Two weeks in after moving into your new home in Utah, and you’ve had to call a window replacement company to do a new installation in the house. It rained two days ago. You didn’t notice it at first, but seepages were crawling down from the window on to the carpeted floor. When you took a closer look, the water damage to the carpet had extended about half a yard from the wall.
Fortunately, the rain wasn’t that hard or long, and the leak didn’t do much damage. The installations to prevent rain leaks will be a significant cut on your budget. You want to change the carpet too, but perhaps on a later date. You’re thinking of DIY-ing the carpet installation to save on cost. You’ve never done it before. What does it take to replace old carpets and install new ones? Before you make a decision, here are a few ideas to consider.
Questions to Ask
You would save some money when you go DIY on your carpet installation. But one of the questions you need to ask yourself is, “Will the savings be worth all the effort I would put into it?” Don’t carpet installers offer free installation? Probably the oldest marketing trick in the book: companies pad their pricing to include labor cost and brandish the words “free installation” all over their marketing paraphernalia. You’re still paying for it. The installation by pros could cost up to $1.50 per square foot.
But remember, you would have to rent tools and buy other items necessary for the installation. Is it worth it? Crunch the numbers thoroughly and see how much you will be saving. What does it take? Words of wisdom: those who tried the DIY route considered it a one-time ordeal and that they would rather that the pros do it the next time around. But if you’re trying to make up your mind still, here are a few things to think about.
1) Beyond hammers and screwdrivers. Carpet installation requires tools designed specifically for that purpose. As mentioned, you would need to rent these specialty tools. The items that you would need to look out for are the following:
a. seam iron b. power stretcher c. knee kicker
2) Removing the old. You might lose sight of the fact that if you’re installing the new carpet, you’re going to have to remove the old one yourself as well. Be prepared to deal with the dirt and dust accompanying carpet removal. Experts advise that you vacuum first before proceeding with the removal process.
3) What’s on top? Huge, hard to move and hard to store things are on top of your carpet. Furniture from big to small would have to be removed for the proper installation to take place. Are you going to do it yourself? Or will you hire a company to remove the furniture? Remember that the floor needs to be empty before you can install the new carpet.
4) Buy extras. If your carpet is just a plain colored rug, then there’s no need to buy extra. But if you’re using a patterned carpet, buy at least 5% more of what you need. When you’re done cutting and accommodating corners, the wastage has piled. The 5% extra will help ensure that you have enough to cover for everything.
Renting tools is one thing. Learning to use it is another. You would need to know how the seaming process works as well if you have a patterned carpet. Does it still look like you want to do it? Or will you now turn to the pros after these four main insights?
