Showerthought: I was cutting a seam in a tight corner in Phoenix and my knife slipped.

It was a hot day, maybe 105 degrees, and I was rushing to finish a big living room job before the weekend. The blade jumped off the tack strip and left a small gash in the new pad about an inch long. I ended up using a scrap piece of pad and some seam tape to patch it before laying the carpet over it, and you can't even tell now. What's your go-to fix for a small cut in the underpad when you're already on site?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliviabarnes1mo ago

Patching pad with scrap is a total hack move. I mean, that seam tape will fail eventually and you'll get a soft spot right there. I always tell my guys to cut out a whole new section of pad from the roll, even if it's just a one inch cut. It takes five extra minutes but you know the fix is permanent. Gluing in a fresh piece is the only right way to do it.

leem341mo ago

Wait but that's not how seam tape works at all lol. It doesn't hold the patch, it just seals the fabric edges from fraying. The glue is what actually bonds the foam layers together. If you prep the area right and use enough adhesive, a proper patch is just as solid as a new piece. Cutting a whole new section for a tiny hole is a huge waste of material.