Carpet (Re)installation

Occasionally I encounter a situation with a customer that I haven't personally faced with my own dollhouses. I was recently asked to make some repairs on a dollhouse that involved removing carpeting and replacing burned out lights. Lamp and bulb replacement is something that I've done many times; however, while some lamps can be somewhat challenging, in the case of this particular house, the lights were not the issue...it was the carpeting!

The dollhouse was originally constructed some 20 years ago and while beautifully done, it was beginning to show its age. The owner who has lost some dexterity in her hands could no longer do some of the repairs necessary and had asked if I would replace the creme colored carpeting on the first floor living room since I was replacing lamps. I agreed to try even though I have never had to replace carpeting in one of my dollhouses. She also explained that at one point someone had replaced the carpet for her, but she was unhappy with the results. Upon inspection of the carpet, I could see why. The carpet did not properly fit the room and was rather lumpy where generous spots of glue had been used to adhere the carpet to the floor.

Initially, I wasn't even sure how I was going to remove the unsightly carpet, but figured we had nothing to lose if it were damaged during the process. I pried up a corner of the carpet and began pulling and pealing carefully so as not to damage the wallpaper or baseboard. Fortunately, MOST of the carpet came up without much problem; however wherever the glue was thickest, the clumps of remaining carpet fibers were firmly attached. I surveyed the remnants wondering what would be the best approach to complete the removal process. I correctly assumed that a water-based glue had been used and knew that water could break down most craft type glues. Starting with a small area near the edge of the dollhouse, I applied a small amount of water with a paint brush to the little patch of carpet fibers. I allowed the water the soak into the area for a few minutes before I began scraping around the edges of the patch with a putty knife. To my relief, the fibers began to lift. This process took considerable time since I worked on one area at a time, first dampening then scraping. With each area, I allowed the water to soften the glue then scraped the fibers away before the spot dried. The areas along the baseboard proved most challenging since I didn't want to damage the baseboard. Fortunately, the glue was not as thick at these points and I carefully continued dampening and scraping until all the fibers were removed. The final step in the removal process was a good sanding to smooth out the floor to avoid any bumps or lumps under the new carpet.

Finally, I was ready to measure and install the new carpeting. Since most rooms in dollhouses (and real homes) are rarely perfectly square, I always make a template of the floor using copy paper, cutting and taping together pieces until I have the exact layout of the room. Once I'm happy with the template I've created, I transfer the pattern to the carpet by tracing it with pencil on the back of the carpet. I always double check to be sure that I've placed the template upside down on the back of the carpet.

Now it occurred to me that I had two installation options: craft glue or Stick'M adhesive. I admit I have never used glue to install carpeting, but this situation has made me think about the options available. I know that once carpet (or flooring sheets) is installed with Stick'M, it is permanently in place. From this experience, I have learned that with patience, carpet that has been glued down with a white (or craft) glue can be removed following the steps I have outlined above.

In conclusion, I would suggest a couple things regarding carpet installed with craft glue. Think ahead when installing the carpet. Consider what you may need to do if you have to remove the carpeting. Apply a smooth thin layer of glue using a paint brush or spread it out with your fingers. Don't allow the glue to form little mounds. Those mounds can look like mountains under your carpet. The thicker the glue, the more difficult it will be to remove the carpet (or fibers). It is better to spread the glue around the outside edge of the dollhouse and not too close to the interior walls. Use the less is better theory. You don't need much glue to adhere the carpet. If you find you need to remove the carpeting at a later date, be frugel with the amount of water you use, be patient when pulling up the carpet, and be careful with the putty knife.

I plan to experiment on removing carpet that has been installed with Stick'M or a non-water-base glue. I suspect the use of heat may be necessary. I'll post my results as soon as I try my experiment.

As always, I would like to hear from you. Do you have any suggestions? Questions?