Carpet buying tips

adamzetec

So I need to carpet my lounge, stairs, hallway, bedroom and spare bedroom. It's not a particularly big house and the area comes in at around 50sqm. I am replacing old carpet on the stairs, hallway and spare bedroom and horrible cheap laminate forum in the bedroom and lounge.

I'm not looking for anything out of the ordinary but I would like the same carpet throughout for consistency. I'd like something reasonably hard wearing, something nice to walk on but not a ridiculously thick pile so it flattens and a neutral colour. You'd think it would be easy? Wrong.

All of the places I have been to (local independant places and mobile fitters) show me something slightly different from different manufacturers or ranges, I have no way to check check to make sure I am getting a good price.

In addition, they want to charge me £6-7sqm for the equivalent of Cloud 9 which I can get at under £3sqm from trade price. They have said they'd charge me extra to fit it (£2sqm seems to be the going rate) or fit it myself (doesn't look hard but I want a good job done so the carpet comes out nicely).

So, where do I begin? I'm feel like going around in circles and getting absolutely nowhere.

Hintza

Local independent shop. We have just paid £30/m2 (laid) for a good quality 80:20 55oz carpet. Bought the best underlay I could find online at just over £3m2. Carpet shop didn't hit me extra for laying this.

I might add Carpetright quoted me £8m2 for their underlay, that is when I realised they were ripping me off.

adamzetec

Hintza wrote: »

Local independent shop. We have just paid £30/m2 (laid) for a good quality 80:20 55oz carpet. Bought the best underlay I could find online at just over £3m2. Carpet shop didn't hit me extra for laying this.

I might add Carpetright quoted me £8m2 for their underlay, that is when I realised they were ripping me off.

I'd like to use Cloud 9 from trade priced but the common answer is that there is no profit in it when they are not supplying it themselves. I feel like I'm being taken advantage of a bit and I don't see why I should pay through the nose.

My budget is around £15-£20sqm and I'm not expecting the quality of yours. I just want something midrange which looks better than the floorboards and chipboard I currently have

Chunks

Went down the new carpet route about a year ago and my experience mirrored yours, largely. Generally speaking, I found that carpet was competitively prices whereas the underlay was hugely over-priced. On having a frank discussion with the store manager, he admitted that his main margin was in the underlay (for the carpet I had in mind). I haggled hard and got a good price overall.

I have gripper rod/track (the 'old' stuff was perfectly servicable). I took up the old covering and got rid, ready for the new to go in. If you can get the carpet you want at the right price (got to be a buyers market I would have thought) I personally would say even the most novice of DIYers could install the underlay (if you have something similiar to mine, it's a snap, I watched the guys do it). Getting a good quality underlay (as posted) need not cost the earth and the overall 'feel' of the carpet underfoot is better. The 'art' comes in cutting and fitting the carpet and you can get them to do that.

fotokat66

I'm in a similar position, went to a carpet shop today and got a quote for everything, although now just bought gripper and underlay online for just less than half the price. Just wondering about fitting - it's a fairly standard 4m x 3m room (only 'cut' out of the rectangle is for a boarded over fireplace). The carpet shop have quoted £78 for fitting. Is it worth phoning elsewhere?

karatepet

I would shop around,1 would normally charge around £40 a room your size 4mx3m

Dognobs

My mate owns a trade flooring place so I get cloud 9 from him and gripper and door tracks he can't compete on carpets from carpet right for price. I buy it and then leave it there until I want it all carpets will fold and go into a car just unfold it when you get home. I lay all the underlay myself and use gaffa tape on the joints. I use a local fitter for the carpet and keep his number charged £40 for a large frount room.