Dos and Don’ts of Buying Carpet

DO buy the best pad you can. While it’s tempting to skip on something you won’t see, good padding saves wear and tear on your carpet. It absorbs the impact of foot traffic so the carpet doesn’t have to. Good quality padding will feel more comfortable to walk on and helps your carpet look better for a longer period of time.

DON’T assume carpets are the same because they look the same. One trick of the trade is that some manufacturers will make the same carpet in different grades. For example, they will make a cheaper grade of the same carpets to sell in discount type stores by skimping on the amount of fiber they put into the carpet. Make sure you check the ounce weight of the carpet as well as the warranties to ensure you’re comparing apples to apples.

DO have your carpet professionally installed. While a well-meaning relative, or a friend of a friend may offer to install for you, if you find a flaw in the carpet after it’s installed, or they make a mistake, you won’t have a recourse to have your carpet replaced or fixed.

DON’T fall for the gimmicks. While “free” or $99 installation sounds tempting, no one works for free. Notice that these ads always require you to buy padding? The price is usually tacked on to the padding, which is priced at as much as 33% more than it should really be priced at. In most cases you are also charged an “assessment fee” (measuring), tack strip, seam tape, staples and more, which is usually included in other stores’ installations.

DO buy the right carpet for your lifestyle. Pets or kids? Ask about a carpet with stain warranties, or the new waterproof backed carpet that will make clean ups so much easier.

- Wing Thiele, Co-Owner & Certified Interior Decorator