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You can buy new Carpet and Flooring at Lowe's or you can buy new Carpet and Flooring at Home Depot. They both certainly want and need your business. They pay millions in advertising to try to convince you to buy new Carpet and Flooring products from them. That's because there are such high profit margins on new Carpet and Flooring products.
There is so much money to be made selling flooring, including carpet and padding that they offer whole-house installation for $39 or less! Why do you suppose they offer carpet installation at such a low cost? Profits!
Carpet Buyers Beware!
Both Lowe's and Home Depot use an independent installation company to handle all their flooring installations and they in turn hire subcontractors to do the work. This means that you have no way of knowing in advance who is going to install your carpet until they show up at your door with your new carpet or flooring. Are they really qualified?
Will they do a good job for you? And what if something goes wrong and your carpet or flooring is installed poorly? Who do you call when you have a problem? Who will accept responsibility and come to your rescue? Will you get a quick remedy or will it take weeks of calling and calling? You know the answer..
I've heard from so many homeowners who ended up with a poor installation job and their horror stories about the runaround they got when calling the store to try to get a remedy. I don't want this to happen to you. If you have a problem with your carpet or flooring installation you need to get a quick remedy.
But if you only pay $39 for installation and you are not satisfied with the outcome will you just get a $39 refund? That's how much you paid for the installation, right? Hmmmm..
Carpet Sales Gimmicks
Many new carpet sales gimmicks have been offered up lately by the big box warehouses and some nationally advertised 'shop at home' flooring retailers. Their claim of deep discounts on carpet or installation are designed to lure you into thinking you have a chance at getting a really good deal. No matter what their current sales gimmick is, their goal is to make you think they are giving away the farm. If it sounds too good to be true..
Have you watched those quirky shop-at-home for carpet TV commercials that offer next day installation? Did you know that their salespeople are independent contractors? They are paid solely on commission and are basically free to charge you as much as they think they can get away with. That means if you live in a nicer home and have an expensive car in the driveway, you might be quoted a higher price.
And what about the products they sell? Are they well made and as durable as you might expect? You will not be happy if you buy a cheaply made carpet at inflated prices. You must decide for yourself if this is the way you want to go. I suggest you do a quick Google search on any carpet retailer you are considering to see if they are reputable, and see what their previous customers have to say. It could open your eyes!
Even if you are tempted to buy from a big box retailer, you would be wise to get several bids to compare prices on similar carpet, pad and installation. There is no standard markup for carpet and pad. An identical carpet can vary in price at every carpet store you visit. Any dealer can price their carpet, materials and labor any way they want.
How Much Does Carpet Cost?
Carpetand Flooring Installers and Extra Fees
I totally respect carpet and flooringinstallers. Most work very hard to earn their money by providing an honest dayswork, often implementing strenuous physical demands and following strict legalstate licensing and insurance regulations. Installing carpet or otherresidential or commercial flooring is very difficult and time consuming andrequires significant hard work and attention to detail. I think flooring installers are often taken for granted, underpaid and underappreciated.
Whole house installation for $39.00? No professional carpet installer is willing to work for freeor is willing to install a house full of carpet at a huge discount. Surprise!Your carpet installation will likely NOT fall within their 'basic' guidelinesso there WILL be some extra fees and charges and you should expect that from the big box retailers who lure you with this sales gimmick.
Recent email from a reader:
'I just had (a home improvement warehouse) give me a measure and quote for carpet. The basic installation is $99, then it is an additional $195 for tack strips, and an additional $85 because it is a mobile home.
I've called other carpet installers and they charge less for padding ($3 vs. $5.65) and more for installation ($4/yard), and it will cost me $250 less than the home improvement warehouse!'
Lowes Free Wood Floor Installation Near Me
What is considered a 'Basic' Carpet Installation?
Does the price include removing the old carpet and padding? dump fees? haul away fees, recycling charges? What about transitions, are they included? Some stores charge for measuring, but this should be a part of their service and not an extra fee. I would never agree to pay for measuring because plenty of local carpet dealers offer free estimates and measuring.
Extra for measuring, extra for delivery, extra for removing the old, extra for stairs, extra for transitions, extra for tack strip, extra for just about everything.
Isn't is obvious to you that they hide the added cost of low-cost installation by charging extra for every little thing AND inflating the price of your new carpet and pad too? Do you know how much they mark- up new carpet and pad? There is more profit in new carpet, padding and other flooring products than most people think.
