Carpet Installation Cost - Carpet
installer labor prices
© Alan
Fletcher - Carpet Expert & Consumer Advocate
I have over
30 years experience in the carpet business and I have personally installed
thousands of yards of carpet of every type, style and color. If you want to
know how much it's going to cost to hire an independent carpet installer you
have come to the right place.
Hiring a Carpet Installer
As with any
trade, some carpet installers are not worth hiring. In fact, the good
installers are
the hardest to find. They have a busy schedule due to their
word-of-mouth reputation. These professionals don't need to advertise in
order to keep busy, so the only way you can find them may only be through someone
who knows them or who has hired them in the past. You might ask your friends,
relatives or co-workers who they would recommend. Even if an installer comes
highly
recommended, it does not mean the installer is qualified to install your
type of carpet for your type of application.
Local retail
carpet stores generally will not allow you to hire their installers unless
you buy the carpet from them. Carpet retailers often have a difficult time
finding and keeping good installers because the best installers are busy
enough due to their good reputation alone, and don’t need or even want to work
for a retail carpet store. Many carpet stores make a profit on top the
standard
installation fee.
Certified Carpet
installers are a good option and their are website that you can visit that
have lists of certified installers. One source is the CFI Certified
Flooring Installer. You can call the CFI office for a
recommendation at (816) 231-4646
There may be a
Carpet Layer's Union in your city. They charge by the hour not by the size
of the job or by the yard. Check your local listings.
Carpet
Installation Cost
How much does it cost
to have carpet installed? What can you expect to pay for extra services? Here
is what you need to know... There are a lot of variables that homeowners need to
consider before the question of carpet installation cost can be accurately
answered. There are many different fees and charges you may encounter all
depending on your home and the type of carpet you select.
Installing Carpet
On Stairs
For example, if
you have a flight of stairs that need to be carpeted you can expect a minimum
charge of $75 to $125 for the flight of stairs. That is in addition the the price per
square yard to install the carpet. Some installers charge by the stair and if
you have spindles from a handrail the cost can be as much as $15 per
stair. A basic set of "box" stairs might cost you an additional $3
per step. Wrapped stairs require installing carpet over the side of the
stairs on one or both sides, increasing the installation cost per stair. Looped Berber carpets are always more costly to install due to the
added difficulty in cutting and seaming, so if you have an elaborate staircase
requiring major upholstery work AND you are installing a looped Berber
carpet - the cost can be much much higher.
Out with the
old...
Tear out and haul
away of your old carpet and padding is another charge you may encounter. Some
installers charge as much as $3 per yard to take up your old carpet and
padding. There may also be a dump fee that you must pay in addition to that.
Some homeowners try to save money by removing their old carpet and padding
themselves prior to the carpet installers arriving to install the new carpet.
Unless you are physically fit and have some basic hand tools you might want to
reconsider. It's hard work and you can easily hurt yourself if you are not
very careful. If you decide to do this yourself it's important that the jobsite be clean, all furniture moved out, swept out
and ready to go before the installers arrive arrive.
Carpet
Installation - Extra Fees and Charges
Other carpet
installation prices, charges and fees that can add up in a hurry is for floor
preparation. If you have squeaky floors and want the installers to screw down
the subfloor there will be added costs. If the old tackless strips are worn
out, rusty or damaged they will need to be replaced. If you need new metal
transitions there may be added costs depending on what type of transitions you
require and the amount of lineal feet you need.
Cost by the
square foot or by the square yard?
Some say it is
easier to figure the cost if you use the square foot method. For decades it
was always figured by the square yard - but nowadays it can go either way.
There are 9 square feet in 1 square yard, so 900 square feet is the same as
100 square yards. If you multiply the square yards by 9 you get the square
feet. If you divide the square feet by 9 you get the square yards. Most two
bedroom homes require 80 to 100 yards. That's about 1000 square feet.
The Cost to
Install Carpet depends on the grade of carpet you
buy, the area you live in, the experience level of the installer and the size
of your job. Most installers have a minimum fee of at least $100, so if you
just have a small room to do you can't calculate the cost using the amount of
square feet you have. On the other hand, if you have a huge job you might be
able to negotiate a better deal. Installers often like doing bigger jobs
because they can make more money faster doing one big job than by doing a
bunch of small jobs.
How to Measure for Carpet in 4 Simple Steps
How much should
YOU pay for carpet installation?
