OMG I obviously have expensive taste (or an eye for quality perhaps). Please help me find something similar for half the price?!

[gaelicsheep]

The product in question being the Orissa range from Ulster carpets. I'd just decided how nice it would be to have the runner up the stairs, the plain one on the landing and the slightly patterned ones in the bedrooms. Then I saw a RRP of £50 a sq metre on the House and Home website. Does anyone happen to know of any range of carpets with a similar look, preferably around the £20 mark (or less)? (Here's hoping...)

Bump

You will prob. find it alot cheaper once you go to a store since one of the bog ones went bust (carpet right or allied I think) they all seem to have 60% sales etc.

bog = big

Do you, or anyone else, know if the big stores stock Ulster carpets? Are they posh or run of the mill?

Why don't you contact Ulster Carpet Mills directly?

I don't know really. I've never tried ordering carpets remotely and getting an independent fitter. Do they even exist?

Their list of retailers, with postcode search here

Ah thanks, I've found that already. CarpetRight here certainly doesn't stock them and the others are all independents with crap websites. We're going trawling on Wednesday and I think we'll be ultimately choosing from what's available in the local shops (three of which do apparently stock their carpets). I can't imagine them being heavily discounted at any of those stores though.

I spent weeks drooling over Crucial Trading's carpets but no matter what I tried just couldn't afford them or anything like them.

In the end went to very small family run carpet shop a few villages away ( not a posh village - the posh village carpet shops v expensive ) and got a lovely carpet for stairs and all of upstairs rooms for less than £20 psqm. Had it for 6 months now and really happy with it.

Beware CarpetRight. They may seem cheap but they add on lots of extras apparently. We didn't use them though as they didn't have any reasonable good quality grey carpets.

We've no intention of using CarpetRight. Firstly their image is so cheap and nasty that I wouldn't trust them anywhere near my house. Secondly I think we've also discovered in the past that there are loads of hidden extras, so the prices aren't so cheap after all.

I'm taking Wed pm off work to go carpet hunting with DH.

Do you live near a John Lewis?

Nowhere near one unfortunately.

If its not too late, try this place.

I got a Crucial Trading stair runner from there.

Well we went carpet hunting today and eventually managed to find a neutral coloured carpet with a subtle geometric pattern for less than £50 a sq metre. They seem to be as rare as hen's teeth. It's a Lano carpet - anyone heard of them?

thoughts?

Lano is a good make - they manufacture in Belgium. Just check whether it is 2ply - I think Lano only do 2ply, but worth checking. The major difference is probably that the one you have picked is made with a man made yarn, rather than a wool mix (which Ulster's would be). Also, don't assume that all retailers will sell for £50sq mt just because it was detailed on House and Home website - we definitely sell and fit Orissa cheaper. Don't automatically think smaller independent carpet shops are more expensive than the larger ones - we rotinely beat Carpet Right and match John Lewis on all carpets (except CR's ones for £5 sq mt, but we wouldn't ever supply or fit those ones due to the fact we would get so many problems).
HTH

Thanks. The prices we were finding for the Orissa (which actually I didn't like so much in real life!) were well upwards of £50 a sq metre fitted. When did carpet become so damned expensive - I don't remember anything over £30 a few years back, but perhaps that's because I was looking only at plain ones then.

This one's around £30 a sq metre fitted and yes it's 100% manmade, but feels much nicer than the equivalent priced wool mixes. I'm just hoping it won't go all flat and matted looking in a couple of years? I would love to be able to afford the lovely feeling wool carpets but it just ain't going to happen unfortunately.

We only looked at independents and we're happy with the place that does the Lano one. They're coming to measure up on Saturday.

I checked our prices today...I only work part time now, and must still be a bit off the ball after maternity leave - we sell Orissa (supplied and fitted) at £49.95...under £50, but not by as much as I thought! I must have been thinking about another one of Ulster's ranges.

I don't think you will have much to worry about with Lano carpet flattening. It is a really good manmade carpet, and normally has quite a short pile (most hardwearing) - it is always much better buying a good quality manmade carpet than a rubbish wool carpet.

A lot of carpets manufactured abroad have had quite big price rises because of the weak pound. And even the UK manufacturers' prices have started to creap up. Woven wilton carpets have always been quite pricey....but they are lovely and last forever...you do have expensive tastes! But, don't we all!!!?!

Glad you like what you've chosen!