It’s no secret: fresh flooring can completely transform a room.
Even if your current carpet isn’t very old, bringing in a splash of colour can be a lot less messy than repainting, and can breathe new life into your home.
The cost of carpet varies considerably depending on the quality you decide to buy, as well as labouring costs for professional installers, particularly if you’ve bought an expensive material – imagine the horror of doing it yourself only to realise you’ve cut it in the wrong place!
In this article, we’ll be covering how much carpet fitting costs, what affects the cost of carpet fitting, how to save money on carpeting, how to know if carpeting is the best choice for your home, what’s involved in fitting a new carpet and how to find and hire a carpet fitter.
If your floors have seen better days, and you think a plush carpet is the answer to all your problems, keep reading to find out how to replace your flooring in the most cost-effective way possible.
Topics
How Much Does Carpet Fitting Cost?
Carpet fitting costs will generally follow the same scale, based on the size of the room and the time it’ll take to fit:
| Room Size | Estimated Supply Cost | Labour Costs | Time Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (10 square metres) | £70 to £800 | £30 to £35 per room | 1 to 2 days |
| Medium (15 square metres) | £105 to £1,200 | £47 to £52 per room | 1 to 2 days |
| Large (20 square metres) | £140 to £1,600 | £63 to £70 per room | 1 to 2 days |
For a small room size of around 10 square metres, you can expect to pay between £30 to £35 per room in labour costs, taking between one and two days for completion. Depending on the type of carpet you choose, you can expect to pay between £70 to £800 for a carpet large enough to cover the entire room.
Moving up in size to medium, a space of around 15 square metres will come in at between £42 to £52 per room, again taking between one to two days. As the size has increased, so too has the cost of supplies, which can be between £105 to £1,200, depending on the grade of carpet you want.
Finally, for large rooms of around 20 square metres, a cost of between £63 to £70 per room is to be expected, with a one to two days’ time frame. Supply costs will again be affected, raising to between £140 to £1,600 to have enough carpet to cover the area.
Generally, carpet fitters will charge between £3.15 and £3.50 per square metre for their labour, not including the supply costs. It’s also good to bear in mind that most carpet fitters will have a minimum call-out charge which will be added to any other labour or supply costs.
Click To Get QuotesWhat Affects the Cost of Carpet Fitting?
Although the standard costs based on the size of the room can stay relatively similar, there are a few areas to be aware of that can easily increase the cost of your carpet fitting – which are especially important if you’re working to a tight budget!
Your Choice of Carpet
As mentioned briefly earlier, the type of carpet material you opt for will understandably have an impact on the cost you can expect to pay.
| Carpet Style | Estimated Supply Cost |
|---|---|
| Polypropylene | £7 to £50 per square metre |
| Polyamide and Nylon | £20 to £50 per square metre |
| Wool | £18 to £80 per square metre |
| Sisal | £27 to £80 per square metre |
| Coir | £18 to £20 per square metre |
| Seagrass and Jute | £18 to £32 per square metre |
Polypropylene
Polypropylene is a man-made material, which is cost-effective and easy to clean – making it a popular choice amongst homeowners.
The supply cost for this type of fabric is between £7 to £50 per square metre, depending on the style and any other features you may want to consider.
Polyamide and Nylon
Strong, resilient and easy to clean, nylon carpets are great choices for high-traffic areas of the home such as hallways and living rooms. It also can look fresher for longer, as it has a high ‘bounce back’ rate which makes the pile stand up for longer than other materials.
This comes in at between £20 to £50 per square metre.
Sisal
Sisal carpets are growing in popularity owing to their natural appearance and makeup, being a sustainable material that is both hard-wearing and naturally beautiful.
These types of carpet fabrics come in at between £27 to £80 per square metre.
Coir
Coir carpets are exotic by nature, made up of coconut husk. They are naturally warming in both appearance and pile, and are another high-performance, durable option for areas like hallways and stairs in the home.
Coming in at perhaps less than you’d expect, coir carpets cost between £18 to £20 per square metre.
Seagrass and Jute
Jute comprises plant stalks, whereas seagrass is weaved from grass – but jute carpets are generally softer than seagrass. Both are natural options for your home to bring a bit of outdoors inside and are hard-wearing options for high-traffic areas in the home.
You can expect costs of between £18 to £32 per square metre for seagrass and jute carpet options.
Your Choice of Underlay
It’s not just the carpet you need to consider – it’s what sits under it that matters, too.
Crumb rubber is made from recycled materials, making it a great environmentally-friendly choice.
A crumb felt and rubber combination can be great to reduce the likelihood of the underlay crumbling up over time, especially under areas where heavy furniture is resting.
Sponge rubber underlay is extremely popular and is suitable for all types of carpet and flooring conditions.
Polyurethane foam is another environmentally friendly option, and can also give the effect of a fresher carpet for longer, as it has great bounce-back qualities.
Underlays commonly cost between £3 and £15 per square metre, so it’s something to remember to factor into your fitting and the cost of the carpet itself.
The Size of Your Room
As shown in our table above, the size of your room greatly impacts the cost you’ll be expected to pay to have the work done. This is purely based on the time it’ll take your fitter to complete, as well as the required amount of supplies they’ll need to cover the floor in that area.
Stairs
Not to be tackled by the amateur DIY enthusiast, stairs are harder to fit carpet onto and come with a slightly higher price as a result.
Most carpet fitters will charge a minimum of between £35 to £55 per flight of stairs, on top of material and labour fees, too.
Preparation and Adjustments
This is an area to save money on if you’re savvy – but it’s also a place where fees can quickly mount up if you’re not prepared.
