Carpeting Tips and Pricing

Choosing a well priced carpet for your home can be a very hard task considering the wide variety of factors that determine carpet price. Quality, size of the room and design of the carpet among other factors highly influence pricing. It is important to note that different qualities and styles of carpets attract different prices per square foot.

On average, a normal carpet would cost around $2.25 for every foot squared. There are cheaper carpets that range from $1-$4 for every foot squared. As the quality of the carpet increases, the price also increases. Some Luxurious carpets can be sold for as much as $8 and $10 for an area of one square foot. Low quality carpets such as the nylon carpet are normally sold at around $1 while Berber carpets can cost up to $4 for every foot squared. Other factors affecting carpet prices per square foot include padding and installation charges which would amount to around a dollar per square foot depending on the retail store. Some stores have gone ahead and included these charges in the total price of the carpet.

There is no predetermined way to determine the cost efficiency of carpet but as a universal principle, any carpet, with the exception of outdoor carpet, should give at least 5 years of the best performance for every dollar invested in the carpet.

It is important to measure the length and width of your rooms before you buy a carpet so as to ensure you get the right dimensions cut from the carpet roll. This will reduce inconveniences. Note that if you cut a shorter carpet, you will have to go back to the retailer to have another smaller carpet cut for the remaining space. Installing this smaller piece in the space that was left will make your room to look clumsy.

Carpet prices can vary by quite a bit and that means consumers must do good research before they buy anything to make sure they are getting a good deal. Sometimes it is hard to tell if you are comparing identical products. One brown Berber carpet looks just like the next one but the prices can be drastically different. This may be because one carpet is graded higher than the other but this is something that is hard to tell by just looking at it. Consumers are advised to ask about the density rating, also called the APYD value.

Anything less than 4,000 APYD will not last very long. For reference, most commercial carpet has an APYD of 6,000 or even more. This rating will greatly factor into the total price of the carpet. The lower the number, the cheaper the carpet and the less durable it will be.

The quality of the backing will also influence carpet prices. A thin backing will allow the fibers to shed when you vacuum the carpet. A higher quality carpet will have a thick backing and the fibers will be tightly woven. Tuft density refers to the number of stitches used per inch. More stitches will used in a higher density carpet.

The quality of the padding will also make a different in the price of carpet. The better quality the padding is, the longer the carpet will last. When comparing prices, analyze the quality of the padding to make sure you are getting a good deal.

Once you have reviewed the various options, choose the type of carpet and padding you want to purchase. If you are having trouble finding exactly what you want, look for the words ‘or equal to’ in the specifications. This is a good way to identify grades that are similar.

Whether looking for outdoor carpet tiles or carpet for your living room, keep in mind that patience and proper expectations are critical to getting a product you’re happy with. Also remember that when shopping online, since carpet is extremely heavy, shipping costs may outweigh the savings you find through an online retailer.