Hi,
The brown carpets in my 84 are in good shape except on the back. Every time I fold them back pieces of the dark gray latex? back coating comes off with some tan fiber material.
My question is can anyone think of a flexible coating I could apply to the back of my carpets to seal and somewhat restore the backing (which is about 90% intact). I've thought about trunk liner but that may be too stiff.
Thanks
Dave McK.

 

I'm going to try Plastidip spray. I'll let you know how it works.
Dave

 

Strip the remaining foam from the mats. You can't expect glue or plastik-grip or undercoating on top of rotting foam to stay on there an better than the foam is doing on its own. Once the old foam has been stripped off and the rug has been thoroughly brushed and vacuumed clean, you can glue it to some plastic carpet runner from Home Depot, the plastic stuff with the little plastic finger spikes sticking out. The spikes keep the mat from sliding on your carpets, something the foam never seemed to be that good at even when it was new. Cut the runner an inch smaller than the mat, and the mat will lay down nicely at the edges. Use super weatherstrip adhesive, contact cement, or spray 90 adhesive. --Follow the directions on the adhesive can!--

 

Thanks. Bob, I was unclear. The carpets I'm having trouble with are the factory floor carpets not floor mats. I like your idea of gluing it to a backing sheet and I may pursue that. I will definitely remove the loose and degraded backing material before I do anything.
Dave

 

You may want to go visit a fabric supply store, and find something that will replace the backing foam. Upholstery places sell a thin foam that has a fabric layer glued on, typiacally intended for sew-through applications like door panels and such. You can glue the foam side to the back of your carpet and let the fabric layer take the physical abuse. The stuff is very flexible so it will roll over contours well, and it will accept glue well without tearing apart.