How To Buy Carpet and Flooring Wisely

Carpet Cost vs. Longevity

(How Long Should My New Carpet Last?)

Basic Carpet Longevity?

Many factors come into play when trying to figure out how long a Carpet might last. Here are some of the key reasons that affect how long a carpet will last and how durable it will be:

The fiber type and style, tuft twist, density rating, pile height.
How much foot traffic in the home, number of children, pets, teens.
How well it is maintained, regular vacuuming, periodic cleaning etc.
How well it is installed (properly stretched in, good seams)
What padding is selected, type, thickness and density.

Depending on these 5 factors, here is a basic guideline for how long you might expect a nylon carpet to last with moderate to heavy foot traffic:

Minimum cost per square yard shown. (SY divided by 9 = SF)

These are just rough estimates and on the lower end of the scale. Prices have on the rise throughout 2023 and 2024, so expect more of the same in 2025. Some Carpet stores have lower prices than others, some retailers offer lower carpet prices but then jack-up the price of the padding and installation. Some offer free installation and then surprise you later on with extra fees and hidden charges you didn't expect.

You need to look at the big picture when you consider the cost of buying new carpet. This includes getting accurate measuring, qualified installation, and good customer service before and after the sale.

There are lots of critical choices to be made and you need to get each and every one of them right or you stand to lose hundreds or worse. Lucky for you, I can help you learn how to make wise and informed choices and it won't cost you a penny!

Carpet Cost and Longevity

Your biggest concern as a homeowner is to correctly match up your needs, goals and lifestyle with your budget and then factor in how long you want your carpet to last. It sounds easy, but it's not. I'm going to help you make sense of all the Carpet Confusion so you can make wise and informed choices. Let me give you an example...

Buying New Carpet is Similar to Buying a New Car.

Savvy consumers know that you need to do your automotive homework long before you set foot inside any new car dealership. There are plenty of well-known websites geared toward helping consumers make wise and informed choices on new and used car purchases.

Buying New Carpet is way more difficult than buying a new or used car. Why? There is no regulation in the industry and there is no Carpet Blue Book to use to your advantage.

Every Carpet Dealer is free to charge as much as they want for materials and labor. And in addition to making it hard to select the right carpet for you, many carpet dealers also make it very difficult for you to comparison shop by withholding key product information. Learn more about Carpet Specifications

Padding and labor charges typically increase with higher quality carpet. You must be sure the padding you select is capable to last as long as the carpet and meets the carpet manufacturer's guidelines. It is more difficult to install heavier carpets and labor prices will increase accordingly.

Patterned and Looped Berber Carpet styles are typically more expensive to install. Installing carpet on stairs usually has an additional labor charge per stair. Take my free Carpet Foot Traffic Test to see what Grade of Carpet you need for your home.

Carpets with Private Labels?

Unscrupulous carpet dealers and manufacturers remove, hide or alter key carpet specification information to prevent you from making wise choices. They will change the names on the labels, they remove the important manufacturing specifications and they can hide all the basic product information you need to be able to effectively comparison shop.

They do this to prevent you from comparison shopping at other stores. How do you overcome this problem? Learn about Carpet Specifications

Homeowners need honest and accurate Carpet advice. Are you surfing the internet for honest and accurate carpet information? Just like you, I search the internet looking for one source of complete, honest and accurate carpet buying information.

It's not out there. Only on my website are you able to learn the truth and the whole truth.

Trust me when I say that practically all carpet websites I find don't tell you the whole truth. They will tell you THEIR version of the truth. It's a limited version that purposely omits any negative or unpleasant information about their products.

They highlight all the positive aspects but leave out all the down and dirty truths that you as a consumer really need to know. Read more about Carpet Scams

Every Salesperson Has a Different Opinion!

All Carpet dealers are in business to sell carpet and many are honest and reputable. But even in the Best Carpet Stores some carpet salespeople will say just about anything to try to earn your business, even if what they say is totally WRONG!

Some salespeople are very hungry, some are new to the business, some used to sell windows, roofing or siding and may try to use their same old tricky sales tactics to get you to buy from them today! Maybe they sold copiers or maybe they used to flip burgers at a fast food restaurant, you just never know. So get more than just one bid and verify all the product information they tell you. Use my free carpet shopping form as a guide to asking the right questions.

That's why you have to always be on guard and never blindly trust any salesperson's advice until you have a chance to verify the information or advice you have been given.

"Just because they work for a Carpet store does not mean they are qualified

to give you advice about choosing the right carpet for your home!"

The truth is, a surprising number of carpet salespeople have limited product knowledge and hands-on experience beyond the limited scope of the manufacturers brochure. This means they really don't know how to advise you properly.

They don't have any first-hand product knowledge. They have never installed any carpet or flooring products. They may have lots of sales experience and may even have sold thousands of rolls of carpet during their many years as a flooring salesperson.

Should you believe everything they tell you?

I think you should be very cautious and take your time making your choices and finalizing your decisions. Newly hired carpet salespeople don't want you to know that they are new or inexperienced so they may advise you based what they have read in manufacturers brochures or may have overheard other salespeople selling other customers.

Some salespeople will just try to sell you based on "what you can afford" whether or not it is the right choice to meet your needs, goals, or lifestyle. In this scenario, you will only get what you pay for and in a short period of time your carpet will wear out and in the end... you will be very unhappy with your purchase.

You cannot afford to rely on any salesperson's lack of experience, their lack of product knowledge or their lack of care and concern for you and your hard earned money. Carpet is a major homeowner expense and you cannot afford to make ANY mistakes.

Top 10 Best Places To Buy Carpet?

When it comes to buying carpet, it's important to be aware of both the best and worst places to shop. While many carpet retailers are honest and reputable, there are unfortunately some who use sneaky sales tactics and scams to take advantage of unsuspecting homeowners. My free report rates various carpet retailers, wholesalers, and resellers on a scale from one to five, with five stars being the best.

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