Carpet 

When buying Carpet, you may notice that it generally comes in standard widths of 3.6 to 4m wide. Due to this standard width, a lot of the time you may end up with left over pieces that did not get used at all! This is especially common when carpet gets laid in a house, due to the irregular size and shape of many rooms. This is very common, and often people will store their offcuts, throw them out or sell them onwards. Finding a use for leftover carpet can be difficult, but luckily there are a few different things you can do with it!

Carpet Offcuts or Remnants are in most cases used in high traffic areas of homes, often helping to prolong the life of newly laid carpet or wooden floors. Areas such as Hallways, Doorways, Living Rooms or Activity Rooms are just some examples of common areas of placement for such offcuts. Very commonly the offcuts, once Overlocked, are used as Mats or Rugs to protect wood flooring or add warmth to tiles. Offcuts are also commonly used as Outdoor Mats since they are expected to get filthy and break down over time, but can be easily replaced if you have other offcuts stored away. This can often be a super cheap option to continuously replace Mats!

Hallway Runners

Hallway Runners generally come in standard widths of 67cm, 80cm, 100cm and 120cm, all on rolls about 20-30 meters long. These different width Runners can be ordered at Custom lengths to suit individual needs, making them the perfect choice for filling out any Hallway thanks to the fact you can have multiple different lengths if you needed it. Once cut to length, the ends generally need Overlocking for a nice finished look and to stop the fraying of the ends, though some people prefer to keep the ends clean. This can be done if needed to be butted against a wall or Doorway, or if needed on a Staircase. Often the ends can still be Overlocked for these purposes, but it depends on the Runner.

Hallway Runners are very handy in most homes these days thanks to the popularity of wood and tiled floors. Runners are brilliant for adding warmth and comfort in areas such as these, as well as helping to add fantastic elements of decoration and protection from wear and tear. In our experience, many homeowners have spent a lot of money on their floors, so it makes sense to make sure they are protected! It is amazing the ease of mind that a simple Hallway Runner can provide, even just due to the fact that they are perfect for decreasing echoes and sounds common in tiled and wood floored homes, as well as to put less strain on the body by adding a soft surface between your feet and a hard floor.

Remember, if you are interested in purchasing a Hallway Runner, each length of the Hall Runner will need 2 Ends Overlocked. When Ordering Hall Runners Online, you can follow this link to add the Edging to the Hall Runner.

How is Carpet Overlocking/ Binding Done? 

Carpet Overlocking is done using a particular industrial sewing machine called a Carpet Overlocker. This machine acts very similar to an Overlocker used for fabric, or a classic sewing machine. It pulls the carpet through while attaching yarn around the border with the use of a needle threaded with the yarn mentioned earlier combined with fishing wire or a thing yarn or string. This wire or string is what helps keep the yarn attached to the border when threaded, and as such must be very strong otherwise it will snap and the yarn will unravel.

As you might be able to see below, we overlock a border of yarn approximately 14mm wide. This will provide an outstanding finish to any Carpet Remnant or Hallway Runner and will also prevent your carpet from fraying.

 

Carpet Offcuts FAQ;

What do I Need to do With my Carpet Offcuts?

If you have some Carpet Offcuts that you would like made in to Rugs or Mats, then you should work out what sizes you require. You then need to check if there is enough Carpet Remnants left over to make up the Mats you require. Once determined if there is enough, all you need to do is bring them into our Perth Showroom during business hours and we can help you out! 

How are the Corners of the Offcuts Finished?

There are two ways that the corners of Mats or Hallway Runners can be finished off. These are known as Rounded Corners and Square Corners, and both have different strengths.

For the majority of Carpet Mats, Rounded Corners are recommended. The reason is that it helps prevent the corners from curling up, otherwise known as "dog earing". When a corner curls up, it can cause a trip hazard as well as become easier to accidentally kick and move. It also adds a neater and stronger finish, whereas Square Corners have a weak spot where the overlocking starts and stops.

The Standard Method used for Overlocking the Ends of Carpet Runners and significantly larger Rugs is to have Square Corners. This is for a few reasons. Firstly, there is usually a pattern on Hallway Runners, thus having Round Corners would cut part of the pattern off. Secondly, we can't always match the Edging colour, so with Square Corners the Overlocking is only adjoining the original stitching at the very tip, making it far less noticeable.

What Colour Yarn is Best to Use?  

The colour of yarn used is usually as close as possible to the Carpet or Hallway Runner, but we normally go a slightly darker shade as a general rule. In some requested cases, contrasting colours or bright colours are also sewn on to the Carpet Remnants. It all comes down to individual preference and style, as well as what yarn we have physically available. Generally, we recommend people have a think about what colour they would like matched to the remnant, but to not be surprised if that colour is not available and to have a secondary colour in mind.

How is Overlocking/Binding calculated?

Our current price for Carpet Edging/Hemming for New Carpet is $9 per Perimeter Meter. This means $9 per metre around the outside of the Carpet Rug. To calculate this yourself, simply measure the Length and Width of your Carpet piece, Add the 2 measurements together and Multiply the answer by 2. Or just add up all 4 sides together! Once you have either measurement, multiply by 9 and that will be the Total Cost. Remember that this will be worked out in Metres.

E.g. My Carpet Leftover piece is 1.2 x 1.7m, so 1.2 + 1.7= 2.9m x2 = 5.8m, so 5.8m x $9 = $52.20.