How to Cut Out Carpet From the Closet to Replace a Bleached Spot

Pull up the stained area of the carpet by inserting a pry bar or the claw of a claw hammer under the edge of the carpet and prying the edge up off the tack strip. A tack strip is a strip of wood with tacks that holds the edges of the carpet down. Fold the carpet back until you reach the stained area.

Cut out the stain with heavy shears, Remove as small an area of carpet as possible, preferably less than a 2-inch diameter circle.

Place a sheet of paper under the carpet, and fold the carpet back down until the hole is on the floor over the paper. Trace around the edge of the hole with a pencil to make a pattern. Draw an arrow on the pattern parallel to the closest wall to mark the orientation of the hole. This will help you cut the patch so that the nap of the patch matches the nap of the carpet. The nap is the orientation of the fibers. Fold back the carpet and remove the paper. Cut along the pencil line with scissors to cut out the pattern.

Pull up a corner of carpet at the back of a closet in the same way. Cut off a scrap of the carpet that is 1-inch wider and longer than the hole.

Place the scrap on the carpet over the hole. Turn the scrap until the nap of the scrap runs the same direction as the nap of the carpet. Draw a pencil line on the back of the scrap that is parallel to the closest wall.

Place the pattern on the back of the scrap so that the arrow on the pattern is parallel to the line on the scrap. Trace around the pattern with a fine-point marker.

Cut along the marker line with shears. Try to cut only the carpet backing and not fibers on the front of the carpet.

Stick the patch into the hole from the back side of the carpet. Cut a length of carpet tape that is 2 inches longer than the patch is wide. Place the tape on the back of the carpet so that it entirely covers the patch. You may have to use two stripe of tape, side by side, to cover the entire patch.

Fold the carpet back in place, and hammer the edge onto the tack strip with a rubber mallet.