If you are looking for an alternative to tile or wood flooring for your porch or lanai consider indoor-outdoor carpet, it is perfect for enclosed porches because it’s resistant to mildew and stains. It’s a much better choice than standard indoor carpet for giving your porch a finished look, and installation is easy.
To figure out how much carpet to buy, measure the length and width of your room, add 6 inches to each measurement, and multiply the two numbers. Here’s how to install it:
Materials and Tools:
- indoor-outdoor carpet
- measuring tape
- straightedge
- utility knife with extra blades
- double-sided tape or adhesive and a trowel, depending on where you install the carpet
Steps:
- Clear everything out of the area you’re going to carpet, and make sure the floor is clean and smooth.
- Outline the edges of the room with double-sided tape, and use the tape to make “X” marks (about 6 by 6 inches) about every 2 feet on the floor. Leave the backing on the “up” side of the tape.
- Lay the carpet in place, centering it in the room so that you have some excess on every side.
- Fold the carpet back halfway and remove the backing from the tape in the exposed area of the floor. Note: If you want a really snug fit along the walls, leave the backing on the tape around the perimeter of the room (not on the X’s). This will allow you to make minor adjustments to the size of the carpet until the last minute.
- Replace the carpet in that area and press down firmly so the carpet sticks to the tape.
- Fold back the other half of the carpet and repeat the process in that area.
- Smooth the carpet down toward and along the walls. Use a straightedge to push the carpet into the corners.
- Trim away the excess carpet with a utility knife. You might have to make several passes with the knife, and be sure to use a very sharp blade for a clean cut.
- To trim the carpet around any corners or doorjambs to get a good fit, press the carpet firmly against the bottom of whatever you’re working around, and cut from each end of the obstacle upward toward the center of it, making an upside-down “V.” Fold down the sides and trim away the center of the “V” like you did the other edges in the room.
- Walk along the perimeter of the room and tamp the carpet edges into place on the tape with your feet.