When you go into a carpet store or search online for carpet, it’s really nice to know where to start based on how the carpet is priced per square foot. Some places price by the square yard, but we’ll show you how to calculate for either.

Here’s a great way to go about purchasing carpet. First, establish your budget. Let’s say your budget is $1,800. The next thing you need to do is get an accurate measurement of how much carpet you’re going to need. The best way is to create a rudimentary diagram of the area to be carpeted, including closets, inlets, etc.  You can either come up with the measurements yourself, or have someone come out to perform an estimate and obtain the amount of carpet needed per square foot that way. There’s some things to consider when purchasing carpet. One is the way carpet is manufactured and that the linear process. The pile, which we discussed in finding great carpet prices , leans in one direction, the way it was manufactured. If you’ve ever seen carpet where the seam is visible or the carpet appears to be two different colors, that may be because the lean of the carpet was installed in the opposite direction at the seem or adjacent room. Light will reflect off the carpet in a different fashion based on the direction of the lean.

Most carpet comes in 12′, 13’6″, and 15′ widths. Most residential carpets you’ll find come in 12′. When measuring your room for square footage, you’ll want to take into consideration for the widths past the carpet width. For instance, a 10′ x 10′ room (take 10×10) equals 100 sq feet. But you can’t just purchase 100 sq feet of carpet if it is 12′ wide. That won’t be enough. 100 Square Feet of carpet from a 12′ roll will not be enough, it will be too short and you would have to piece end the end with the excess which is NOT the way to do it. See my diagram below and it will make sense:

Carpet Prices Per Square Foot

Once you calculate the area, you obviously have to convert it to square feet and in some cases square yards. To do this, simply take the width x length. So if your room is 13 x 8, you’re square footage is 104 Sq. Feet. To calculate square yards, simply divide your square footage by 9. 104/9 = 11.555 or 11.6 square yards.

Now, armed with amount of carpet you need, you’re ready to go shopping. You’ll now be able to calculate what the carpet will cost you to stay within your budget of $1,800 we established earlier. But in order to really get an idea, you’ll have to calculate in carpet installation prices and padding. A good rule or general amount to add to the price per square foot is $1 for installation and padding. In order to get your best estimate possible, you reall need to get an average, or find the lowest price available in your area for installation and padding. Then add this to your base carpet price to begin with.

One of the best ways to save on the price of carpet installation, is know someone who installs carpet or do it yourself. You can find carpet for decent price, like carpet remnants, if you really try hard. But then you’re right back up into higher prices if you pay a ton for installation. One way to find carpet installers, is to ask the place where you’re purchasing the carpet. They might not like doing this, because they surely want you to use their installers and get their own cut. But it is possible to contact these installers directly and work a deal out with them.

According to AllFloors.com, “The number one cause of consumer dissatisfaction with flooring performance and appearance is poor installation.” So it may be best to think about saving money on the carpet, but make sure you get quality installation. Poor installation can cause ridges and edges that pull away from tack strips.

Carpet installation prices are generally around $3-4 a square yard. Add onto that around .50 a square yard for removal of old carpet and another .50 for padding installation. While it may be easier to just choose a “one stop shop” for carpet, pad, removal, and installation, it might be worth checking into your best options.

The best way to get the best price, is get as many different bids and quotes as possible. Try some with the carpet store doing the carpet and installation and removal cost all together. See what they would charge for just the carpet and pad by itself. We even found that one carpet company would allow us to use their dumpsters to dispose of the carpet if we wanted to tear it out ourselves and use them for installation. We thought that was a pretty good gesture since we had considered removing it ourselves but weren’t quite sure how to get rid of it. They really seemed to anticipate what we were thinking. Good customer service. Although their bid for carpet, pad, and installation was our first and seemed a bit high, we’re still in the process of working through the other bids. So we’ll keep you posted on how that turns out.

