www.StephAbegg.com - Rope Rug How To

Making a rope rug with your old climbing ropes

This page gives step-by-step instructions of how to make a spiral-style rope rug from your old climbing ropes. There are also some photos of examples of rope rugs I have created. This is my favorite way to retire a climbing rope.

Materials you need

Old rope or ropes (60 m of rope will make a rope rug that is approximately 3 feet in diameter, but I usually use a couple of rope colors and make a slightly bigger and prettier rug; also, I've created rugs where the ropes have different diameters and that seems to be okay)
Some sort of adhesive, like Liquid Nails (3 tubes for a 60m rope; clear adhesive may be best in case any leaks through the cracks, but I've always used white adhesive)
Caulking gun (to apply adhesive)
Duct tape (large roll for a rug made with a 60m rope)
Knife (to cut rope or adhesive container tips)
Lighter (for burning rope ends if you use more than one rope)
Newspaper (to protect surface below rug when using adhesive)
Something to spread liquid nails with (for example, a plastic container top you'll throw away works just fine)

This photo shows everything I needed to make the rope rug. Except of course the rope(s).

Ropes ready to go for some spiraling fun.

Step-By-Step process to make a rope rug

Step 1

30 min to several hours.....

Play around with different designs until you find one you like. The possibilities can be somewhat endless here if you have multiple ropes you want to incorporate.

Burn any cut ends of rope so they don't fray.

Make sure that the rope spirals are neat and snug.

In Example 1, the blue rope is a 60m 10mm rope and the pink rope is perhaps 20m. The final rug is about 4-feet in diameter. In Example 2, the purple rope is a 50m 11mm and the final rope (with some additional rope spiraled in) is about 4-feet in diameter.

Example 1

Example 2

Step 2

< 30 min

Put newspaper below the rug to protect the surface below. If you've made the spirals neat and snug, adhesive should not make its way to the main surface of the rug.

Cover the rope in adhesive. This will be the underside of the rug. I apply the adhesive and then spread it on with something flat (like a plastic lid as shown in photo).

It is okay to have some spots with a low amount of adhesive, but make sure that the outer edge of the rug is nicely bonded, as the outer edge is the most likely to be pulled loose over time.

In the pictured example representing a 4-foot rug, I used three containers of liquid nails to cover the back of rug.

Make sure no curious pets are running around at this point.

Step 3

< 30 min

Cover the adhesive side of the rug with duct tape. I have always begun the duct tape process immediately after finishing smearing on the adhesive, so I don't wait for the adhesive to dry.

I usually start by taping the edges and then work around in pie shapes. Trim the tape at the edge of the rug if needed.

It is important to fully cover the rope with duct tape as this will protect any surface below the rug from the adhesive, which becomes rough when it dries.

In the pictured example representing a 4-foot rug, I used half a large roll of duct tape to cover the back of the rug.

More than halfway taped up.

I like to tape the edges first. I feel this makes them stronger.

Notice I didn't use the full roll of duct tape. But this was a large roll. A small roll of duct tape would not be enough for a full 60m rope.

Step 4

~5 sec

Flip and admire!

I always flip it while the adhesive is still drying, out of impatience to see the final result and also I figure the weight of the rug will help bond the duct tape to the adhesive.

Example 1 end result. Pretty.

Example 2 end result. Pretty.

Gallery of some other rope rugs i've made

This was the first rope rug I ever made. The blue rope was the first climbing rope I bought, in 2006. The orange rope is one that caught my fall when I broke my leg in a rockfall accident in 2010.

I always did like the color pink.

Three different colors. This rug is about 5 feet in diameter. An interesting story about this rope is that just after I put the adhesive on it, someone who was visiting me walked right over it. Needless to say, it was a royal mess...adhesive everywhere. I still mostly salvaged the rug. We laugh about the episode now.

You can make an oval rug if you start with a long strip of rope down the center.

My friend Scott gave me a blue rope and red rope and asked for an oval rope rug. I also had an old grey rope waiting for some colorful ropes to pair with. I made Scott two rugs. This was one of them.

My friend Scott gave me a blue rope and red rope and asked for an oval rope rug. I also had a piece of purple rope I had collected out of a crack on a climb (the party had gotten their rope stuck and cut their rope). I made Scott two rugs. This was one of them.

Another oval. Doormat size.

Three different ropes spiraled. These ropes all have different diameters too (10.2, 9.4, 8.0) and it works just fine.

Two colors spiraled. Note how I started this rope at the middle rather than the end of the green rope. Also note how the end of the pink rope is much cleaner than the other part, which is typical since this part is often attached to the harness and not getting dragged through the dirt.

Example 1 end result.

Example 2 end result.

I usually just let a rope rug form as I make it. But when I set about making my biggest rug yet using three different ropes (pink, blue, and green) I did a quick work-up in Photoshop. I went with....

....the option in the lower left. My cat Newt approves.

I often keep the original end on the rope, if it's still there. It makes a cool centerpoint to the rug.

I often keep the original end on the rope, if it's still there. It makes a cool endpoint to the rug as well.

Coasters make great presents!

I like to eat directly out of the pot off the stove, so this placemat is useful for protecting my table from the hot pot. Coffee mug for scale.

A rope placemat. Plate for scale.