In the southern
states like Florida, Alabama, Texas and Mississippi the price carpet
installers charge is considerable less than in the northern states. Prices per
square yard range from $2.50 to $6.50 nationwide with higher prices in the
northeastern states and along the west coast. There is no way to give you
the going rate in your area so you have to call around and ask a few
installers what they charge. They are going to want answers to specific
questions so be prepared to answer these:
-
How many
yards of carpet?
-
What type or
style of carpet?
-
Do you have
stairs?
-
Is there
furniture moving?
-
Is there
tear out of the old?
-
Have you
ordered the carpet?
-
Is the
carpet in stock?
-
Who did you
buy it from?
-
Where is the
carpet located?
-
What is the
order number?
-
Where is the
padding located?
Scheduling - You
want it installed WHEN???
Most carpet
installers will not schedule your exact install date until AFTER your new
roll of carpet has arrived from the mill. Arrival dates are never to be
trusted and it is common for a roll of carpet to arrive weeks later than
originally expected. Delays or problems in manufacturing or bad weather can
easily delay the arrival of your new carpet.
Basic Carpet
Installer Pricing
Here is a
breakdown of carpet installation fees for a typical three bedroom home with
one flight of stairs with 100 yards of carpet
installed over padding. The installers are going to remove the old carpet
and padding and haul it away. There will be 28 feet of new metal thresholds
installed between the carpeted areas and the vinyl areas at the kitchen,
baths and laundry rooms. Some of the tackless strips are damaged and need to
be replaced. There are several large pieces of furniture to be moved.
-
Install
100 yards of new carpet and pad @ 4.50 per
yard
$450.00
-
Tear
out 100 yards of old carpet and pad @ 2.00 per
yard
$200.00
-
28
feet of new metal @ $3 per
foot
$ 84.00
-
One
flight of stairs @
$125.00
$125.00
-
Haul
away and dump fee @
$100.00
$100.00
-
Remove
40 feet of damaged tackless and install new @ 1.00 per
foot $ 40.00
-
Furniture
moving: 6 large items @ $20 per
item
$120.00
Total cost for
carpet
installation
$ 1119.00
Free Carpet
Installation Gimmick
Now here is the
interesting part. If you were to fall for one of those "Free Basic
Carpet Installation" gimmicks that you hear about on television, you
would be hit with an additional fee of $669.00 because none of the charges
shown above in blue would be covered under their definition of a
"basic" carpet installation.
They won't tell
you about all the extra fees and charges that are not covered under the
definition of a basic installation until the installer shows up at your door
and starts adding up all the extra work that he finds. The installer is free
to charge you whatever he wants for the extra work and duties that your job
requires. Be prepared to write a check for the additional amount due before
they begin installing your new carpet.
Protect yourself
from lawsuits
It's important
that you check your carpet installer's references and check to make sure the
carpet installer you hire is licensed with your state contracting
agency if required. Check to make sure he has a surety bond if required
by your state and also check to make sure he has current business liability
insurance.
See if your
state has licensing requirements for carpet installers. All State Contractor License Requirements
You will want to
ask that his insurance company put your name and jobsite address as an add on
to his policy and mail you a copy prior to the actual installation This is as
simple as having him call his insurance agent and asking for a
"rider" to be issued to you. They can fax it or email it to you as
well as send it via snail mail to the jobsite address. This insurance rider
may help protect you from being sued should the installer hurt himself while
working on your property.
Seek
professional legal advice!
You may not be
protected from a lawsuit if the installer pays his help under the table and
does not pay for their workman's compensation insurance premiums. You could
end up in a lawsuit if the installers helper were to injure himself while
working on your property. You might want to ask to see the workman's
compensation insurance policy or insurance card and make sure that anyone who
works on your property is included and fully covered on that policy. Is that
policy up to date and have the premiums been paid? Please note: I do not offer
or provide any legal advice whatsoever and you should seek out professional
legal advice and speak to your homeowners insurance agent to make sure you are
fully covered if you hire subcontractors to work on your property.
More Information:
Next
page...
Alan's
List of Preferred Carpet Dealers
It's
getting harder to find a reputable carpet dealer these days! That's why
I've created a special hand-picked list of over 350 locally-owned Carpet
Dealers who offer Free estimates, Fair prices, Knowledgeable staff, Honest
measuring and Qualified installers!
See
who I recommend Near You!
