Carpet Installation Cost: What You're Really Paying For

Sometimes carpet installation cost can seem high, but there are a variety of factors that go into calculating it.  Some of these factors are within your control, while some are not.

Carpet Density

One of the primary factors that goes into the cost of carpet installation is the quality of the carpeting you choose for your home.

First, consider the density of the pile (how close together the loops are). Bend a sample of carpet into a “p” shape to examine how close its tufts or knots are to one another. You should not be able to see the backing through the pile.

The closer together these tufts are, the longer the carpet will last and the higher the cost of the carpet will be and the higher the carpet installation cost.

You will hear carpet referred to in the number of ounces per square yard. The more ounces, the better, but you can only compare carpets made of like material. For example, only compare nylon to nylon and polyester to polyester, since material weight varies greatly.

Construction of the Yarn

Look for yarn that is tightly twisted and has a thicker ply. Ply refers to the number of strands twisted together.

Generally speaking, carpets with loosely twisted yarns have a lower carpet installation cost, but also mat and fuzz in a short amount of time.

If a carpet has heat set fibers that are tightly twisted, then they are durable yarns that have a higher cost.

Types of Loops

While there are several different types of loops you can buy in a carpet, you can buy different types of loop in any price range. Velvet or plush, level, Saxony, frieze or multilevel loop like berbers come in a variety of quality levels, so the carpet installation cost is not dependent on the loop style.

Quality of Pad

The carpet pad you choose can effect the cost of carpet installation as much as the quality of carpet. In fact the proper pad can extend the life of your carpet by a number of years.

It is difficult for a lay person to determine the quality of pad, since there are several different rating systems.

In general, look for higher density pad. This may be rated in terms of ILD, or indention force deflection, CFD or compression force deflection, or CLD, which is compression load deflection. All of these measures indicate how much force is needed to push a pad to the subfloor.

Waffle rubber is one type of padding, expensive flat rubber is another, urethane foam is a third, and bonded urethane is the most common. The carpet installation cost will vary not so much with the style of pad, but more with the density and quality of the padding you choose.

Labor Costs

Up to half the carpet installation cost goes to the expert labor to install the carpet. It is impossible to know the quality and value of the installer before you see their work, so ask for references before choosing an installer.