Carpet installation and pricing is pretty much like anything else. You get what you pay for and there are no free lunches. We’ve found the best advice came from friends and families and their referrals for carpet companies they’ve used. Remember, if you go cheap on the carpet or pad, it will wear out faster. How much you are willing or budgeted to spend on carpet and installation may also be depending on what you’re purpose of carpeting is. Are you simply getting the house ready to sell? It’s no secret that most people get some of the cheapest carpet prices they can find before selling. And most people when looking at a house will think, “we can get better looking carpet later.” With that said, you’d think it would make sense to just skip adding new carpet and opt for a carpet allowance written into the contract. We considered that. But if you really want to sell your house, you can bet the other house down the street for sale has new carpet and looks good! So it’s still worth it to put in new carpet for showing a house.

Just like everything else, the cost of installing carpet varies by company and installer. Just look for someone that has credentials and treats you well. The best installers for price and services most generally come through referals.

So what will carpet prices run? Carpet price varies from as low as $2 per square foot for the cheap stuff to as high as over $100 per square yard for custom luxury carpet. Think about it this way, you can generally get carpet installed and padded for between $19 to $38 per square yard. Well that’s a pretty big difference you say. Obviously this depends on the quality of many things like the padding and carpet. Carpet price also depends on what the company is charging to install it. This is just a carpet pricing idea to help you get started.

To get an idea, measure your room, let’s say it’s 12 foot long by 12 foot wide (12×12).

We’re going to determine the carpet price by using a formula. Most carpeting is measure in square yards, so we’re going to need to convert square feet into square yards. You might want a calculator. So our room is 12×12 = 144 sq feet. To get square yards, we divide that number by 9. So our square yards needed to get carpet pricing would be 144 / 9 = 16 Sq. Yards. Now take 16 times our lowest carpet amount of $19 a square yard and you get 16 x 19 = $304. So our 12×12 room will cost roughly $300 to carpet with the cheapest carpet (or close to that).

The best thing is to just try and come up with how many square feet and yards you’re going to need. Take your calculator with you to your nearest carpet store and start pricing. You’ll want to probably ask up front, before you start pricing carpet, what they charge for standard padding and installation. This will need to be added onto the price of the carpet alone.

On average, carpet installation prices will range between $3 and $4 a square yard. Throw another $1 on there per square yard for disposal and laying the new padding. As you can see, new carpet pricing can add up quickly. The carpet is only one thing you have to pay for, throw in padding, installation, tearing out and disposing and it can add up fast. Some people may consider tearing out the carpet themselves, which a lot of people do, myself included. This can save you some on the carpeting prices, but other times its just nice to have someone take care of everything. Not to mention you have to get rid of the old carpet. Our last carpet installation company actually let us dump our old carpet in their dumpsters which was nice.

There are so many factors that go into carpet price. Here’s the best approach to take.

First, get an accurate measurement of the area you’re wanting to carpet.
Second, figure out what type and quality of carpet do you want.
Third, price the carpet using the formula we talked about above.
Firth, figure out of you want to do the tear out yourself or hire someone to do it.

In some cases concerning the price of carpet, you may be able to get a better carpet if you sacrifice on something like padding. But also make sure you’re aware of the manufacturers warranty. Sometimes having the wrong padding will void the carpets warranty. You may also save by tearing out the old carpet yourself, thus allowing you to get a better quality carpet.

Have all of these things and information in mind when you go about pricing carpet. With this information, you’ll know what to expect.

After you’ve made the choice to purchase new carpet and are looking at carpet pricing, it’s best to use intuition and common sense on most carpet choices. Think about what you’re expecting from the carpet in terms of wear, use, traffic, stain-resistance, durability, etc. For example, a large traffic area between the back door and kitchen would most likely warrant a more durable fiber and or stain resistant carpet. The prices for such carpet will obviously be determined on the brand and quality. Some people even consider getting cheaper carpet, that can be more affordable to replace later, for such high traffic areas. Again, use common sense and shop around for deals. Carpet remnants may also be a good choice for such areas.

