Doityourself, DIY, Diy Network, Do-it-Yourself Store

Home Improvement Topics: Home Improvement, Home Depot, Home Decor, Home Decorating, Home Remodeling, Home Decor, Home Interior, Home Furniture, Home, Do it Yourself, Doityourself, DIY, Diy Network, Do-it-Yourself