Considerations When Shopping For Carpet

Just like any other consumer product, the cost of floor covering depends on the product’s purpose, quality, and demand. Unless you root out an incredible deal on shipping and handling, for the most part, due to the weight of the item, you should buy your carpeting at a nearby location.

How much does carpet usually cost? The really inexpensive variety can cost as little as $2 per 12×12 square, and those seeking luxury can shell out more than $100 for a square yard, or just under $10 per square foot. On average, carpet and padding can be installed for anywhere from $19 to $38 for nine square feet. The actual final cost is calculated from the quality of the materials plus the cost of installation.

For brainstorming purposes, consider a room that is 144 square feet, or 12 feet by 12 feet. To start, we’ll need to change square feet to square yards, which is the way most carpeting is measured. Get out your calculator or a pencil and paper! Divide the number of square feet, in our case 144, by 9. This gives us a converted measurement of 16 square yards. Multiply this number by the lowest average price for carpeting, $19 per square yard, to get a final amount of $304. In this scenario, it will cost us just about $300 to carpet our room, but keep in mind that we are envisioning taking the cheapest option.

The next step is to take your measurements (and your calculator) to local carpet shops and start checking out prices. Ask a clerk about the cost of padding and installation right away. Is it included? This will dramatically impact your final cost. In other words, don’t just budget the carpet by itself. You’ll need to factor in the price of padding, installation, and removal of old carpeting, too.

Typically, you can plan to spend about $3 or $4 per square yard, and if you’re planning on getting rid of old carpet, another $1 per square yard to have it torn out and removed. If you are particularly industrious, you can save money by ripping out the old carpet and padding on your own, but it is often worth the money to have a professional take care of the whole process.

In sum, the steps to successful carpet buying are: accurately measuring the space you want to cover, deciding the class and quality of material would best fit that space, pricing the materials using the formula above, and deciding if you want to do a little work yourself or have professionals take care of all or part of the project.

Any home improvement task can often be daunting. What you want and what you can afford are not always a match. Finding great carpet prices is just like anything else, you get what you pay for. In terms of carpeting, arm yourself with the facts before you head to the store. See what floor covering and carpet price fits your budget for the space you want to redo, then head out and get the best price and beautify your home!