The average going rate for carpet installation in the USA isabout $5.25 per yard. It's a little higher in the northern states and a littlelower in the southern states. There is almost always an extra fee for stairs, furnituremoving and transitions where the carpet meets vinyl, tile or hardwood flooring. Theyhave a long list of added fees for services that do not fall under their'basic' installation description.
Is this really true? If you think I am making all this up,take two minutes and do a Google search of 'Carpet Complaints'and see for yourself. You will have plenty of reading to keep you busy. When youare done reading all that, come on back and let me help you make wise and informed carpetand flooring choices.
Why I support Locally Owned Carpet Dealers
Some carpet installation specials are a really good deal for consumers, especially those offered by locally owned and family run carpet retailers. Reputable carpet retailers may advertise discounts on carpet, padding or specials on installation similar to the big box stores, but without all the fine print!
Times are tough and to earn your business some local retailers have lowered their prices to stay in business. But be careful who you buy from, it's easy to fall prey to a carpet scam these days and that's why I have been compiling a special list of locally owned carpet dealers for my preferred carpet dealer directory. Take a peek and see if I have a preferred carpet dealer near you.
For these reasons and many more, I would never buy carpet from Home Depot or Lowe's or recommend that you do. I think you need to buy from a reputable locally owned carpet retailer that has your complete satisfaction in mind and will treat you right from to start to finish AND after the sale!
Read my answer the question: Should I buy carpet from Lowe's or Home Depot?
An anonymous reader who once worked installing as an installer for Lowe’s shared some very helpful advice with us: you probably shouldn’t go to a big-box store for your deck-building and window-installing needs. Why is that? Let him count the ways.
For 8 months I worked as a Lowe’s Installed Sales Installers. I installed everything; decks, fencing, roofs, gutters, siding, windows and doors. I worked with 10 Project Specialist Exteriors (PSE) during my time with Lowe’s. I’d like to share my experience as a warning against using Lowe’s or as a suggestion to use Lowe’s: your choice.
1. Deliveries are frequently late and incomplete. I arrived at a house to install a deck the store had delivered half the materials which in theory is fine on a week long project, except they delivered the deck boards not the posts and framing materials. Since they don’t make room for errors in the delivery schedule it took a day and a half to switch materials. They refunded the customer $250 for the trouble.
Lowes Floor Installation Estimate
2. Their employees don’t know anything about the products they sell. I arrived to install a roof and found pallets of shingles, vents, ice and water shield etc. I called the installed sales office and asked where the felt paper was, the department manager asked if I could start the roof today and finish tomorrow once they could get the felt paper delivered. No! the felt paper goes under the shingles.
Lowes Free Wood Floor Installation Guide
3. Their employees don’t understand construction. On one occasion we started a fence project and hit a unmarked utility line, the electric and cable company came out told the customer the line was improperly marked and repaired it (free of charge). We finished the fence and billed the store.
A week later I called to check on my payment, The Installed Sales Manager told me there wasn’t any labor money left to pay the invoice. When I asked why she explained the refunded the entire labor amount to the customer since we hit her cable and electrical line. I explained that a marking means there is a line within 4 inches the lines we hit were 7 inches from the marking so we aren’t liable. She responded “oh, what can you do to help us?” I told to take it up with the utility company and that my full invoice needed paid since I wasn’t at fault and didn’t refund the money.
They refunded the customer about $1,800 and paid us our full bill. I estimate they lost $1,250 on the job.
4. Installers aren’t allowed to paint, touch up, color, etc. anything. If I have to take your trim off of get your front door installed we won’t paint the new piece. I can install new trim and gutter board but cannot paint it. I can cut siding but cannot paint or seal the joints.
5. You are at the mercy of their overbooked delivery schedule. Projects routinely ran over because the stores overbooked deliveries and only made partial deliveries. I needed 115 sheets of OSB on a roof job they store told me and the customer it would be 2 days for delivery. This is after the shingles are torn off and the roof is sitting exposed with gaping holes in it. We eventually got the materials that day but it caused the project to run long. They refunded the customer $350.
6. The store is at the mercy of the complaint line. We installed a great looking fence but the customer complained knowing he could get a refund (he had used Lowe’s on 4 previous projects and had received a total of $3,500 in refunds to date). We rebuilt both gates twice and 75 feet of fencing. When a customer calls the complaint line the store is obligated to make the customer happy which always involved a refund. I ended up billing Lowe’s $1,250 for extra labor and they refunded the customer $1,000 since the project took 8 extra weeks (special order materials). The lost about $1,500 on the job.
Moral of the story. If you want a smooth process don’t use Lowe’s. If you want to get a big refund, use Lowe’s.
Wood Floor Installation Cost
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Consumerist.
