Long considered carpeting’s least attractive form, outdoor carpet has made great leaps forward in quality and style over the past few years. Durable and low-maintenance, this soft floor covering is an easy way to add a cozy feel to your patio or deck.
“Given that we will be spending more time in our homes for the foreseeable future, it’s important to truly use the space you have,” advises interior designer and HGTV host Arlene Gibbs. “An outdoor rug will help your outdoor spaces feel more like an extension of your home.”
If you’re considering outdoor carpet for your outdoor living space, here’s what you need to know:
What To Know About Outdoor Carpet
Water-resistant and UV-stable, outdoor carpet is made with materials that can withstand anything Mother Nature throws at it. Its low-pile or densely woven synthetic or natural fibers help repel dirt and water and resist mold and mildew. However, “outdoor rugs made of natural fibers like seagrass are not as strong as their synthetic counterparts and could have issues with mold,” Gibbs says.
Types of Outdoor Carpet
Most outdoor carpet is low-pile loop (or Berber), cut and loop patterned or flat woven. All handle the wear and tear of weather and foot traffic better than plush or deep-pile carpet types. For completely exposed areas or high-humidity climates, choose a carpet with all-weather marine backing to resist moisture.
Broadloom rolls: Purchase outdoor carpet in a wide broadloom roll to install as a wall-to-wall floor covering in an open or semi-enclosed deck or patio. Carpet on broadloom rolls can also be cut to a custom size and finished around the edges for an area rug that fits your space.
Tiles or planks: Outdoor carpet in tile or plank form rather than broadloom can also be installed wall-to-wall. You can also use a single piece or small grouping to cover a smaller area of your floor space, or create a rug-like centerpiece.
Area rugs: Outdoor rugs have the same durability and water-resistance as outdoor carpet, but are smaller and designed as an accent rather than a full floor covering. “If you’re placing an outdoor area rug on your deck, you may want to move it around every so often so you don’t have uneven fading,” advises Gibbs.
Pros and Cons of Outdoor Carpet
“The pros of outdoor carpet far outweigh the cons in my book,” says Gibbs. Here are a few factors to consider if you’re thinking about buying outdoor carpet:
Pros
Resistant to the elements, sun, pets and people. Gibbs even suggests considering outdoor carpet as an indoor option “for high traffic areas in your home, like a den/family room, kids’ room, playroom, etc.”
Requires a special adhesive or double-sided tape for carpets or anti-slip underlay for area rugs.
Water-resistant but not waterproof, so it can have issues with mold or mildew in extremely damp climates.
Less plush than indoor carpets due to dirt- and moisture-blocking low pile or flat weave.
Installation Information
You can install outdoor carpet on any hard, flat surface from wood to concrete, although some surfaces may need weathering from 30 to 60 days first. The straightforward installation requires a few basic tools, a rented 100-lb. roller and special adhesive or double-sided carpet tape. An intermediate-level DIYer can do it in a day. Some tile or plank carpets come with a self-adhesive backing, making them even easier to install.
Otherwise, consider that professional installation costs an average of $400 to $600 for a 300-sq.-ft. patio or deck.
Outdoor Carpet Maintenance
Little to no maintenance and easy cleaning are two of the biggest selling points of outdoor carpeting. These carpets are resistant, but food and beverages often leave stains, so spot-clean larger spills immediately.
Set up grills or smokers away from the carpet as flying embers melt holes in the synthetic fibers. Standing water can damage even the most water-resistant carpets; use a push broom to remove puddles after a heavy rainfall.
Outdoor Carpet Cleaning
To clean, first go over your carpet with a broom to get rid of blown leaves, twigs or other large debris. Then vacuum using the regular floor head (not the rotating brush) to remove dirt and dust.
For mud or stains, mix dish detergent with lukewarm water. Scrub with a brush or push broom, then use a sponge or garden hose to rinse the suds. If you are cleaning a smaller area rug, hang it in the sun after a rainstorm or hose rinsing to fully dry.
