I was wondering if there are any contractors, interior decorators, or other knowledgeable parties who might be able to tell me what to look for. Anyway... My cats had a little incident today. While I was at work, they went into the bathroom--most likely fighting and rolling around on the floor--and managed to hit the door and shut themselves in there. Understandably they got freaked out and tried to dig themselves out of the room, which involved doing a serious number on the edge of the carpet from the hallway. The damage runs for about 1/4 to 1/2 inch into the carpet. Needless to say I will either be purchasing a doorstop or keeping that door closed when I leave the house from now on. I've had these cats for a year and never had an incident like that, but one incident is too many and I am not going to even allow the chance for that to happen again, carpet or no carpet. But, I am still left with a carpet-repair issue that I am looking to solve effectively and cheaply. The bathroom is tile, going straight to a carpet floor in the hallway with no runner to secure/hide the edge of the carpet. (Which is how it got destroyed.) There is about 1/2 inch clearance from the bottom of the door to the concrete floor that the carpet sits on. The problem with replacing the carpet is that the carpet doesn't just cover the hall: it runs continuously in one piece into my office, meaning that replacing it would involve a custom-cut piece to accommodate my hall AND office. I'd like to see any knowledgeable individuals brainstorm on solutions to fix the problem with the edge of the carpet at the bathroom door that do not involve replacing that whole area of carpet. Thoughts?
That's not the answer to your carpet problem, but I use these to prevent my cats from accidentally shutting themselves in a room:
A carpet bar/z-bar/transition strip would be the best route to go. They come in a number of widths, colors, materials and sizes. Depending on how significant the tears are one of these should not only cover the damage but prevent further damage. One of these should be easy (and cheap) to purchase at any hardware/home improvement store. You'll probably buy a big long one and then cut it to size with a saw or other cutting tool.
Would that involve permanently drilling into the concrete floor? Or is there a type of carpet bar that does not have to be drilled into the floor?
^^ I was gonna suggest a (wider) transition strip, and if it's an issue, replace them on all your thresholds for consistency. I have a rubber doorstop under the door for the bathroom with the litterbox & the bedroom door and a towel always hangs on the other bathroom door. Same idea, keeping the buggers from locking themselves in.
I'm sure there's types that don't drill into the floor and just attach to the carpet and the underpadding. Though I suppose the ones that are drilled into place are more secure.
there are rather thin ones that you can attach with double-sided sticky tape. But the ones that get screwed on are more solid. In the worst case you could cut the carpet at the office door, making two carpets, and replace the one in the hall. You can install one of these transition strips where the two carpets meet. This way the borders won't fringe and there's no danger of tripping. I'd recommend the screw on type. I assume it's a rented space? Maybe you could ask the landlord if they'd be ok with you installing the strips? It'd make renovationg the place / exchanging the carpet much cheaper and easier for them, too, as they wouldn't need such a big carpet anymore.
My carpets are.. well loved by my cats. But that's nothing compared to how much they love the one cloth couch I still have. My sister had 6 indoor cats at one point and her couches looked like tribbles.
So I found a transition strip and was able to get a temporary repair in place. It's not too sturdy (might move if I walk on it), but it's much better than nothing. I'll have to look and see if there's a more permanent repair I can do, but thanks guys.