DIY Carpet Cutting, Binding, and Install
 

I was long overdue for a new carpet kit to replace my tired RS carpet kit in the gray ghost. I've always liked the look of German square weave, but they don't by default make it for my car. The kits I priced out where anywhere between $950 and $1300, so I thought in the spirit of do it yourself'ers, I'd give it a try myself.

I stopped by global upholstery and picked out read 345 German square weave carpet.

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I thought it would look pretty cool with black binding instead of red, so that's the direction I went.

Here is a close-up of my first binding experiment last week, but I just used a piece of scrap vinyl as binding:

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I got progressively better as I practiced around the square.

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Obviously these edges are so rough I would not want to leave them exposed:

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So, onto the real deal. I thought I would start with a pretty inconspicuous peace, so I picked one that sits mostly under the seat, in case I messed it up.

I placed it face down on my upside down square weave carpet, traced, and cut it out with some nice upholstery shears.

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I picked up 15 yards of vinyl binding in black, also from global upholstery. So, I cut out enough to go around the perimeter of the carpet.

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My first attempt did not go well at all, mostly because I'm a hack. Secondarily because I needed to adjust the machine for a longer stitches. I'm brand-new to sewing, so I'm just learning as I go.

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The end result, however, was what I was hoping for:

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This evening, I improved my approach a bit by pinning the binding before I sewed it:

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Overall, the process is pretty simple: you place the binding upside down on the edge of the carpet, can you run a stitch about 5 to 10 mm in from the edge of the carpet. Then, you simply wrap the binding down, fold it under, and run another stitch from the top to secure the underside. I will be filming a how-to video for my rennch YouTube channel.

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Tonight was a bit easier, and I'm really happy how it's turning out:

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That said, it's easy to see why upholstery guys can charge so much money. It is a very time-consuming process!

Stay tuned for future updates!




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Looks great! Keep going! Cannot wait to see the rest, and the how-to video.
Special Singer machine for upholstry or leather/carpet?

I bought a heavy duty Singer, model 4452. So far it has handled just about everything I've thrown at it, including leather. Joann fabrics always seems to have great sales. I think I bought mine for 140 bucks.


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That's pretty darned remarkable. Yep, "Singer" seems to fit for a cool retro custom!

I'd have definitely sewn my fingers together on the first effort. Big bravo there. Looking excellent!

That's an awesome and ballsy project. I like it. Great work!

Love it man, that's the DIY spirit!

Inspiring! Subscribed and looking forward to your progress.

Well done Sir!http://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat6.gif

Great choice with black trim. Even perfectly-matching red vinyl trim will fade differently than the carpet and clash.

Sub'd! Would you mind sharing what they charged for the material? Or maybe a total project cost when you finish. Thanks!

Looks great Michael!

Mind sharing info about your sewing machine?

That will look great in your car. Cool DIY project.

Nice! More than I would have attempted having no seamstress skills.

First bringing that dash back from the grave, now making your own carpet kit. You are one talented hombre. Great inspiration. Tim

I'm super impressed! The color will look great with your car. Can't wait to see it!

I will buy the machine and make my wife do the sewing..... My 328 needs new carpet, bad....

Well I be damned. Ronnie James Dio does his own sewing !

Nice work....

Very nice work. Was thinking about this same project recently. Glad to see its doable with a bit of time and patience.

I got a pair of jeans that need hemming
.....

DIY upholstery is something I have wanted to attempt. Thanks for the encouragement and look forward to your video. Not feeling confident I can master a sewing machine.

Hats off to you, sir. My square weave install has been daunting, and I cheated and got the carpet kit. You seem to have a nack for it though!!! Kudos!

Thanks all. Why daunting? Have you tried a steamer?


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Had some issues getting it to lay flat and smooth, haven't tried the steamer though. That might be the ticket for some of those humps and concave curves in the rear seat area.

That is what I've heard is the hit way to make it happen. I'm ordering mine from Amazon.


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Test fit in the car looks really good.

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@ emptyo --- have you looked into a "binder" adapter for Singer?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8GFjQfc-n0

Doesn't seem cost prohibitive, less than $15 @ Walmart. But not sure if it would accommodate thick carpeting and vinyl binding material

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Distinctive-Binder-Sewing-Machine-Presser-Foot-Fits-All-Low-Shank-Snap-On-Machines/40649395?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1278&ad id=22222222227028393384&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=61181 426049&wl4=pla-96571880169&wl5=9031969&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl1 0=112561844&wl11=online&wl12=40649395&wl13=&veh=se m

I have. The issue I have with that is you'd see the thread exposed, which isn't a look I'd like for this kit. It certainly would make my life easier...but sometimes it's more work to look the part. :)

Plus, then I'd have to be good at stiching / sewing...which I'm not. :)

@emptyo --- wow, the details and subtleties that goes into it. Thanks for pointing those out. Indeed, getting it right --- or at least the exact way you want it --- does always require more work. But at end of day, totally worth it. Good luck w rest, look forward to seeing more.

Steamer ordered!

What kind of steamer did you order? Looks like a project I would like to try since I need new carpet anyways.

Looks really great!!

I have a strut brace going into my frunk, which requires a hole to be cut into the carpet there to accommodate the camber plate attachment (pic below - credit to Elephant Racing - only shows a "floor carpet" but mine goes up the sides). I'd like to get a grommet to install in the carpet to protect that area - any ideas?

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Looks great Michael - try to make it to our Coffee & Cars on May 20th so we can see it in person!

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-Dmitry

I love this. Looks great, congrats.

Couple of questions:
- Are you using a walking foot?
- Is the binding the 4-way stretch:
- How does it go around the curves?

Looks like my next DIY learning challenge!

Thanks.

I'm getting it ready for luftgekuhlt, so it will be there. And I will definitely try to make your event!


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Number one: yes to the walking foot. Number two: I'm not sure if it's a four way stretch binding. Might just be vinyl. Number three: pretty well. So far it is handled a 90° curve with no problem.


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I ordered it last night from Amazon, and it came in today. It was rated well.

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DIY Carpet Cutting, Binding, and Install
 

Well, this one really kicked my butt tonight. I thought I would pick a pair of big, easy ones, but this one was quite complicated.

First things first, to maximize your carpeting, you definitely want to lay out all of your pieces before you start cutting. You also want to use as many common edges as you can.

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I decided on this one, which is the drivers side floor mat, to extract the piece of reinforced vinyl that wraps around the Accelerator pedal.

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It was a fairly tedious process, but I finally removed it, scrubbed it with some hot water and soap in the sink, then pressed it flat with an iron and a paper towel between.

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This piece was pretty beat up, and the default installation is glued and then sewn.

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On my original Matt, the edges were raw. I wanted to have a finished edge, so I thought I would fold over the parts that were exposed.

Once I cleaned it and scrubbed it and ironed it, it looked pretty decent on the mat.

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I then went around the perimeter of the vinyl with a stitch.

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I thought I was home free, but boy was I wrong. The area that wraps around the accelerator pedal was my most challenging binding to date. This particular mat took me over three hours to finish. It was a real bear.

One of the main issues is, I'm struggling with how thin my binding is. I bought the 1 inch finding from global upholstery. I think it would be a much easier project with 2 inch binding, but that was not available. It means that, on the underside of the mat, I don't have a lot to work with. I Think once I finish the passenger side, I'm either going to make my own binding out of black vinyl, or find some 2 inch binding to purchase.

Either way, it came out really great, and I am one more step in the right direction.

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My goal is to have the entire carpet kit finished this weekend, so it's ready to be installed next week when my car comes back!

Wow, that looks awesome!


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