Originally Posted: May 2022
Updated: December 2023

Rug-Making Methods, Materials & Procedures

Round Spiral Rugs
Oval Spiral Rugs

Affiliate Disclosure: The following text may contain affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something I’ve linked to, I might get a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Be assured, though, that I mention only items that I routinely use or would recommend to a friend.

Introduction

Any climber who has been engaged in the sport for a decade or more probably owns an old rope that has been retired from active duty.  Maybe it’s a thick cragging rope, or a mid-size alpine rope, or even a skinny glacier rope.  In any case, you no longer trust the rope to hold a fall, but it still holds a lot of good memories.  I owned several such ropes: One was an orange 11-mm “fattie” that started life as a 60-meter cragging rope but got shortened to 50 meters or so after suffering some rockfall damage.  Another was a blue 10.5-mm “sportie” that measured a full 60 meters long. A third one was a 35-meter scramble rope. All of these had served me well through many years of climbs, rappels, and lowerings, but I hadn’t used them in years. Not wanting to just throw them out, I decided to make some rope rugs.

Methods & Shapes

A little internet research revealed two primary methods for making a rope rug.  One method involves a relatively complex braiding pattern that results in a rectangular or oblong rug.  The other method involves a relatively simple spiral pattern that results in a circular or oval rug.  I chose the spiral method because it seemed more appropriate for my limited craft skills, and I liked the fact that the finished rug lies completely flat, which makes it easy to vacuum.  

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Because I had three ropes available, I elected to make one round spiral rope rug and two oval spiral rope rugs. For the oval rugs, one was large and slightly elongated, whereas the other was smaller and more distinctly elongated. There are various materials and procedures that can be used to create spiral rope rugs, and the procedure for round spirals is slightly different than for oval spirals. The specific materials and procedures that I used to construct the three rugs are described below.

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Spiral Rug Materials and Preparation

Rope:  Pretty much any size and length of rope can be utilized for a spiral rug.  For my round rug, I used an 11-mm by 50-meter rope, which is relatively thick but short, and it resulted in a finished rug diameter of 34 inches.  For my large oval rug, I used a 10.5-mm by 60-meter rope, which is fairly conventional, and it resulted in a finished rug measuring 40 inches long by 28 inches wide. For my small oval rug, I used a 10.5-mm by 35-meter rope, which is relatively short, and it resulted in a finished rug measuring 34 inches long by 17 inches wide. Obviously, in all cases, a thinner rope would create a smaller rug, and a longer rope would create a larger rug. 

Backing:  My spiral rug method involved gluing the rope to a backing fabric, and for this purpose I chose a laminated vinyl upholstery material (commonly referred to as Naugahyde) from a fabric store.  The outer surface is very slick but provides a surprisingly slip-resistant interface with smooth wood or tile floors. The inner surface is fuzzy and provides a good bond with glue.  If you intend to use the rug only on a carpeted floor, then any sturdy woven fabric, such as canvas or sailcloth, could be used instead.

Glue:  There are numerous brands of adhesive that could be used to glue the rope onto the backing fabric. I prefer Loctite Power Grab All-Purpose or Heavy-Duty construction adhesive, which can be purchased from most hardware stores. It is applied with a caulking gun, and clean-up requires only soap and water (avoid adhesives that require strong solvents for clean-up). For each of my larger rugs, I ended up using approximately one-and-a-half to two full tubes of adhesive. The small rug needed only one tube.

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Washing:  Because most old climbing ropes are pretty dirty, start by washing your rug rope.  An easy way to do this is to gather the rope into a daisy chain and then loosely wrap the chain around the central agitator of your top-loading washer (or simply place it into your front-loading washer).  Set the machine on a “regular” or “heavy duty” wash cycle and add a generous amount of detergent (any laundry detergent is fine; there is no need to buy a special rope wash).  If the rope is really dirty, send it through two wash cycles. When done washing, lay the rope out to dry for several days.

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End Trimming: If either end of your rope is frizzy or funky, cut it off to create a clean end. The ideal way to cut a rope is to use a hot-blade cutter, but most of us don’t have one of those; instead, we will need to use a sharp knife to cut and a cigarette lighter or match to fuse the fibers. Tip: Before cutting, wrap a few turns of electrical tape around the rope, as this will help keep the fibers tightly together.