Customized Garage Storage
Upgraded Pegboard Garage Storage Wall
This garage organization system is easy to reconfigure as your needs change — so easy you could rearrange it every season. All you have to do is pull out pegs and insert them elsewhere. You can move a shelf in seconds, make a new one in minutes or create an entirely new arrangement.
This customizable clutter-buster garage storage wall turns your garage into a mudroom.
Install an Attic Lift
Having attic space above your garage just about doubles your storage options. But carrying stuff up the ladder is a hassle and can be dangerous. An attic lift makes the chore safe and effortless. You can even store things like a lawn mower or snow blower that you wouldn’t think of hauling up a ladder.
A lift is easy to install if your garage has the right bones, and it uses power you likely already have. We’ll tell you what you need to know before you buy and walk you through the installation.
Compact Folding Workbench with Storage
Super-Capacity Tool Cart
This tool cart would make a great addition to any workspace, but it’s especially perfect for a garage workshop. It brings your whole tool arsenal within easy reach during a project while taking up minimal floor space, leaving plenty of room for your car when the job is done.
It’s also adaptable — easy to build as shown and easy to alter. You can add or subtract drawers and shelves to meet your needs.
Super Garage Storage-Simplified
Sliding Ceiling Storage
If all the stuff in your garage is within easy reach, you’re probably wasting lots of storage space. The high spaces may not be prime real estate for often-used tools, but they’re perfect for long-term storage.
Double-Decker Garage Shelves
To keep things uncluttered, one of the first places to utilize extra space is along the walls. This double-decker shelf unit can be made in one day and only costs between $20-$100. These shelves provide three storage options to organize a multitude of items.
Build a Dog Washing Station
With a dog washing station in the garage, the mess never has to come inside. A pull-out staircase makes it easy for any dog to step up to a comfortable working height, so you don’t have to stoop to wash those dirty paws. And all your cleaning supplies store neatly inside the steps.
Garage Corner Shelves
Who couldn’t use a few more shelves in the garage? You probably already have shelves in the obvious spots, but what about in the corners? This nifty corner shelf unit takes advantage of existing studs. It’s fast, easy and cheap, and it’s great for can storage.
Use scrap plywood or oriented strand board to make shelves that fit snugly between the corner studs and support them with 1×1 cleats. These corner shelves are perfect for storing smaller items such as glues, oils, waxes and polishes, which get lost on larger shelves.
Build a Fold Down Workbench
Store More on Walls
If you mount hooks, brackets and other hardware only on studs, you’re wasting lots of opportunities for garage storage ideas. Try adding a layer of 3/4-in. plywood over the drywall or bare studs. That gives you a continuous fastening surface so you can mount storage hardware easily, arrange items in a space-efficient way and cram more stuff onto the wall.
For large gardening tools like rakes and shovels, this slanted rack is ideal. This project uses space creatively because the rack is built on the garage studs. These racks can be made for less than $20 and take only minutes to assemble.
Space-Saving Sliding Shelves
Rollout shelves and sliding bypass units can make more efficient use of the sidewalls of your garage. The bypass unit adds 50 percent more storage for long-handled tools and all sorts of items that take up too much wall space. You simply slide the shelves to either side to access the stuff behind.
Ladder Storage
An extension ladder is one of the most difficult things to store. When you need to use it, it has to be easy to get to. But there are long stretches when it just gets in the way of everything else in your garage.
Here’s a good solution: Mount it on your garage ceiling on sturdy racks made of scrap 2x4s that are screwed into the ceiling joists. Use two 3-1/2-in. screws at each joint to make the rack secure. These racks make it easy to slide the ladder out when you need it. Just make sure to position the racks where they won’t interfere with your garage door.
Long-Handled Tool Rack
This compact rack is strong and simple to build. You can store shovels, rakes, a sledgehammer — any long-handled tools — conveniently up and out of the way. The unit holds up to 14 items, giving you more flexibility and storage capacity than nails pounded into the wall.
Garage Storage Tower
In a weekend you can build this DIY garage storage tower. It works great when you have big, plastic storage bins to organize. It would also work well in a basement or mudroom.
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