How Much Does Carpet Installation Cost? If you are looking to find out how much it costs to install new carpet I have all the answers you need.
Carpet Installation Prices and Fees
In different parts of the country, the price for carpet installation may be higher or lower depending on the supply and demand. In our current down economy 2021, there are a lot more hungry carpet installers out there looking for work.
This is good news for those consumers who have money to spend on home renovations and are willing to do a little legwork to find a qualified carpet installer and negotiate a good deal.
I bet you can negotiate as much as 30% off their normal carpet installation charge, especially if you are willing to pay them in cash at the end of the day.
Don’t leave yet! Make sure your carpet is installed right the first time! Learn how to do a complete walk-through with your installer right after your new carpet is installed and before you pay the final bill. Print out and use my Carpet Installation Inspection Checklist.
Carpet Installation Cost Increases for 2022:
Carpet installation prices are on the rise as inflation is causing a much higher cost of living and supply line delays have caused increased shipping costs for most products and materials, including carpet.
Currently, you can expect to pay at least $3.50 per yard for simple carpet installation in the southern states and $6.50 to $8.50 per yard in the northern states. I expect these prices to rise in the coming months.
Expect longer wait times for your carpet to be manufactured and to arrive from the mill. Lately the wait time for some homeowners has been as longer than 2 months. You can’t schedule your carpet installation date until after your carpet has been delivered.
Getting the job done right, regardless of cost.
The main thing you want to be sure of, is that the carpet installers use a power-stretcher to install your carpet. Gone are the days where a simple knee-kicker will do the trick unless you’re installing cheap carpet in a very small room on a very hot day.
All Carpet installed over padding must be be stretched in properly. The only way to ensure this is to use a power-stretcher. Ask every carpet installer if they use a power stretcher before you hire them.
If they say they don’t use a power-stretcher, then find an installer that does! Your carpet could lose half of its intended lifespan if not stretched in properly. What Causes Carpets to Develop Wrinkles?
Cheapest Carpet Installation Prices?
In the southern states, there is much more competition among installers and carpet installation prices are generally much lower. For example, in Miami, Florida you can get carpet installed for about $2.50 per yard. I’m not saying it would be a qualified install, but there are plenty of hungry people in the area willing to work very hard for little money.
Making sure your carpet installer is qualified is up to you. Don’t assume that every carpet installer is qualified to install your carpet. In fact, I believe that less than 35% of all carpet installers are properly trained. How to find a qualified Carpet Installer
State license requirements for Carpet Installers
How Much Does Carpet Installation Cost? The States with the lowest carpet installation costs have typically been in southern states like Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and southern California. Other southern states like Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Arkansas and Southern Arizona have fairly inexpensive carpet labor and installation costs.
I am not suggesting you go for the lowest installation price, in fact, getting your carpet installed properly is extremely important if you want your carpet to last as long as it was intended.
The northern states have the highest carpet installation prices which includes Northern California, Oregon, Washington State and the Northeastern States including New York, Ohio, Illinois, West Virginia, and Connecticut.
I find that Midwest States have their share of hungry installers too, especially in Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri, Kansas, Idaho, Utah and Nebraska.
Some Carpet Retailers Pad Installation Costs.
Some carpet retailers choose make additional profits by padding the installation charges, often adding as much as 25% to the total installation cost. I feel this is an unfair charge to the consumer.
Carpet retailers already make a fair and reasonable profit from the carpet and pad. Charging more for installation costs is unwarranted and unethical in my opinion.
If your carpet retailer has higher than usual installation costs, you might want to shop around to see if other nearby carpet stores have lower and more reasonable installation prices.
Beyond Basic Carpet Installation
Some carpet dealers offer specials on carpet installation. Some of these specials are too good to be true. Free carpet installation sounds good when you hear about it, but in the end, is it really as good as it sounds?
The basic carpet installation offered by the big box warehouse stores do not include any extras. If your carpet installation job needs any extras, then you may find that the final bill for your carpet install is much higher than you expect. Are Carpet installation specials from Lowe’s and Home Depot really a good deal?
