What Is Carpet Edging?

Installation

• To understand carpet edging requires some knowledge of carpet installation. The process begins with a clean and smooth subfloor. Tackless strips go around the edges of the room, followed by padding, which is stapled near the strips and trimmed. (Thick padding can add a luxurious feel to cheap carpet, while thin padding can make expensive carpet feel cheap.) Carpet that has been cut to size covers the padding and is trimmed over the tackless strips. A knee kicker stretches the carpet over the strips, presenting a neat appearance at the joint between the floor and the wall.

Edges

• Carpet edges are normally hidden from view by molding at the bottom of a wall. Without a wall or molding, however, the unfinished edges of a carpet appear, such as when a carpeted area abuts tile or wood. These edges can fray and unravel when exposed to foot traffic or automatic tools such as vacuum cleaners or floor polishers. Carpet edging can avoid these problems by presenting a solid covering over the carpet.

Definition

• Carpet edging is a narrow strip of metal (or plastic) that is used on exposed carpet borders. The bottom half of the strip has a row of sharp spikes that secures the carpet to the metal so it does not move. The top half of the strip folds over the carpet, presenting a protective barrier against passing feet, rolling furniture or cleaning appliances. Carpet edging comes in a variety of colors that can match the carpet, contrast with the carpet color, or match the color of the adjoining floor. It generally comes in 6-foot sections that cost from $10 to $20 each, according to the Koffler Sales Company, at the time of publication.

Alternatives

• If metal carpet edging is too expensive, especially for long stretches of carpet, cheaper do-it-yourself finishing alternatives are available. However, use these options only in low-traffic areas, because their lack of durability makes them more decorative than useful. Fabric binding can be hot-glued to the edge, although iron-on versions are also available from most fabric stores. If you can calculate the exact location of an exposed edge of the trimmed carpet, you can take the entire carpet to a rug store to have that edge professionally bound. Duct tape around the edge can substitute as temporary edging, until you can afford the real thing.