Indoor/Outdoor Carpet Glue

I've used a standard Arrow  staple gun with (I think) 5/16" staples to hold it down.

-Dave

I like the staple method.  Have the carpet cut a few inches larger than the table top and fold it over the edges, then staple to the underside of the table for a nice, clean, look.

JGL

I've used double sided tape and molding around the edges. The screws used for the track will hold it down as good as anything else. I let mine lie on the layout for a few days prior to installing track to flatten out.

Thanks for the replies. Interesting staples are the popular choice - they are for me. I've long used staples (but can't seem to find the right replacements for my "dated" staple gun)

With staples, I was stapling around the edge as well as one or two stretches down the middle. Once screwing the track down with Gargraves track screws, and screwing a few other things down, I'd regularly find "bubbles" in the carpet. Not totally noticeable unless you touched it or pressed on it but it annoyed me. Plus, if I needed to pull a tree or telephone poll up, which I use Velcro to secure to the carpet, it could pull the carpet into a bubble. This is why I wanted to give glue a shot.

I used liquid nails on a couple of my layouts in the past and it worked great.  The carpet adhered to the plywood extremely well and I never had a problem with the carpet detaching from the layout base even though I never stabled it. 

Ah, I see the issue with wanting glue to keep from having bubbles.  On that I would suggest a cheap, simple, solution, as long as you never want to separate the carpet from the wood again;  Elmer's yellow wood glue.  It is thin enough that it will soak up into the carpet backing and the carpet will never go anywhere again.  

JGL

SJC,

    If you use the right Inside/Outside Carpet on 3/4 Ply you do not need any glue at all, just a few staples here and there, the trick is to tightly secure the edge of the Inside/Outside Carpet on the edge of the 3/4 Ply using staples.  I even put the Inside/Outside Carpet right over the acoustical ceiling tile, on my 1st level and never have  a bubble problem, the trick is really the good finished 3/4 Ply platform top.

PCRR/Dave

I've used a product by 3M, called General Purpose 45 spray adhesive. It is an aerosol spray, and it works well. I used it to attach carpet to my Christmas tree platform, and it has held up for the last 15 years. On my permanent layout, I used it to attach felt to any 2x4 surface that contacts the floor, to protect the floor surface.

I covered my plywood sections with astroturf carpet before putting them on the platform.  I simply stretched the carpet over the plywood like a canvas on a picture frame.  I stapled it to the backside of the plywood with "chisel" point staples.  Start the first side in the middle and stretch and staple it out to each end of that side.  Then do the other side starting with the middle and working to the ends.  Then the adjacent sides.  Trim and staple the corners which will be a little thicker than the sides.  I never used any glue.  I have moved / re-used these sections of plywood as needed.  The screws from the track will cause the tubular track ties to clamp the carpet down fairly snug.  Great thing is you have instant grass and no drilled holes showing.  Bad news is you may have to find the screw holes from the bottom of the board and poke a wire or pipe cleaner through to locate it on the top.

I used Elmers general purpose Spray Glue for my last layout.  Work fine. When I tore the layout down, the carpet peeled off easily.

Got a plan...we'll see how it works. I'm going to put a light coat of gray paint down on the table top and then followed up by the grey carpet. Hopefully it won't be a problem. 

For the wood glue - tried that but it bled through. Glad I tried a small test area. The carpet I use is a very think gray carpet for marine purposes. Not thick or anything like the astro-turf stuff. I like the gray color over the green. 

Thanks all for the tips, now if only I could find staples that fit my staple gun!