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I finally figured out a better way to handle those impossible corner cuts in old houses
Last week I was working on a job in a 1920s bungalow in the Riverside neighborhood. The living room had these crazy angled corners where two walls met at something like 95 degrees, not 90. I must have wasted 45 minutes and a chunk of carpet trying to get the seam right. My helper said, 'We're gonna be here all day.' So I grabbed a piece of cardboard from the pad roll, traced the exact wall angle onto it, and used that as a template to cut the carpet backing before I made the final face cut. It worked perfectly on the first try. Saved us a huge headache and a lot of material. What's your go-to trick for weird angles that don't match your knee kicker?
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zarat376mo ago
Oh perfect, the house itself is fighting back. That cardboard trick is basically giving the wall a taste of its own medicine, and I'm all for it. Honestly, anything that stops me from having a full conversation with a corner is a win in my book.
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sullivan.quinn3mo ago
oh for sure @zarat37, i used a piece of plexiglass from an old picture frame for my weird alcove and it worked way better than cardboard cause it doesnt bend at all when you trace. saved my butt on a super janky corner that wouldve eaten up half my carpet if i guessed wrong.
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mia1026mo ago
Yeah, the cardboard trick is a lifesaver for those old houses. I read a forum post years ago where a guy swore by using a cheap plastic cutting board from a dollar store for the same thing, said it holds the shape better than floppy cardboard. Honestly, anything you can trace the wall onto and then transfer to the carpet is better than guessing. Those weird angles will eat up material and your whole afternoon if you let them.
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