carpet replacement cost

---

Average Carpet Installation & Replacement Costs

The average cost have wall to wall carpeting installed or replaced in your home is around $6.25 – $9.50 per square foot. For do-it-yourself homeowners, you can expect the replacement cost to be around $3.25 – $6.20 / square foot, and when hiring a professional carpet installer to handle the installation, between $6.25 to $9.50 per square foot. Professional installation typically includes the cost of the carpet, new padding, installation supplies, replacement trim if needed, and removal and disposal of your old carpet. Adding stairs to the project will increase the cost slightly.

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 12, 2022

---

Overview of Having New Carpet Installed

Carpet used to be priced by the square yard, though now that’s less common. If we use that metric, a square yard being 9 square feet, then carpet cost is $30 – $115 per square yard. That’s a wide range, and carpet cost factors are explained below.

New and replacement carpet remains the most common flooring type in most homes. It is chosen for its affordability and the huge range of color and style options. Some homeowners like carpet because it costs less than hardwood or LVP and gives them the opportunity to replace it in 7-10 years and get a new look for their home.

For comfort under your feet, carpet is unsurpassed. Plus, new lines of low-VOC carpeting, padding and adhesive make it a healthy choice for indoor air quality assuming you plan regular carpet cleaning service. That said, carpet isn’t the easiest DIY flooring project for homeowners, but it is an option for those with the right tools and skills to handle the installation.

This carpet replacement cost estimate covers retail carpet prices, installation cost and more. Cost factors allow you to narrow your carpet cost estimate based on the type you’re choosing and installation factors.

We’ve gathered carpet installation cost estimates from other reliable pricing sites plus invited readers to share the cost of their projects. If you have carpet or other flooring installed or replaced, please consider returning to Business Finance News to share your project cost for the benefit of readers looking for accurate, actual pricing. Perhaps bookmarking this page will help you find us again.

Product and Installation Supplies Cost Details

Carpet and Padding Cost Factors

Carpet can be surprisingly cheap, and you get what you pay for – a carpeting that might give you 5-7 years of reasonable wear. It can also be stunningly expensive – in the $25+ per square foot range for woven wools with intricate dye patterns.

But most homeowners choose carpet in the range of $3.25 to $12.50 per square foot. You have a lot of options there for basic, better and best carpet. This carpet cost factors list below, begins with factors related to the material and the covers installation cost factors.

• Carpet Material – Plastics like polyester (Polyethylene terephthalate or P.E.T.), polypropylene/olefin and nylon are more affordable than natural fibers like cotton, wool and sisal.
• Carpet Weight – Also called Face Weight, this is the weight in ounces of the material used to make the carpet. The weight of the backing is not included. The higher the weight, the denser or plusher the carpet. More material means a nicer carpet and a higher cost. Pro Tip: If you take two 40-ounce carpets, the one that has the shorter pile will feel plusher than one with taller pile. Keep that weight/height balance in mind.
• Low-VOC Carpet – High demand for “safe” carpet is making it more available and lowering its price, but you’ll still pay a small premium for carpet that is better for IAQ.
• The Padding you Choose – Just like carpet, padding is made in basic, better and best grades. If you want a plusher feel, buy a weightier pad. If you want low-VOC padding, it’s available too. You’ll pay more for plush, safe padding.
• Carpet Treatments – These include Scotchgard and similar stain-resistant treatments, Microban and other anti-bacterial coatings, odor-capturing treatments like SureFresh and others. Treatments raise cost, but not a lot, so they are worth considering especially when it comes time to clean your carpets and you find it easier to do.
• Removal and Disposal of Old Carpet – This is the first in the list of carpet cost factors related to installation. Specific carpet removal costs are listed below.
• Layout of the House and Rooms – Carpet installation cost is lower in home’s with open floor plans because it goes faster than when installing it in many separate rooms and hallways.
• Trimming – This is a minor issue, but trimming around a fireplace hearth, posts, built-out shelving and similar features can raise carpet replacement cost estimates.
• Stairs – Stairs are usually estimated separately from floors. Expect estimates of $20 to $50 per stair for installing carpeting on stairs. It is time-consuming labor when done properly.
• Subfloor Issues – Best case scenario is that the O.S.B. or plywood subfloor is in good condition. And in most homes, there are no problems. However, if warping, rot or insect damage has occurred, the subfloor will need to be repaired or replaced at a cost of $1.50 to $3.00+ per square foot above the costs listed in this carpet installation cost guide.
• Square Feet Installed – The cost per square foot will be higher if you are carpeting a single bedroom than if you are replacing carpet throughout your home. This is because the installers travel time and fuel costs are spread over a greater number of square feet.
• Moving Furniture – Depending on room size and how cluttered it is, the charge to clear a room ranges from $15-$50 per room.

