A woman named Stephanie was impressed by a carpet her friend had in her dorm room; it was made of squares of matching colors and was sized to fit an area of floor exactly. She asked her friend where she bought it and learned that it had been constructed from different carpet squares that had been free or cost very little. So, Stephanie set out to make her own similar carpet.
First, Stephanie gathered enough carpet squares. Some of these she got free from Craigslist, others she had to buy for a dollar or two apiece at carpet stores. She selected squares that were of uniform material and thickness. The colors of the different squares weren’t the same, but they were similar. She bought a few extra squares in case she needed them, and this turned out to be the case.
Once she had her squares, she laid them out on the floor in the design she wanted as if she was fitting together a jigsaw puzzle. The different colors of the individual squares created a unique and attractive color effect, and she was able to express herself artistically through their arrangement.
Once she was satisfied with how the squares looked, she began to tape them together. At first, she thought that duct tape might be the best material to use, but then she discovered a special carpet adhesive tape made for exactly her purpose. She cut out the strips of tape beforehand and then used them to attach the squares so that the gaps at the joints were barely visible.
Finally, she put some strips of shelf liner on the bottom of the assembled carpet. This helped keep the carpet from sliding around on the floor and from bunching up when people walked on it.
When she was finished, Stephanie was thrilled by how attractive her custom carpet looked, and it had cost her only around $30 to make. She hadn’t spent a lot of time on the project, and she had had fun. Her homemade carpet turned out to be eclectic but not tacky and eye-catching without being obtrusive. Now, when visitors come to her home, it’s something she can show off.