Cost of new fitted carpet

danrv

Hi
I’m just fitting new skirting board in my decorated lounge and will soon be looking at a new carpet. Room size is 3.5m x 4m.
It’s a concrete floor with thermoplastic tiles. Gripper rods and possibly new underlay will be needed.
I’ve done most of the prep so it’s a case of going to a carpet supplier/fitter but was wondering about the costs. 
Any help appreciated,

greensalad

I just had a room fitted that was 2.9m x 3.5m. They did new underlay and gripper strips and laid the carpet in under 30 minutes. One doorway otherwise simple job. Cost was £84 for the installation (I supplied the carpet and underlay and gave away the old carpet).

ka7e

I would get the room professionally measured - carpet is stretched to the grippers, but you need enough to tuck under the skirting board for a proper finish. Choosing 3.5m of a 4m wide carpet might leave you just a few mm short. You might need to buy 4.25m x 4m to get the allowance. Fitting is usually the cheapest thing, and the price of carpet and underlay is very much a question of "how long is a piece of string?". I would recommend an action-backed/hessian carpet with a decent underlay if your lounge is a medium/heavy traffic area. I've used onlinecarpets.co.uk and found them well-priced - you can order free samples and delivery is free if your order is over £150.

danrv

ka7e said:

carpet is stretched to the grippers, but you need enough to tuck under the skirting board for a proper finish. 

Thanks for the reply.
Skirting is resting on the floor. Only gaps are where the tiles have broken away so the fitters will probably use a bit of levelling compound here.

GDB2222

danrv said:

ka7e said:

carpet is stretched to the grippers, but you need enough to tuck under the skirting board for a proper finish. 

Thanks for the reply.
Skirting is resting on the floor. Only gaps are where the tiles have broken away so the fitters will probably use a bit of levelling compound here.

How long does levelling compound take to set? You may be making this into a two trip job for the fitters. Any reason not to fill that yourself? 

FaceHead

danrv said:

ka7e said:

carpet is stretched to the grippers, but you need enough to tuck under the skirting board for a proper finish. 

Thanks for the reply.
Skirting is resting on the floor. Only gaps are where the tiles have broken away so the fitters will probably use a bit of levelling compound here.

I wouldn't expect the carpet fitter to come in and self level out broken bits - unless it's paid for in the job. Self level would then need to cure.

I'd except them to fit underlay and carpet, which might give you a dodgy but there, but at least it's not in the middle of the room. Ideally self level it yourself - it doesn't need to be great if it'll be under carpet, and then they aren't sitting around waiting for it to cure. 

Agree with being careful on the measurements - I've always meansured and ordered carpet for the wall-to-wall dimensions, which gives you the bit that needs to go under the skirting. If you have a laser measure (my £10 one is fine) it generally makes measuring the ordering fool proof. 

greensalad

Doesn't self-levelling compound take a day to cure, and sometimes need a top-up? Definitely worth DIY on that. 

Annoying that the room is 4m! You could buy a 5m carpet if you have any intentions to carpet elsewhere (like inside a cupboard?) that could use up the additional metre or so. And then you'd definitely have enough to fill the room.

danrv

greensalad said:

Doesn't self-levelling compound take a day to cure, and sometimes need a top-up? Definitely worth DIY on that. 

Annoying that the room is 4m! You could buy a 5m carpet if you have any intentions to carpet elsewhere (like inside a cupboard?) that could use up the additional metre or so. And then you'd definitely have enough to fill the room.

I could fill the gaps in the tiles myself to save time and money.
I may be able to use the offcut but was under the impression that if all was prepared and ready, a local supplier could measure up and fit.
I have a Glasswells nearby so can see the samples.

FreeBear

ka7e said: I would get the room professionally measured - carpet is stretched to the grippers, but you need enough to tuck under the skirting board for a proper finish.

Usually, gripper rods are fixed to the floor leaving a gap of 6-10mm for the carpet to be tucked down in to (see pic below). One does not normally leave a gap under the skirting - Perhaps you are getting confused with laminate installation ?

daveyjp

14 sq m of carpet could be £100 fitted, it could be £1,000.  All depends on the underlay and carpet chosen.

It is the sort of size where you may pick up a cheap roll end as carpet is usually 4 or 5m wide.

greensalad

danrv said:

greensalad said:

Doesn't self-levelling compound take a day to cure, and sometimes need a top-up? Definitely worth DIY on that. 

Annoying that the room is 4m! You could buy a 5m carpet if you have any intentions to carpet elsewhere (like inside a cupboard?) that could use up the additional metre or so. And then you'd definitely have enough to fill the room.

I could fill the gaps in the tiles myself to save time and money.
I may be able to use the offcut but was under the impression that if all was prepared and ready, a local supplier could measure up and fit.
I have a Glasswells nearby so can see the samples.

Yes they definitely can measure up and fit. The issue is that carpet is sold in 4m & 5m. If your room is exactly 4m wide, then you may find yourself short as others have stated, you usually need a little extra to tuck. So a 4m width might be too small and you might need to buy the 5m. A reputable fitter will be able to tell you (plus check your room is actually 4m, not 4.1m or 3.9m). Personally I'd always buy extra so you have some in case you need to patch in at a later date. I ordered 30cm longer than needed and have kept hold of that piece. 

How much the carpet actually costs is entirely down to your preference. As others have said, you can spend little or loads. I purchased mine from Carpets & More which was recommended by my MIL and absolutely love it. I thought I was a snob and needed wool carpet (I'm a knitter so wool is important to me!) but ended up going with a 100% nylon (Vivendi Vibes) and absolutely adore it. It's £25 p/m. So something that price in a room like yours would be £350. Plus maybe £100 for fitting?

One of the big costs is removal of the old carpet. If it's not totally knackered see if you can Freecycle it. If it is knackered, ask your fitter if they can cut it in half for you and you can take it to the tip yourself and save hundreds off your quote (they have to pay commercial dumping rates). I was able to give away my carpet for free as it was still in OK condition.