Some Different Things to Consider Besides Price

Besides price, you’ll want to think about durability and composition. Whether your want to spent a lot on something like wool, or are looking for reasonable carpet prices on synthetic fibers like nylon, there’s much more that go into the price then quality of the fibers themselves. Fibers available are polyester, nylon, olefin, wool, or acrylic. Due to its durability, nylon is the most commonly sold. However, think about what you’re trying to accomplish with the purchase, you may be changing the entire look of your rooms.

Carpet Prices on Cut Pile

Cut pile refers to carpet that is specifically cut loops created when the carpet is wooven. All carpet starts out the same and cut pile means the strands are cut and looped, making a little tuft; and thus making it look soft and dense to walk on. The quality is considered by the closeness of the cut piles to each other. Think about carpet you’ve seen that appears much denser. The denser the carpet, the less you’ll be able to work your finger down to the mesh backing; the closer the piles and thus density, the better the carpet. Think about it, the more densely the fibers are packed in, and the less room they’ll have to flatten out and look worn. This is one way carpet prices are affected. Carpet is priced by the square yard, to get the price per square foot, simply divide the sq/yard amount by 9. It’s hard to give an average carpet price, since there’s so many variables, but you can expect to pay anywhere from $8 a square yard for a low-end carpet to over $30 for high-end luxury carpet.

Carpet Pricing Scams

Be wary of carpet pricing scams. Do be careful of the many different type scams like bait and switch and someone telling you they can buy it wholesale. The BEST defense against getting overcharged on carpet prices, get several estimates. Generally speaking, three different estimates are good. It’s a good idea to get as many as possible. If one is a huge about lower, inquire as to how they can offer it that much lower. If they give you some talk that sounds like some type of carpet scam, beware. Remember the old saying, “you get what you pay for.”

Carpet Pricing and Foam Padding

The padding which goes with your carpet is also something to think about when pricing out carpet. Like anything else, you want to get the best quality of both padding and carpet which is within your budget. Padding should be less than 7/16 inches thick but should be good quality. Good padding cuts down on noise, insulates the floor, and provides a nice soft surface. It is also important to make sure the padding is qualified to work with the carpet you choose. Not doing so can void the warranty of the carpet.

Carpet pricing starts at around $8 a sq. yard and can rise to about as much as you want to pay; well over $30. Add another $5 or as high as $10 a square yard for padding and installation, and you get a pretty good idea of what it will cost to purchase and have your carpet installed.

Again, we can’t stress enough the importance of getting multiple estimates on your carpet pricing. Stay tuned for a series of updates on our experience with carpeting our entire house prior to selling.

For more great information on Carpet Prices, check out GreatCarpetPrices.com

Carpet Cleaning Prices by Room
Cleaning estimates by room are popular because it’s fairly quick and easy for carpet cleaning services to give estimates without having to make a physical inspection of the carpet. Most quotes can be given over the phone and cleaning companies have a pretty good idea of what the charge will be based on their experience. In most cases, the price will include normal spot cleaning and pre-treatment. Standard room sizes vary but most generally, the largest is around 300 sq. feet. Beyond that, they will more than likely charge for two rooms. This varies by cleaner and service however so should be considered a general standard.

Carpet Cleaning Prices by Square Footage
The square footage price, unless you already know exactly but will be a rough estimate unless the cleaner has physically measured the space themselves to be cleaned. Again, normal pre-treatment and spotting can be included in this price. In some cases, you may be asked to move the furniture but most cleaning services do that themselves. Just ask when setting up the appointment. In my experience, it is nice to have the carpet under the furniture cleaned as well to ensure the color matches as closely as possible once cleaned.

These two methods of carpet cleaning pricing are the most commonly used. It would be difficult to come up with an overall cost to expect since there’s so many variations. The best advice, like when purchasing carpet and installation, is to get several different estimates and you’ll get an idea what to expect. But also remember, like anything else, you get what you pay for. Most carpet cleaners like to make at least $80 an hour. When you take into consideration their time, equipment, and chemicals, they really have to make at least that to be profitable. Again that is a rough estimate but you may be wary of anyone that promises a great clean that comes out at a less price than that. Always remember, you get what you pay for.