VELCRO Brand says its hooks catch onto loops, and its FAQ warns the hook side can grab things it shouldn’t, like a blanket or your hair. It doesn’t list which felts, fleeces or carpets its hooks grab on their own. To put a fastener onto fabric, it points you to its sew-on fasteners and its Sticky Back for Fabrics, not its general sticky-back ones.
How the hook side grabs
VELCRO Brand’s Hook and Loop 101 page says the fastener works by interlocking tiny hooks on one side with loops on the other, an idea taken from burdock burrs. Its story is that George de Mestral noticed the burrs stuck to his dog’s fur, and its blog says burrs cling easily to fabrics. The rough side is the hook; the soft, fuzzy side is the loop.
Its FAQ says the hooks are made to grab, so the hook side should stay covered, or it can catch on a blanket or your hair. It says to close the hook and loop before washing, and to clean debris out of the hooks with a stiff brush or another piece of hook.
VELCRO Brand doesn’t publish a list of felts, fleeces or carpets its hook side will grab without a loop side. We’d press the hook side onto a scrap of your fabric and tug before relying on it.
Putting a fastener onto fabric
| Product | On fabric | What VELCRO Brand adds |
|---|---|---|
| Sew On Tape | Sewn on; “Reliable closure for denim, wool, canvas and other heavy fabrics” | Machine washable and dry cleanable; close the fastener when laundering |
| Sticky Back for Fabrics | Sticks to cloth, cotton, polyester, poly blends and nylon | For lightweight fabric; on canvas and denim, wash results may vary, so test first; wait 24 hours before using or washing |
| Sticky Back Dots for Crafting | Can go on fabric or felt, but the bond is weaker than on smooth surfaces | Its care note says not recommended for fabrics |
| Sticky Back Dots | “Aren’t made for felt or fabrics” | Points you to Sticky Back for Fabrics Ovals |
| Sticky Back Tape | Not recommended on fabric | Points you to its fabric line |
| Industrial Strength Tape | Not recommended for fabric | Its FAQ answer calls these heavy-duty fasteners |
| Extreme Lock fasteners | Not recommended for sofa cushions | Many cushion fabrics are treated with coatings that resist adhesive bonding |
From each product’s page on velcro.com. VELCRO Brand’s FAQ says its sew-on fasteners suit fabric and that it doesn’t recommend its adhesive-backed products for fabric; Sticky Back for Fabrics is its adhesive product made for fabric.
Sticky Back for Fabrics isn’t for sewing: VELCRO Brand says the glue will make your needle gloopy, and suggests Sew On Tape if you want to stitch. It also says Sticky Back for Fabrics isn’t for hanging objects.
Rugs and carpet
A 2015 post on VELCRO Brand’s blog keeps a rug from shifting by putting one side of a Sticky Back fastener on the underside of the rug and the other on top of the rug pad. Its 2022 post hangs a rug on a wall a different way: staple the rug to a strip of wood, put the loop tape on the wood and the hook tape on the wall.
Where VELCRO Brand’s pages disagree
- Felt: the Sticky Back Dots for Crafting page says you can use them on felt with a weaker bond, while the general Sticky Back Dots page says they aren’t made for felt.
- Rugs: the 2015 rug post uses Sticky Back fasteners on the rug, while the Sticky Back pages say not recommended for fabrics and the FAQ doesn’t recommend adhesive-backed products for fabric.
- Industrial Strength: its tape page lists preventing rugs from slipping as a use, and its circles page says they can stop a rug from sliding; both pages also say not recommended for fabrics. Neither says which side of the rug the fastener goes on.
Sticking hook and loop to a wall instead?
Self-adhesive Velcro