Do you have a cat tree that has seen better days, with carpeting hanging loose and coming off? It might be time to remove the old carpeting and add some new. That, or maybe you have built a cat tree frame and need to attach the carpet. In this article, we will discuss how you go about attaching carpet to a cat tree.
There are three steps to attaching carpet to a cat tree. The first step is to remove the old carpet. Second, choose new carpet to attach – go for higher quality on this, it will be more durable for scratching. Third, attach the carpet with a staple gun or hammer and small nails.
Why Add New Carpet to an Old Cat Tree?
There are a few different reasons as to why you might want to replace the carpeting on your cat tree. Simply put, it gets old and worn out which ends up causing quite the mess, because little carpet chunks and frills are going to make their way all throughout your home, and that means a big cleanup job, a never-ending one.
Moreover, a cat tree is designed to be comfortable for cats to lie down on, but if the carpet is old, frilled, jagged, and ripped apart, your cat is not going to be very comfortable, and may be more intrigued in pulling at loose fibers.
Another purpose of a cat tree is to allow your cat to scratch, because it is good for their nails and helps satiate the natural scratching instinct. If the carpet is torn and more or less nonexistent, your cat is not likely going to use it to its fullest.
How to Attach Carpet to a Cat Tree with 3 Easy Steps
Attaching new carpet to a cat tree is going to require a few tools and a bit of time to complete, but in all reality, it’s actually quite an easy thing to do. Let’s go over how to attach carpet to a cat tree in a simple step-by-step manner so you can save time and get it done fast.
Step 1: Remove the old carpet
The first thing that you are going to need to do is to remove the old carpet first. One mistake many people make when doing this is to simply add more carpet over the old carpeting. It’s not going to turn out very well, especially in terms of the look and getting it to attach properly.
Whatever the case, it’s time to bust out your box cutters and start stripping away the old carpeting on the cat tree, or to start unwinding the sisal rope that’s seen better days.
Something that is very important to do while you are removing the old carpeting is to keep track of the materials you are removing; take note of the size of the pieces you are taking off and where they were located.
Doing this will allow you to gauge how much new carpeting you will need to buy, the size and amount of pieces you will need to cut from the new carpet, and where you will need to attach it. If you forget to do this, it’s going to take longer when it comes time to put the carpet back on.
Step 2: Choose the new carpet
Now, it is time to select the new carpeting that you wish to attach to the cat tree. Do keep in mind that carpet, especially high-quality carpeting, is very durable and should last for a long time, but it also tends to be pretty thick and somewhat difficult to work with.
You can also choose to go with fabric, but this won’t last nearly as long as carpet. Sisal rope is a good alternative to carpet as well, seeing as it is durable, inexpensive, and easy to work with. However, today’s article is all about how to attach carpet to a cat tree, so we are going to assume that you chose carpet.
Now that you have selected the right carpet, use your box cutters and your scissors to cut it down to size. Remember in step 1, where we told you to keep track of the size and amount of carpet pieces you cut off the cat tree, as well as where those pieces came from?
This is where that step comes in handy. Here, you want to take your new carpet and cut it down to size to match the old carpeting which you took off. This will eliminate the need to guess the size of the carpet pieces you are looking to cut for your cat tree.
Step 3: Attach the carpet to the cat tree
Now that you have cut all carpet pieces to size, it is time to attach them to the cat tree. This can be somewhat difficult depending on the material which the cat tree is made out of, but it should be doable with a staple gun. You can use either a heavy-duty staple gun with carpenter’s staples, or you can try going the hammer and nail route.
If you only have hammer and nails, it will work just fine, as staple guns are a bit costly, but that said, the staple gun is going to be much easier to work with. Depending on the frame material of the cat tree, you might end up destroying the frame with a hammer and nails.
Ok, so now you have the carpeting firmly stapled to your cat tree. The only thing left to do here is to make sure that it is safe for your cat to use without fear of injury. Make sure that all carpeting is 100% secure, so that your cat cannot get hung up on the edges.
Even more important, you need to ensure that there are absolutely no loose staples or nails protruding from anywhere at all, as this can be extremely dangerous for your kitty. There you have it, now your cat tree should be looking brand new and ready to be torn apart all over again!
Conclusion
As you can see, attaching carpet to a cat tree is really quite easy. Just make sure to do it right and ensure that there are no loose nails or staples, because you don’t want to end up injuring your cat with a DIY cat tree.
