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Carpet Questions & Answers #9
Can I "Haggle" with Carpet Dealers?
We are considering purchasing replacement carpet from a local reputable dealer. It will be about 160 yards of carpet. We are wondering how negotiable pricing is. The dealer has given us a price and we wonder if we should try to get some reduction in price. Is it common practice to "haggle" some with carpet dealers?
Answer:
Yes, you can negotiate with certain retailers. It is difficult to negotiate with the corporate entities like Lowe's or Home Depot. They have set prices and also farm-out all their services including installation, measuring and even some of their sales. You would have an easier time haggling with a local retail flooring shop because they do everything "in-house". You might meet with the owner, the family and installation crews that have been with the company for years.
Don't expect a discount on a small amount of carpet, but if you are doing a whole houseful of carpet and other flooring products, you should expect a reasonable discount. How much of a discount depends on many factors including how much and what type of materials you are ordering and if there are any special needs or circumstances that might make your job less profitable for them. Certain flooring materials have a higher profit margin. They have to make a reasonable profit or they will not be able to stay in business.
Focus on getting great customer service. Make sure you like the attitude of their salespeople. You should only do business with salespeople you actually like, respect and have integrity. Do they return your calls promptly, do they go out of their way to find the answers to all your questions?
Only when you buy from a reputable store and get everything installed correctly will you be getting the best deal possible. For example, if you get a great price on your carpet and then have it installed improperly you will not be satisfied with the end result.
Best Carpet for Playroom?
I am looking at Karastan Gaviota Coast textured carpet for a large
playroom, hallway and two bedrooms. There will be a lot of traffic in the
playroom. It is a Stainmaster ultra life with Tactesse. It does not seem very
dense, as I can see the matting when I separate the fibers. It does not tell the
fiber density or number of twists. It's about $5 per sq. ft. I really like the
color (It is flecked), but want the retention is more important to me. We have 8
children and pets. Could you please tell me if I should look at different
carpeting and if frieze would be a better selection for me?
Answer:
I do not recommend the (soft nylon) Tactesse fiber for you, you have too much foot traffic. I think you should go with a standard nylon fiber instead. A nylon frieze carpet is well known for tolerating heavy foot traffic. Learn more about Carpet Styles
Beach House Carpet?
I really need your help. I buying 80 yards of carpet for our beach house,
four bedrooms and the hall and stairs. The hall and stairs get heavy wear and
traffic. After much research I decided to purchase Berber nylon and was trying to decide
between a Lees carpet and another nylon Berber with Scotch guard until I read
your web site. Now I am wondering if Berber is the way to go or should I be
looking at textured plush or this commercial grade cut pile you refer to on your
web site.
Follow-up question:
Thanks so much for your response. We certainly do have children at our house when we rent or have guests. We have always bought Berber because we thought it was very tough and hid the stains and dirt well. Most of the nylon plush carpets I see are solid colors, which would seem to show all the stains in the lighter colors. We have an off-white nylon plush in our bedroom and it is difficult to keep clean. Is there any one brand that you would recommend that has speckled colors or just one that you know is very durable and stain resistant? What should I look for in nylon plush? Thanks again for you help. This carpet search is extremely confusing.
Answer:
You are so right! Shopping for carpet is confusing. That's why I wrote the book about it. As far as selecting a carpet that will work for you, I suggest you shy away from the off-white carpets and go with something a little darker. I cannot suggest a style or color, that's your decision, but Mohawk carpets are where I would start looking.
Best Carpet Selection?
Your website is great...the information has been so helpful! We have just started carpet shopping and have brought home a couple of samples. Both are frieze carpets made of nylon. One says that it is 100% Continuous Heat-Set Nylon. The other is 100% WearOn;™ Nylon. What does this mean? Also, do you have an opinion on either of these brands: Milliken Carpets or Design Alliance? Also with respect to frieze carpets, does the pile length make a big difference for durability and wear? One has a longer pile (however we prefer the color of this one) and seems to show footprints more than the other.
