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Q. Does this price sound reasonable for Kathy
Ireland brand carpet?
I
am installing a DriCore sub-floor system in the 1,200 SF basement of my newly
constructed home. The basement will serve as a family room & play area for
my family which includes 2 children under the age of 5 and a declawed (front
& back) cat. I have been looking for a good quality frieze carpet to put
over the sub-floor. I have received a quote of $4.17 per square foot installed on the
Kathy Ireland carpet listed below. I have had carpet installed from these folks
before and have been very pleased with the installed carpet and the
professionalism of their carpet installers. The carpet installation is $.44/SF. The carpet pad
is an 8 lb. 7/16" rebond made from virgin materials which costs $.50/SF.
This leaves the cost of carpet only at $3.23/SF. Does
this price range sound reasonable for the style listed below? The carpet sample
from the store does not have any information on pile twist, density, face wt.,
etc.
Response:
This is excellent carpet and may be just
right for you. Kathy Ireland is a brand name carpet and thus is higher priced
than other non-branded carpets. However, $5000+ is a lot to spend on 133 yards
of carpet! I think you can do it for about $4200 or less and still get the high
quality you are after, if you choose a less famous brand name.
The labor cost is reasonable, but I think
the padding price is a little high. Wholesale on 7/16', 8lb. rebond pad is about
$2,
and $3.50-4.00 would be the norm. They are charging you $4.50. Pad prices have
been on the rise, so this may become a more common price.
My advice: If you want to save some money
here's what you can do: Select a non- branded carpet instead. Sure, Kathy
Ireland has great colors and some that cannot be matched, but take the carpet
sample, and shop at some other stores and see if you can find a comparable
carpet to the one you are considering now. You should be able to find a
comparable carpet for about $20-24.00 range. Padding cost should be $4 or
less. Labor is about right at $4.00
Since you have two young children, and
children spill a lot, you may want to consider a lesser grade of carpet and plan
to re-carpet in 5 to 10 years. Many people do this because in a few years the
children will not be as hard on the carpets and spills and stains will not be
such an issue. No carpet warranty covers all types of stains. Either way you go,
a nylon frieze is a good choice for you.
Nylon Carpet Test? Is there a simple test to see if a carpet if Nylon or Polyester?
A. There are no simple tests that I am aware of to quickly determine Nylon from Polyester.
Nylon is stronger and more resilient than polyester but you would have to
have a reference point in order to quickly identify them. Polyester is
softer than nylon and there is also a difference in the melting point of the
fiber. I am sure that a
chemist would know a way to test these, but for consumers, it is not easy to
tell the difference with the naked eye. Great question! Thanks!
Stinky Carpet?
I’ve just installed Mohawk wall-to-wall carpet throughout my home. I do not have the paperwork with me as I write this, but I remember it is a new type
of carpet that resists pet problems more than any other type, and the pad is the standard type. The problem is a very strong odor has developed within 2
days of the install. The odor resembles mildew...as if someone left wet towels piled up. Every room smells and it seems to be getting stronger
every day. Now 5 days later, we have moved to a motel while the carpet people contact a rep from Mohawk and determine what the problem may be.
They say they have never experienced this. Any ideas?
Response:
One of my most important rule for consumers for making a major purchase, (car,
appliance, carpet) is to never buy a product that has just been released to
the public. I always wait until all the bugs have been ironed out and make
sure that the product has stood the test of time. In this case, it sounds like
you have purchased Mohawk's newly released Odor Eaters Carpet. Now, while I do
not know what the smell is, I would be willing to make an educated guess that
it has something to do with a reaction between the Odor Eater chemicals, and
the type of padding you have used. I am very interested in knowing what the
carpet rep has to say. Please keep me informed! Read
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Looking
for a Reputable Carpet Retailer?
Looking
for a Reputable carpet retailer? I've
been compiling a list of Reputable Carpet Dealers for a long time. The list
is grows every week. If you do not find a carpet dealer listed near you, I
invite you to trust me to locate a reputable dealer near you. It may take me
a few days to find a retailer that meets my requirements. If you want to
suggest a carpet retailer for my list, I would like to know the name and
address of the carpet dealer and a contact name if possible.