Cost of Installation Supplies

Whether you plan DIY carpet installation or just like to know where your money goes, this carpet price list will be useful. It includes average costs for the most popular carpet types plus supplies and tools.

Installation labor cost is discussed below.

• $1 – $20+ per square foot | Carpet
• $0.65 – $2.00 per square foot | Carpet Pad
• $.05 – $0.10 per linear foot | Tack Strip
• About $10.00 per 100-foot role | Carpet Seam Tape
• $40 – $100+ | Carpet Seam Iron
• $25 – $60 | Carpet Stretcher
• $4 – $15 | Carpet Knife

Specific Carpet and Pad Prices

Here are cost ranges for popular carpet and padding types along with sample job costs.

Carpeting:

• $1 – $5 per square foot | Most carpeting made from synthetic materials like Nylon, Olefin/Polypropylene and Polyester
• $5 – $8 per square foot | Carpet made from Cotton
• $7 – $12 per square foot | Carpet made from Sisal
• $7 – $25 per square foot |Carpet made from Wool

Padding:

• $0.50 – $0.75 per square foot | Urethane Foam designed for cheap flooring fixes and lightly trafficked areas.
• $0.80 – $1.25 per square foot | Bonded Urethane Foam which has better durability and is ideal for most homes.
• $1.50 – $1.75 per square foot | Fiber Cushion Pad is more durable and holds carpet in place better than foam. It’s a good choice for carpet made from natural fibers.

Average Project Costs for Carpet Plus Installation: Cost per square foot goes down slightly as room/area size goes up.

For example, for installers to come to your home to lay carpet in one small office or bedroom would have an average cost of $9.00-$11.00 per square foot.

A living room/hallway combination totaling 500-700 square feet would average $7.50-$9.50 per square foot for the most popular carpet types.

Total installed cost would look like this for the various project sizes:

• 100 square feet: $900 – $1100
• 200 square feet: $1700 – $2,100
• 400 square feet: $3200 – $4000
• 600 square feet: $4500 – $5700
• 1000 square feet: $7000 – $8500

Carpet Removal and Disposal Cost

Expect estimates of $1.00-$2.00 per square foot to remove and dispose of old carpet. For a 16×20-foot bedroom, that’s $320 – $640. Save that cash by pulling up the carpet yourself.

Cut the old carpet into sections about 3 feet by 12 feet. Roll it up and wrap duct tape around the rolls. Then place them in your trash bin or garbage bags. Do the same with the padding. If you have a house full of old carpet and padding, it’s not uncommon to rent a small dumpster for disposal.

If you pay a monthly fee for trash pickup and spread disposing the carpet and pad over weeks or months, your extra cost can be $0.

After the carpet and pad are removed, use a pliers to pull out all staples and a screwdriver or prybar to remove all tack strip. Vacuum the room, and your installer will be impressed with your prep for the new pad and carpet.

Permits, Inspection, Related Costs and Installation Time

Permits and Inspection Cost

• $0 | No permit is needed for carpet replacement/installation.

Related Costs and Installation Time

Some big box stores offer “free” installation or a set fee of “$99” or similar regardless of how much carpet is installed.

While not exactly a scam, there’s no such thing as free installation. The cost is simply rolled into the total project cost.

• $1.25 – $2.50 per square foot | Labor cost to install carpet.

Expert carpet installers get the job done with rapid precision that is fun to watch.

• 1-2 Hours | Carpet replacement in a single room
• 6-8 Hours | A 2-person crew installing 1,000 square feet of carpet
• 3-4 Hours | Installing carpet on a set of stairs

DIY or Hire a Pro?

We don’t recommend doing it yourself for two reasons.

First, the labor portion of the total cost is just 10-25% depending on cost factors.

Secondly, a poorly installed job won’t look good for long if it ever does. Shortly, it might come loose at the edges or seams. If not properly stretched and fitted, it could become loose in the middle of the floor.

Most installers charge far more to “fix” a bad job than to install carpet.

However, if you want to DIY, watch a few tutorials to get a solid grip on how it is done. Pay careful attention to seaming the carpet because that’s where mistakes can be glaring. Hide seams where furniture will be placed whenever possible. Take your time, measure twice and cut once and all those general DIY rules.