Answer:
Frieze is my favorite carpet. It has great twist and is made of nylon. You can't go wrong with a frieze. Heat set nylon just means they use heat to "set" the twist in the fiber, just like you might use heat to set the curls in your hairstyle. The other is a trademark by a company. It's kind of like Chevron's gasoline additive called "Techron™", nobody really knows exactly what it is... Milliken is a well-known brand. I think you should stick with the well-known brands.
Follow-up question
Thanks for the info and your prompt reply! After looking through some of the paperwork, I just realized that the Design Alliance frieze I was asking you about is made by Coronet/Beaulieu (label: 3M Scotchgard). Is that a well-known brand?
Answer:
Yes, Coronet is a good company. They have been a leader in the carpet business for years. They have high-end and low-end carpets just like any other company. That doesn't mean that all their products are designed for your application. You need to consider all aspects of your carpet job: the carpet, the padding, and the installation. Only when you get all three done correctly will you have a winning combination. Combine all this with a fair price and you will have what I strive to offer my readers in my ebook! Feel free to email me if you need more questions answered, it's part of my service!
Stain-Proof Carpet?
I have bad carpet stains from water flooding and it cannot be removed via professional steam cleaning. What carpet can I replace it with that is absolutely stain proof and cannot be stained again by water flooding. The carpet is in the basement, which is a full basement entertainment room.
Answer:
There is no carpet made that is totally stain proof. I think that Sorona, PTT, Triexta (aka Stainmaster Nylon available at Lowe's) might be the most stain resistant carpet fiber available today. It is also called Smartstrand by Mohawk. There is a lot of controversy about this. Flooding does a lot of damage to carpet and may not be repairable. Learn more about How To Care For Your Carpet
Carpet Width - 12' or 13.5"?
Do you know of any manufacturers that sell frieze carpet in something wider
than 12' width? We have a room layout that will not work with 12' width and we
are pulling our hair out trying to find something we like in a 13'6" or 15'
width.
We have found some Saxony carpets, 100% nylon, twist 5, density 3108, face
weight 58 oz, but we don't know if this will take the high traffic of our
hallway and living room. Also we aren't sure we like the way it looks. We really
want frieze, but we have only found ONE in over 12' and we've looked and looked.
We found one by Milliken in 13' 6" (which will work) but it is pricey. The
density seems rather low at 1874. Twist is 7.5, and weight is 40 oz. Which
one of these do you think will stand up to heavy foot traffic and kids best? If
you could point out any other wider frieze carpet we would be grateful.
Answer:
A manufacturer’s representative for each mill account they have
services each carpet retailer. Since there is only so much showroom space
available, retailers cannot display every carpet sample available by all the
different carpet mills. I would suggest having your salesperson contact
their various mill representatives by phone and ask them what Friezes are
available in wider sizes. The mill rep. can then make arrangements to make
those samples available to you.
While the Saxony and frieze carpets you have mentioned are plenty durable for your needs, I always suggest that my clients buy the carpet they like. Don't settle for a Saxony when you really want a frieze (my favorite). A Frieze is inherently more expensive than a Saxony but will last longer. Learn about While the Saxony and frieze carpets you have mentioned are plenty durable for your needs, I always suggest that my clients buy the carpet they like. Don't settle for a Saxony when you really want a frieze (my favorite). A Frieze is inherently more expensive than a Saxony but will last longer.
Learn about
Carpet
Styles
Best Carpet Choice?
My husband and I have pretty much made up our minds about the carpet we are going to purchase for our living room and hall. I thought that I would run it by you first, just to see if we had done our homework correctly. We have two older children and no pets. We are looking at a Mohawk product. It is 100% DuPont Tactesse BCF nylon. Its face weight is 45 ounces. We will pay approx. $37/square yard. The pad that has been suggested is a Rebond pad that is 8lb. for approx. $8/square yard. What do you think?
Answer:
What a beautiful carpet! The price is good and I think it will
do you nicely. The 8-pound pad would be a good choice too.
You could go with a 6-pound Rebond and save a little
bit, but I don't recommend it unless $ is a major factor.
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