Who Knew Carpet Was So Expensive????

Flooring! Not only is flooring difficult to choose, but it can be a budget breaker! Now days there are so many amazing floors to choose from, ie. wood, laminate, bamboo, carpet, tile, tile that looks like wood, concrete, and cork. From those choices, their are a million different looks to choose from. This process can be exhausting and frustrating and sometimes cause you to stop looking!

When we moved into our house, we knew we could only tackle one floor change. This had to be the carpet up stairs. Downstairs we have lots of tile and laminate. It's not my personal choice of tile and laminate, but you know, I'm a girl who works with what she has, so that's what I have done for now. The carpet upstairs was not necessary old but it already had some gnarly stains on the stairs, it stunk and was way to light for this busy family. It was off white with speckles of brown in it. I knew that in 3 years from now it would be disgusting and I would be bugging my husband to have it replaced. So we went shopping for carpet.
On my list of wants:
1. thickest pad available (thick pad offers more cushion)
2. dark, multicolor carpet (hide the dirt)
3. no berber! (we have cats and they will ruin this carpet)
4. medium grade (I don't want to replace this carpet for another 15 years, so I need something good)

After going through my wants to the customer service rep at the carpet store, I was quoted $7,000 for my 1300 sq ft of carpet. What????? When the heck did carpet get so expensive??? Who can afford $7,000 for carpet? Not me!!! I knew that wasn't going to work. So I kept shopping. I found a store in Rancho Cordova that had an amazing selection of carpet. After telling the store rep what I wanted and how much I was willing to spend, we found a carpet that meet all my wish list criteria. So we ordered it! It would come right when we moved in.

Got a call about a week before move in. I was told my carpet was delayed overseas. They had a carpet very similar in color and the same grade available. I went and looked at the carpet. It was nice but it wasn't the carpet I wanted! I was told the carpet I wanted wouldn't come for 3 more weeks. This meant we had to move into the house, then move all our stuff back out of the bedrooms in 2 weeks and then move it back into the bedrooms. The thought of all this moving exhausted me! I could have this other carpet in the house today! So what do I do?

What I did was went with my gut. My gut told me to stick with the plan and the carpet I first chose. I chose it for a reason and a 2 week delay would be a mood point in the skeme of everything. So 2 weeks after move in, we moved all our stuff back out of the rooms and got new carpet. In the end I am so happy with my decision and following my gut!!

Here are some helpful hints to buying carpet!

1. It's all in the pad you buy. Pay the extra money and purchase the thickest pad available. The carpet grade is important but not nearly as important as the pad. The carpet will feel better and last longer.
2. If this is a heavy traffic area in your house, go with a darker carpet. It will not make your house look dark. If you fear that, lighten up the walls with some paint.
3. If you have pets, don't get berber carpet. The animals will shred it! Go with a frieze or textured carpet.
4. Don't buy the highest grade of carpet. Go with the middle of the road. If you have a thick pad under it, the carpet will appear and feel like the highest grade.
5. Stain resistant. Seems like most carpet now days is stain resistant but if it's not, you might want to find one that is. Who wants to change their carpet every 5 years due to unsightly stains??
6. Carpet seams are important. Make sure you discuss where you want your carpet seams before you purchase. Some carpet comes in larger pieces than others. I didn't want any seams in the rooms, only at the door. Seams can be trouble down the road.
7.Quality of work. When the carpet guys are installing, make sure you check on them. Look at their work. If you are not happy with the job, say something! Don't be afraid. You are paying a lot of money for this service, speak up!!!
8. Go with your gut. Your gut is their for a reason. If you d0n't like something, don't get it just because it is a good deal or you think that is the best you will get. Wait it out!!! The right carpet will come!
9. Pay cash if you can! This is a big one. When we bought our carpet, I was quoted $5,000 for carpet and install. I told them I would pay with cash so could I get a discount. They said yes! I ended up paying $4,600 instead. That is a huge saving! Well worth it if you ask me!

Before. The carpet was discolored and too light!

After. You can see the flex of color in it. I have light walls which helps keep the rooms light in color. The carpet hides the dirt!