Installing Carpet On Stairs
It’s the unexpected extra fees and charges that can add up in a hurry if you’re not careful. Installing carpet on stairs will almost always demand an additional charge.
Depending on the type of stairs you have it will cost anywhere from $5 per stair for a simple standard size box step to more than $25 per stair for an oversized double-wrapped, pie-shaped spiral staircase with spindles using a looped Berber style carpet with a pattern match.
The longer it takes to upholster a step the more it will cost. The standard simple flight of stairs will usually cost at least $125 in addition to the normal cost of carpet installation.
Unexpected Carpet Installation Costs.
Removing the old carpet and padding.
Tear out of the old carpet and padding can be anywhere from fifty cents per yard to $3.00 per yard. They may also try to add on a dump fee of $10 to $50 depending on how much old carpet and pad you have.
A good carpet team of three can remove 100 yards of carpet and pad in less than an hour. I think $2.00 per yard is more than enough to remove the old carpet and padding and haul it away.
Most carpet retailers have a dumpster available onsite for their installers to use. I don’t think a dump fee of more than $10 is a fair charge unless they don’t have a dumpster and they have to take the old carpet to the landfill or recycling center.
Installing New Tack-less Strips.
New construction will require that new tack strips must be installed. It is easier to install on wood than on concrete. The fee for wood might be an additional 25 or 75 cents per yard.
The fee for installing tack strips over concrete might be an additional $1 per yard. In existing homes with damages tack strips that need to be replaced, it should be about $2.00 per each four foot section.
Some installers charge by the hour to do any work that is preliminary to the installation. In this case, It’s usually about $50 per hour (per person). This includes moving furniture, sealing floors and doing any floor repairs.
Transitions
Carpet will meet other flooring types and must have a transition of some type. Examples are: Carpet to vinyl, carpet to hardwoods, carpet to vinyl tiles, and carpet to ceramic tiles are some of the possibilities.
Transitions can be made of wood, metal, rubber or plastic. Each transition is available in different quality levels and depending on the application, the correct transition must be used to ensure a long life without failing.
The cost of transitions vary widely and should be discussed with your carpet estimator/retailer before the final bid / estimate is drawn up.
- The cheapest gold or silver colored transitions are generally priced at $1-$2 per foot.
- A rubber transition in a utilitarian application should cost about $3-$5 per foot.
- A transition of finished hardwood can easily cost $5 to $20 per foot.
- Brass or other specialized transitions can be quite costly.
Thresholds are another story. If your front of back door is in need of a new threshold, plan on spending at least $50 for a new one. Usually these are made of aluminum and have to be cut to fit.
If you want a snazzy threshold made of a finished hardwood, expect to pay much more. Installing a new threshold is not always a quick and easy job and may require expert finish-contractor abilities.
Trimming Doors
If your new carpet and padding is higher than the last carpet installed in your home, your doors may need to be trimmed at the bottom to keep them from rubbing.
If your installer is qualified and well equipped to do this, then the charge can be anywhere from $10 per door to $50 per door depending on what your doors are made of. Trimming the bottom of doors is not a job for the inexperienced. It is not easy to do correctly and it is easy to ruin a door if it is not done properly.
You can’t just run a skill-saw or jigsaw along the bottom of a door and expect it to look nice when you are done. Some woods like pine or mahogany will easily splinter and fray on the backside and end up looking horrible unless you take steps to keep this from happening.
Again, depending on what your doors are made of will determine how to trim your doors without damaging them. If in doubt, call in a professional carpenter.
If you want more information about carpet installation costs or how to find a qualified carpet installer please visit my Free carpet information website
State license requirements for Carpet Installers
It’s hard to find an honest and reputable carpet store these days! That’s why I created my own special hand-picked list of locally-owned carpet and flooring stores. They give free estimates, offer fair prices, have knowledgeable staff, provide honest measuring and use qualified installers. Are there any Recommended Carpet Stores Near Me?
Carpet Selection and Buying Guide 2023 