Procedure for Making a Round Spiral Rope Rug

Step 1:  Thick climbing ropes tend to be somewhat stiff, so it is usually necessary to stitch together the first few coils.  Begin by cutting the end of the rope at a 45-degree angle so that you can make one very tight coil, then stitch it with a few turns of thread or dental floss that pass through the rope’s outer sheath.  Next, create a couple more coils and stitch them together.  The goal is to use just enough stitches to maintain several tight coils.  Don’t worry about making the stitches look good; they will be hidden underneath the finished rug.

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Step 2:  Place your backing fabric on a hard floor, large table, or other flat working surface.  Spread a layer of glue onto the center of your backing fabric and then press the initial rope coils onto the glue. The remainder of the rope should be flaked out to allow pulling it without tangles.

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Step 3:  Put down a bead of glue around the perimeter of the initial coils and then make another full coil with the rope.  Firmly press the new coil down and into the previous coil.  Repeat this process of putting down a glue bead and making a tight rope coil until you either reach the end of the rope or come to the edge of the backing fabric.

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Step 4:  For a nice finish, cut off the end of the rope at a 45-degree angle and fuse it with a lighter or match, then glue the beveled end firmly against the previous coil.  Step back and let the glue dry for a day or two.

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Step 5:  Once the glue has dried, use scissors to coarsely cut around the perimeter of the rug.  You don’t need to create a clean edge; just cut off the bulk of the excess backing fabric.

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Step 6:  Carefully cut around the perimeter of the rug again to trim off the ragged edge of the backing fabric.  For this fine trimming, I found it advantageous to let the rug slightly overhang a tabletop so that I could angle my scissors underneath the rope coil. 

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Step 7:  Place your new rope rug on the floor and enjoy! Or think of another use. For example, I’m using mine as a decorative table topper.

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Procedure for Making an Oval Spiral Rope Rug

Step 1:  Thick climbing ropes tend to be somewhat stiff, so it is usually necessary to incorporate a slug, or spacer segment, into the center of the rug. This slug consists of a short segment cut from either end of the rope. The length of the slug is important because it will dictate the length-to-width ratio of the finished rug. For my large rug, I used a 13-inch slug, which resulted in a 40-inch by 28-inch oval with my 60-meter rope. For my small rug, I used a 20-inch slug, which resulted in a 34-inch by 17-inch oval with my 35-meter rope. If you want a less-elongated oval, use a shorter slug; if you want a more-elongated oval, use a longer slug. In all cases, be sure to fuse all cut ends using a lighter or match.

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Step 2: Place your slug on a table and wrap the climbing rope around it tightly, being careful to match up the rope’s end with the slug’s end. One-and-a-half full wraps, as shown in the photos below, should be adequate. Next, stitch the rope wraps onto the slug, using several turns of thread that pass through the rope’s outer sheath.  The goal is to use just enough stitches to maintain a tight wrap.  Don’t worry about making the stitches look good; they will be hidden underneath the finished rug.

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Step 3:  Place your backing fabric on a hard floor, large table, or other flat working surface.  Spread a layer of glue onto the center of your backing fabric and then press the initial rope wraps onto the glue. The remainder of the rope should be flaked out to allow pulling it without tangles.

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Step 4:  Put down a bead of glue around the perimeter of the initial wraps and then make another full wrap with the rope.  Firmly press the new wrap down and into the previous wrap.  Repeat this process of putting down a glue bead and making a tight rope wrap until you either reach the end of the rope or come to the edge of the backing fabric.

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Step 5:  Finish the end of the rope by cutting it at a 45-degree angle and fusing it with a lighter or match, then glue the beveled end firmly against the previous wrap.  Step back and let the glue dry for a day or two.

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Step 6:  Once the glue has dried, use scissors to coarsely cut around the perimeter of the rug.  You don’t need to create a clean edge; just cut off the bulk of the excess backing fabric.

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Step 7:  Carefully cut around the perimeter of the rug again to trim off the ragged edge of the backing fabric.  For this fine trimming, I found it advantageous to let the rug slightly overhang a tabletop so that I could angle my scissors underneath the rope coil. 

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Step 8:  Place your new rope rug on the floor and enjoy! Or think of other uses. For example, I’m using my large oval as a front door mat, and using my small oval as a fireplace hearth mat.

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Moab Rug-Making Clinic

In November 2023, I gave a rope-rug-making clinic at the American Alpine Club’s annual Craggin’ Classic weekend event in Moab, Utah. Our enthusiastic group of climbers made eight rugs of different sizes, shapes, and colors. It was a lot of fun and we all learned a lot. Click to enlarge the photos below…

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