Your fitters will charge you to remove any furniture or existing carpet in the rooms you want working on, as well as any old underlay too. In most circumstances, and if you’re able, it’s best to clear the room ahead of the work taking place to speed up the process and to reduce the costs you’ll have to pay.
It’s also good to bear in mind that if the carpet you’ve opted for is considerably thicker than the old flooring, you’ll have to have some adjustments made to the door for it to close.
Accessories
Essentials to the job, items like carpet grippers (£2 each); adhesive (£4 to £7 per 500 millilitres) and single or double edge door bars (£8 to £32 each) will be required by your fitter to complete the job.
For example, the labour cost of fitting a carpet in a room that is 30 metres squared should be in the region of £120, including any grippers and door easing that’s needed. Meanwhile, the cost of carpeting a single staircase without any turns will be around £75.
These costs are unlikely to be affected by the fact you’ve bought a budget carpet or gone for a premium product instead.
How Can I Save Money on Carpeting?
With costs quickly piling up when re-carpeting your entire home, it’s good to know of the ways you can bring the costs down, too.
Type of Carpet
Carpet prices differ considerably, and it’s worthwhile taking the time to think about what type of carpet you want. There are many textures, weaves, colours and pile depths to consider, not to mention the fact that different rooms will require different carpet types.
You might be able to pick up a bargain deal under £5 per square metre, but these materials are likely to be thin, require more maintenance and will probably wear out faster. If you want a quick fix though, a cheap carpet is ideal and won’t break the bank.
If possible, it’s best to opt for a mid-range carpet to ensure you enjoy some long-term use from it; it’ll look nicer too! The average cost will be between £15 and £20 per square metre.
Finally, a premium-grade carpet with a deep plush and quality material is likely to set you back a minimum of £30 per square metre.
Clear Rooms First
Though you might be hiring carpet fitters, there are several things you can do to help lower the costs. Firstly, you should empty the rooms where the installation’s taking place.
It’s also important to pull up your old carpet – for many reasons. The price of carpet removal and disposal isn’t normally included in carpet fitting costs, and you can pay between £1 and £2 per square metre if fitters have to do this – and you’ll probably be charged a disposal fee.
Removing the old carpet also gives you the chance to inspect your floor. If, for example, a floorboard is broken, it will need replacing before the new carpet can go down. This is a relatively simple DIY project but will cost around £15 per square metre if contractors do it.
Consider Adjustments
If you’ve chosen a carpet with a plush pile, you might need a couple of centimetres taking off the underside of doors, which can cost around £15 per door.
If you’re able to, this is something you can potentially do yourself to reduce the costs.
Click To Get QuotesIs Carpet the Best Choice for Flooring?
This depends on the area of your home – if it’s the kitchen or bathroom, there are more suited flooring options available – but in bedrooms and living rooms it is a great choice.
For a more detailed look at other flooring types, see our page on wooden flooring.
What’s Involved in Fitting a New Carpet?
If you’ve not already done it yourself, removing the old carpet and underlay will be the first job – as well as clearing the room from any furniture obstructing the floor.
Where necessary, new floorboards will be laid, which is something to consider as a potential barrier to getting your job done as quickly as you’d like.
Then, new underlay will be laid and cut to size and fitted, and then your carpet will similarly go on top, then be secured in place with carpet grippers.
Finally, any adjustments will be made – such as shaving a few centimetres off your door to allow it to open and close again if your new carpet’s pile is much higher than the old version.
How Do I Find and Hire a Carpet Fitter?
The cost of having a new carpet fitted can vary vastly, so it’s essential to get several quotes.
It’s a good idea to get recommendations from your friends and family first, as they may have had new carpets laid recently and can vouch for the trader’s work – it’ll also save you from going through multiple profiles and choosing a trader for yourself.
But, there are tools to help your search even if you do have to look for yourself. Using HouseholdQuotes can help to save you up to 40% on your labour fees, as well as consolidate your search into one window where you can compare traders against one another to select the right one for you.
Click To Get QuotesEnsuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
As is standard with all home renovation jobs, asking for a written quote is essential. Second to this is finding out if there is a minimum charge for a job, as with smaller jobs – like stairs – this can increase your costs substantially and is something to bear in mind if you’re budgeting for a smaller area instead of your entire home.
Seeking out a trader’s experience is a good first step in figuring out if they’re a good match for you, as well as finding their references and any photos or videos of their previous work to see if their standard is a match for what you’re looking for.
Finally, all traders should have insurance and won’t bolt at you asking to see it – so if anyone doesn’t want to show you proof of insurance, it’s best to refuse to work with them.
Final Checklist
If your carpets are threadbare and tired, replacing them with something new can be just the tonic to breathe some fresh life into your home. Here’s our final checklist of things to consider:
- Is there a minimum charge? It might be worth carpeting more of your home than you originally thought if so to make the job worthwhile
- Choose the type of carpet you want based on the traffic usage – high durability for high traffic areas is suggested, as well as a durable underlay for areas where heavy furniture will sit
- Seek out recommendations from friends and family, or use HouseholdQuotes to save money on your project by comparing traders quickly and easily
- Prepare the room(s) yourself by removing furniture, old carpet and underlay to reduce your labour costs
Click To Get QuotesFrequently Asked Questions
Can I Fit a Carpet Myself?
Can I Use Underfloor Heating With Carpeted Flooring?
What’s the Best Way to Clean a Carpet?
How Much Does Carpet Cleaning Cost?
What’s the Most Pet-Friendly Carpet?
Click To Get Quotes