My floor measures out at 296 sq ft, but the carpet company wants to charge me for 330 sq ft. Their reasoning is that they are not charging me for the actual square feet of total area, but for the carpet they are bringing with them to do the job which includes the remnants that will be left over. Is this typical or are there shady happenings?
asked Jun 21, 2011 at 13:46
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It may be a difference between usable remnants as opposed to unusable remnants. For example: if they lay the carpet and the scrap can be saved and resold they may not charge you for it, however, if the scrap is all small unusable pieces they might charge you for it (and allow you to keep it). Some places will only charge you for the square footage you have, but make up the lose in remnants in the labor or other charges.– Tester101Jun 21, 2011 at 15:51
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4You always want some remnants to allow repairing the carpet in the future. Don't throw it out.– BMitch ♦Jun 21, 2011 at 15:56
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That's not waste, that's free carpet in funny shapes. Many uses!– Alex FeinmanJun 23, 2011 at 14:11
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Moral of the lesson, don't get all artistic and build houses with weird shaped rooms that generate a lot of waste. If you're dealing with a reputable carpet company that sells usable remnants, they will charge you for all the appreciable trim that is useless to anyone else and keep the end of the roll that wasn't used for remnant stock. They should be asked at time of getting the estimate if they will buy back the usable overage. Installers probably won't do this as they will not have any use for overage beyond the ordered job.– Fiasco LabsMay 31, 2014 at 18:57
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6 Answers
It's totally normal. Carpet comes on rolls in widths from 11'6" to 13'. They need to cut off a chunk of that roll to fit the room.
It's the reason why if you're carpeting a 10x10' room, you can't buy 100sqft of carpet: they'll charge you for more like 120sqft (12' roll, 10' long).
It also depends on the layout of the room, and where they put seams (if necessary). Eg: an L-shaped room has a couple different ways to lay out the carpet, and depending the layout and where the seams are, you'll use a different amount.
A good installer will also consider traffic: if there are seams, you don't want them right in front of a door way, or preferably not running down the middle of a high traffic pathway. I think they also avoid putting seams within a foot or so of walls (so there isn't a narrow strip of carpet running along the wall). All of these things may end up using more carpet than a layout optimized just to minimize scrap, but will result in a much better looking and longer lasting install.
The other factor is in patterned carpets, they will use a bit more since the patterns need to line up. The bigger the pattern, the more is scrap needed to keep it in line.
The important bit is to keep the scrap carpet, unless you really don't need it, since you paid for it. Often there is a good size chunk, which can be used for many things:
- Large door mat
- In front of fire places
- Padding for moving/storage
- Google has many more
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I sure wish the installer that did my house when it was built (a spec home) read this line "A good installer will also consider traffic" before they decided to put a seam right down the middle of my living room in a VERY high traffic area. Jun 22, 2011 at 18:42
They're billing you for their actual materials cost this way. It's not a made-up number. In the end, though, the final price is what matters, not how they come up with it.
Get more than one estimate. Prices of work on your house vary widely, as does quality of work, and the two are not always linked.
answered Jun 21, 2011 at 15:31
It's not *ab*normal. Make sure you get the scrap though.
They're charging you for the carpet which they will actually dispense and consume to do the job, which, as others have stated, will usually be more than the measured size of the room. Consider it like cloth; if you need a square yard of cloth from a bolt at a craft store, you usually have to buy a yard of the full bolt width, which can be up to 3 times the area you actually need for certain types of cloth. This is because the craft store cannot re-sell your waste to anyone else, so they either eat it or charge you for it. Guess which one is more likely?
Your better carpet guys will minimize the slack at the edges after stretching, but you can still expect to pay them for about a 6" strip along at least two walls of the room. They'll also need enough slack to lay down and seam through doorways, which will be wasted along the rest of that wall, Your better carpet guys will also be able to make the best use of the carpet you're paying for; if you're carpeting a 10x10 room and they have a 16' roll, they'll cut the carpet for the 10' width, then use the remaining 5-6' cutoff for the hallway outside if you're carpeting that as well, or for an 18-20' room.
If there are any sizeable remnants they're charging you for, make sure they leave them behind; as other answers have stated, they can be put to use as doormats, in closets, and even to patch holes if you know how to seam carpet.
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bolt width, not bolt length, when dealing with fabric. and it's pretty rare to get 3x the area if you need a square yard, as most bolts are 45" wide. I think the widest bolt I've ever gotten was 72" wide, and that was muslin, which is sold in abnormal widths ... you typically can't find fabrics wider than 60". I admit, most stores won't cut less than a yard, but that'd still not fit your example. (yes, I also sew, even if I haven't done much in years)– JoeJun 22, 2011 at 0:58
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I've dealt with 80" bolts; they're common in upholstery fabrics. Anyway, the point was you'll pay for more than you need because they can't sell your scrap, and the same is true for carpet (which, when you think about it, is really just very rugged, glue-supported cloth).– KeithSJun 22, 2011 at 18:27
Charging for actual materials used is totally normal - suppose they would only do the installation and you would buy the carpet yourself - you'd have to buy a bit extra to compensate for seams, rooms being non-rectangular, etc.
Another example is a countertop - they are usually rectangular, but you have to cut huge windows to install the sink and the cooker - parts you cut out seem to not be participating in the final installation but you have to pay for the entire countertop. Parts cut out can be used elsewhere - same comes for the carpet leftover which can be used for patching worn out parts.
answered Jun 23, 2011 at 9:00
Purchasing flooring with a waste factor is normal however paying for installing the waste is not. Installers are typically paid by the square foot or square yard. If the customer buys 100 square feet/yards and only 89 are installed the installer is paid for 89 not 100.
