Carpet buying hints and tips please

[Findingneeemo]

I am about to carpet several rooms. I need 4 meter wide and approx 35 metres (so maybe round up to 40). I’ve looked in tapi and carpet right but after googling it appears it may be cheaper to buy a roll and underlay and pay a fitter a day rate. I think it will look better all the same carpet throughout.

Can anyone recommend a good online shop to purchase carpet from? Also good underlay?
I have children so want something hard wearing but I want it to last so am prepared to pay extra to get good quality carpet. Preferably cream… the children don’t eat upstairs and no one wears shoes indoors!

It’s been a while since I bought carpet so any hints and tips would be amazing!

There are lots of direct carpet shops online

Go to somewhere like Carpet Right or Tapi, find what you like & see if available online: that would be cheaper but I used a local shop as I did not find the specific carpet I wanted online

Btw - with kids I think you should look for a fleck even if you won’t be having food upstairs/shoes on it. Accidents happen with kids around!

Thank you. Do you know if the names of the carpet in the shop are the same as the names in the online shops?

If you’re looking for quality, I’m always go for an 80/20 mix in carpets, it’s the best combi for hardwearing and comfort IMO.
The cheaper 100% synthetic I find feel cheap and can be static-y. 100% wool can be weak.

@DespairingHomeowner

Btw - with kids I think you should look for a fleck even if you won’t be having food upstairs/shoes on it. Accidents happen with kids around!

Do you mean a carpet with different colours of the same tone?

I have a heather ( I think it's called) carpet. Absolutely hate it. Always looks like stuff is on it. When I first got it I was using tweezers to pull bits out.

I really like the idea of thick bedroom carpets (saxony - I think) but that probably wouldn’t work on the stairs and landing (hallway is tiled). It’s really hard to choose!

I was recommended cloud 9 underlay by a friend, it comes in different thicknesses but they said go for the thickest I can afford!

Chewbecca - is it 80% natural 20% synthetic?

Despairing - ill look at the flecked ones. I definitely want one you can clean easily (I do have a vax).

Bridges - i will keep an eye out for heather ones!

I’ve no direct experience as I moved house for work reasons before carpeting it, but I did look into it. Main issue with buying on-line and organising carpet fitter separately is deciding whether carpet is delivered to you or carpet fitter. If to you, then you need to have somewhere to store it. Ideally, organise carpet fitter in advance so they bring carpet with them.

I would recommend seeking out a local carpet shop. They often have rolls in stock which work out cheaper and you can check out the colour and the feel. Well established shops have stood the test of time and so should offer good see yay the right price. And they will organise the fitting. And yes, go for good quality underlay. You won't regret it

I recently asked a local carpet supplier to quote for a Tapi carpet. They sourced it from Lifestyle Floors and it was about 40% cheaper than Tapi. It had a different name so you need to look at the criteria and try to find a match.

Always buy a flecked carpet, not a plain one. It looks freshly vacuumed even after a week.

Local carpet shops can be a best bet.
They came out measure for free, then I went in to decide.
I managed to barter with them so got a 2 bed terrace carpeted and lino with underlay for £650
Fitting was free and was done in 1 day.
Online quotes were looking at double,

@Chewbecca

If you’re looking for quality, I’m always go for an 80/20 mix in carpets, it’s the best combi for hardwearing and comfort IMO. The cheaper 100% synthetic I find feel cheap and can be static-y. 100% wool can be weak.

This. We have a decent warehouse that sells carpets near us. Cheapest way is to buy from a huge extra wide roll, negotiate the price per meter and get a decent fitter in to put the rooms together. If needed you can piece carpet invisibly making it cheaper overall with less waste.

Always buy the best underlay you can afford. Don't skimp on this bit, it's important.

We replaced our carpets with more expensive thicker carpets -
turned out to be a nuisance as they do not fit under the doors and
we do not want to shave the doors so now have to "drag" them shut! Even after a year some do not shut!
Grrrr.

80% wool, 20% synthetic is what is meant by 80/20.

Thanks everyone. I’m going to look for a carpet warehouse locally.

I’ve been searching online and we will have to up the budget a bit to get 80/20 mix. I had thought £15 per metre for carpet plus I found cloud nine 11mm thick underlay for around £7 a metre. It seems online carpet shops are about £22/23 a metre for 80/20 mix. Plus fitting of course.

I don't know what percentage our old carpets were, but they ended up being nibbled on by moths! Esp in dark corners, next to the bed etc where it wasn't vacuumed as often.

We too have always used a local carpet shop. Compare prices and if you find something you like- ask if they can price match or provide a close alternative.

Disclaimer, I do work for a carpet shop.

Go short and tight and for the love of god, not wool or wool blend because you have small children and wool carpets stain. The amount of people who stain their carpet then try to clean it with a rug doctor and shrink it is astounding.

Go man made, preferably polypropylene because you can bleach that shit, short pile, very dense, hessian backed, not felt. Dig your fingers into it. If you can feel every detail of the backing, it's shit.

If you're paying less than £15 a metre, think twice about the quality of it. Look for stuff on 50% off.

If its fluffy, it will tread down and eventually mat, especially on stairs and in doorways. Ideally look for a Twist pile carpet.

Underlay should be a minimum 10mm thick and have backing. The stuff without backing, be prepared to hoover up in 10 years time.

Flecks hide dirt better but if it's cream you want, that ship has probably sailed.

You get what you pay for with carpet.

I’ve found a few I like, these for example. Taking into account notanothers comments about wool. Not settled on the colours as would need to get samples, more the type of carpet.

carpetsonlinedirect.co.uk/shop/sensation-original-mother-of-pearl/

carpetsonlinedirect.co.uk/shop/carefree-ultra-nuage-1042/

I guess the aim is to last 10 years until the children are dropping makeup over it and I’ve stopped caring 😂 as it’s old and needs replacing!

At present I mutiny on my hands as one is devastated they won’t be having a blue carpet, another wants fake grass on their floor!

Really helpful, ta!