Carpet fitting

MaisieD

I'm looking for a new carpet for my living room. I cant believe the prices carpetright charge and our local place isnt much better. I've seen thick carpet fairly cheap, less than £100 for the whole room. Is this something I could get my hubby to fit or is it always better to get a professional fitter in? I cant find a local independent fitter either.ive searched online and noone seems to fit carpets unless you're buying from a store and use their fitters.

Ebe_Scrooge

Hmm, a good question. Personally I'm pretty adept when it comes to most DIY jobs, but carpet fitting is one thing that I always leave to the professionals. There's a definite skill to it, not least the need to stretch it just the right amount to prevent wrinkles forming later on. Yes, you can buy carpet stretchers and attempt the job yourself, but unless you've had a fair bit of experience I'd be tempted to say let a professional do it.

Are you sure you can't find a fitter locally ? Ask friends, neighbours, local community Facebook page ? Almost all carpet fitters are self-employed anyway, they just get given the jobs from the carpet shop - there are very few, if any, carpet shops that actually employ their own full-time fitters.

Gastines3

Amazed it seems a problem to get any trades these days. If you advised gripper and underlay down,old carpet lifted and room empty of furniture,it sounds like a 15 minute job. If door wants easing for thicker carpet,make that 25minutes.

fifthofwhisky

I'd always leave it to a professional to get a better outcome. If you mess up it could be an expensive mistake.

There are several sites like CheckaTrade, MyBuilder, etc. where you can post your job/requirements. I found a local carpet fitter this way and he was cheaper than the fitters supplied by Carpetright (though I have to say I've used their fitters before and they did a good job).

cattie

You get what you pay for with carpets & I certainly wouldn't go with a cheapie for the lounge. The important things with carpet is the content, ie; 80/20 wool twist & the actual weight of the carpet is also key. A 40, 50 or 60 oz carpet is perfect for rooms with heavy use & for stairs, whereas a 30 or 40 oz is fine for bedrooms. They certainly won't be looking like an old dish rag after just a few months as cheap carpets often don

The other crucial thing for getting the best from a carpet is the underlay, buy the best you can as it will reap benefits. You can really tell the difference when you walk on it. Remember the saying, buy cheap, buy twice.

You should be able to find a local carpet fitter by searching the National Association of Carpet Fitters. I found a semi retired master carpet fitter who lived close to me via the site & he did a brilliant job & was very reasonable. He was perfectly fine with me sourcing my own carpet, underlay & all fitting accessories.
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