DIY Carpet Installation – Mini Porch Makeover

Our porch got a mini makeover with a DIY Carpet Installation.

Do you have projects that you’ve thought about doing for years but never taken action to complete?  Please tell me that it is not just me…

Our house has a side porch that we use as our main entry.  It has Plexiglass panels that cover screens so it’s almost like a sunroom making it usable year-round.  We use the porch like a mudroom:  shoes go on and off there; Sherman’s collar and leash are stored there; and we leave our coats and umbrellas there when it’s raining.

The carpet on this porch has bugged me for a number of years because it never looks clean and bringing Sherman and his muddy paws into the equation has made it even worse.  This carpet was installed by the former owner and is at a minimum, 30 years old.  I’ve been wanting to replace it for a long time and this week I finally did.

I started by rolling up the old carpet and moving it to the middle of the room.  I cleaned the woodwork, windows, and the floor and then gave the floor and door threshold a fresh coat of paint.  

The next day I went to a locally owned carpet store and purchased new carpet.  Once I got it home, I wrestled it off the back of the truck and unrolled it on the driveway face down.

I then wrestled the old carpet off the porch and unrolled it onto the new carpet so that I could use it as a template.

Using the old carpet as a template worked like a charm; the new carpet fit perfectly around the porch’s nooks and crannies.

I am so glad that I finally took the initiative to get this project done.  An afternoon of cleaning and painting and a few hours spent shopping and cutting the carpet to size was well worth my time.

This color of carpet was a practical choice, not one based on my preference.  Sherman and Mr. SP do a lot of walking in nearby construction areas and can’t help but to track red Virginia clay onto the porch.  This color should camouflage any stain that may result.

Now that everything is clean and there’s new carpet, I am going to be sure to enjoy spending some time on the porch over the 4th of July weekend.

What projects have you been avoiding?   ‘Fess up…I know it’s not just me!