Free Unbiased Carpet and Flooring Information
Carpet and Padding Cost?
Carpet Prices and Longevity
Your biggest hurdle as a homeowner is to correctly match up your needs, goals and lifestyle with your budget and then factor in how long you want your carpet to last. It sounds easy, but it's not. I'm going to help you make sense of all the Carpet Confusion so you can make wise and informed choices. Learn about Carpet Specifications
What Grade of Carpet Should I Buy?
Buying new carpet is a lot like buying a new car. Everyone knows that you need to do your automotive homework long before you set foot inside a new car dealership.
There are plenty of well-known websites geared toward helping consumers make wise and informed choices on new and used car purchases. But CARPET buyers beware!
Buying New Carpet is much more difficult than buying a new or used car. Why? There is no regulation in the industry and there is no Carpet Blue Book to use to your advantage.
Every Carpet Dealer is free to charge as much as they want for materials and labor. And in addition to making it hard to select the right carpet for you, many carpet dealers also make it very difficult for you to comparison shop by withholding key product information. Take my free Carpet Foot Traffic Test to see what Grade of Carpet you need for your home.
Basic Carpet Longevity
Many factors come into play when trying to figure out how long any Carpet might last. Here are some of the key reasons that affect how long a carpet will last and how durable it will be:
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The fiber type and style, tuft twist, density rating, pile height.
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How much foot traffic in the home, number of children, pets, teens.
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How well it is maintained, regular vacuuming, periodic cleaning etc.
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How well it is installed (properly stretched in, good seams)
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What padding is selected, type, thickness and density.
Depending on these 5 factors, here is a basic guideline for how long you might expect a carpet to last with moderate to heavy foot traffic:
(Cost per square yard)
Carpet Pad Labor Total Longevity
$15 $4 $5 $24 3 to 5 years
$20 $4 $6 $30 5 to 8 years
$25 $5 $6 $36 8 to 10 years
$30 $5 $7 $42 10 to 12 years
$35 $5 $7 $47 10 to 15 years
$40+ $6 $8 $54+ 15 to 20+ years
Again, these are just rough estimates.
Learn more about Carpet Padding
Padding and labor charges typically increase with higher quality carpet. You must be sure the padding you select is capable to last as long as the carpet and meets the carpet manufacturer's guidelines. It is more difficult to install heavier carpets and labor prices will increase accordingly. Learn about Carpet Installation Fees and Charges
Patterned and Looped Berber Carpet styles are typically more expensive to install. Installing carpet on stairs usually has an additional labor charge per stair.
Carpets with Private Labels
Unscrupulous carpet dealers and manufacturers remove, hide or alter key carpet information to prevent you from making wise choices. They will change the names on the labels, they remove the important manufacturing specifications and they will hide all the basic product information you need to be able to comparison shop.
They do this to prevent you from comparison shopping at other stores. How do you overcome this problem? More about Carpet Specifications
Homeowners need honest and accurate Carpet advice.
Are you surfing the internet for honest and accurate carpet information? Just like you, I search the internet looking for one source of complete, honest and accurate carpet buying information. It's not out there. Only on my website are you able to learn the truth and the whole truth.
Trust me when I say that practically all carpet websites I find don't tell you the whole truth. They will tell you THEIR version of the truth. It's a limited version that purposely omits any negative or unpleasant information about their products. They highlight all the positive aspects but leave out all the down and dirty truths that you as a consumer really need to know. Read more about Carpet Scams
Every Carpet Salesperson Has An Opinion!
All Carpet dealers are in business to sell carpet and many are honest and reputable. But even in the Best Carpet Stores some carpet salespeople will say just about anything to earn your business, even if what they have to say is totally WRONG!
Some salespeople are very hungry, some are new to the business, some used to sell used cars and may try to use tricky sales tactics to get you to buy today! Maybe they sold copiers or maybe they used to flip burgers at a fast food restaurant, you just never know.
That's why you have to always be on guard and never blindly trust any salesperson's advice until you have a chance to verify the information or advice you have been given.
My Quote for the Day...
"Just because they work for a Carpet or Flooring store does not mean they are qualified to give you advice about choosing the right carpet for your home!"
The truth is, a surprising number of carpet salespeople have limited product experience beyond the manufacturers advertising brochure. This means they really don't know how to advise you properly.
New hires rarely have first-hand carpet experience. They probably have never installed any carpet or flooring products. They usually have some sales experience with other consumer products or services. Should you trust their advice? Should you believe everything they tell you? I think you should be very cautious and take your time making your choices and finalizing your decisions. Print my free Carpet Shopping Form
Newly hired carpet salespeople don't want you to know that they are new or inexperienced so they may advise you based what they have read in manufacturers brochures or may have overheard other salespeople advising other customers. Some salespeople will just show you samples based on "what you can afford" whether or not they are able to meet your needs, goals, or lifestyle. In this scenario, you will get what you pay for and you will not be happy. Your carpet selection shouldn't suffer due to a salesperson's lack of experience, their lack of product knowledge or their lack of concern for your needs and goals.
Beyond The Cost of Carpet
Carpet is a major homeowner expense and you cannot afford to make ANY mistakes. If you need to save up more money to be able to afford the right grade or quality then do. Another option is to do your project in two or more stages. You could replace the main living room area first, then do the bedrooms, stairs and hallway later. Don't settle for a lower grade of carpet, you won't be happy with the outcome.
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