What's your definition of 'cheap' carpet?

boombap

They can suck their teeth all they like as long as they don't spit anything out onto my beatiful new carpet!

At the risk of sounding like Columbo....just one more thing...

Errata, in a previous post you mentioned that you should tip the fitters. Now I'm not what I'd call a stingy person - I always tip in restaurants and at the hairdressers etc - but I didn't expect to have to tip the fitter.

What's the general consensus for tipping tradesmen?

Thanks!

S.

Errata

You'll be appreciating the good job the fitters did for many years to come. Long after you've forgotten what you ate and possibly lost your hair

I expect you tip in the region of 10% in a restaurant, but it's common for the tip not to go to the people who served you. And 10% at the hairdressers for something that last a few weeks ?

I wouldn't suggest a tip of 10% of the final carpet adventure bill; I would - and do - give each carpet fitter a fiver; but I'm on a limited retirement income, and perhaps you're not.

boombap

Me, the OP, here again,

I thought I'd post a follow up to this thread...

Got the carpet fitted yesterday and I'm extremely happy with it

We ended up paying just over £1400 which included underlay, fitting and gripper rods in some of the rooms. The total floor space was about 135 square metres and took the fitters about four hours to do the whole house.

If anyone's in the Chester/north Wales/Merseyside area then I fully recommend 'The Carpet Company' - based in Birkenhead but with shops also in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough.

Thanks again for your input all,

S.

broonbear

the average customer thinks that putting down the gripper can save them money, it doesn't. if a fitter charges you say £30 for fitting thats for laying u-lay gripper and fitting, he won't take £3 off for the gripper being down, but he will charge you for lifting the gripper thats been put down wrongly and doing it properly

boombap

Good point Broon.

I'd heard various tales about the 'big name' carpet shops charging daft prices like £2.50 a metre for grippers so I'd planned on saving money by trying to fit them myself.

Thankfully the shop I bought mine from only charged £1 for a five foot piece fitted which was good enough for me. Ok, I could have bought gripper rods a fair bit cheaper from ScrewFix but when I factored into the time it would have taken for me to fit them it just wasn't worth it.

S.

Josepina

The big question is did you tip them?
I'm getting carpet fitted soon but I've never tipped tradesmen. I work for the NHS and sometimes patients give us choccies but we don't get tipped.
Anyway good thread

mahoney

Great thread all, thanks. I'm just about to embark on doing the floors in my newly bought house. I've decided on wood everywhere downstairs - including hallway. Wood also in the study upstairs. The rest will be carpet. I'll carpet the stairs - wouldn't have minded a runner up the middle tbh, but that would mean sanding and varnishing every step too, and we have lots of jobs to do in the new house too, so for now I'll put a carpet on the stairs.

I didn't think carpet fitters could be not so good...In the rental place where I am now a new carpet was put down - the landlord is so tight he wouldn't have spent much on a fitter and it looks fine. Anyway, I like the idea of cream carpet on the stairs to contrast with the wood in the hallway, but I'm sure it would get so dirty. Interesting to see that some of you use Vax for cleaning. Do they really work? I'll probably have to invest in one of those after buying the new carpet.

I thought about wood upstairs initially, but decided it would be noisy upstairs with wood? Plus I think it's quite nice to be able to walk around in the bedroom bare foot without getting cold in winter.

Any ideas for a carpet colour which isn't too dark, doesn't show up bits (don't want to be hoovering every day and doesn't show up dirt too much either Or is this carpet impossible?