How to Carpet?

December 1, 2023 4:25 AM

Please explain the logistics of re-carpeting a home like I’m a five-year-old.

Our upstairs needs re-carpeted badly. It’s a couple bedrooms, a studio, a central loft area, and a walk-in closet. But, every time I look at all the (often very heavy) stuff we have up there, I can’t imagine how it could happen, and so it gets kicked down the road again.

In addition to the usual stuff...beds, dressers, a bookcase...there’s also stuff like a full flatfile of art, a studio with lots and lots of art supplies, a tall shelving unit full of vinyl records, and a china hutch full of breakable collectables. And, boxes of stuff we haven’t had the time to do anything with yet.

One person told me that the carpet crew would move stuff around as they needed, which, on the face of it, sounds preposterous. Others have told me that we would have to get everything moved out before the carpeters could start, which would be pretty impossible given that a) we’re olds, and b) there’s nowhere to move the stuff to.

I can’t believe I’ve never run into this conundrum before, but I can’t think of ever having anything like an entire upstairs re-carpeted done. Frankly, my imagination takes me to the horror of tearing-down and boxing-up everything like we were moving out, carrying it all downstairs to the garage, and sleeping in a motel for a couple of days, then moving everything back upstairs. Thus, we never get going on this project.

So, how does a re-carpeting project like this happen? What are the logistics? Am I seriously looking at, basically, moving out then moving back in?

posted by Thorzdad to Home & Garden (8 answers total)

We replaced the flooring in part of our house (for financial reasons, we are doing it in stages.) What we did is hire a couple of dudes (movers? I think? but possibly just Some Guys You Can Hire to Do Stuff) to move the upstairs furniture to a heap in the middle of the living room, which got draped with a tarp, and we slept downstairs for the couple days it took to finish the job, then the movers came back and hauled the furniture upstairs again. It was a couple hundred bucks, I think? When we did my office, I just moved the stuff out and in again myself, but that didn't involve any two-person lifts.

It was annoying but not life-ruining and it only took a couple days because our house has zero right angles. Plus our upstairs is basically a balcony and one room, so there wasn't really a way to move stuff around *upstairs*, or the flooring guys might well have just shoved it around themselves as needed. The best way to answer this question is to call a carpet company and ask! They will absolutely have answers. (My elderly parents recarpeted their house recently andI *assure* you they did not move all their furniture themselves.)
posted by restless_nomad at 5:55 AM on December 1, 2023

The team figures it all out. They re-carpeted my kids bedroom without moving a bunk bed. I have no idea how. Worth the money!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:57 AM on December 1, 2023

I have experience of it being done both ways. In my own houses I have always selected to empty the room into other parts of the house and take up the old carpet myself. Then the fitters arrive and lay the new carpet. Then I move everything back in. This is the cheapest option, and my preferred choice as I tend to be anxious about my possessions.

When I was helping my parents in-law arrange for their house to be redecorated we bought carpet from the same store, but selected for a more inclusive service. They left everything in the rooms and the fitters moved all the furniture as was needed, including the complete disassembly of some furniture so it could be relocated. The fitters also cut down the bottom of some doors as the new carpet was thicker, and they removed all the waste and vacuumed the rooms to leave them basically ready to go. I believe they took photos before and after to check placement of items.

Basically I'm saying - anything is an option. You go to the store and they have fitter crews they either work with or recommend. And you can pay accordingly, the full service option was EXTREMELY expensive, a lot more than the cost of the carpets. In short - your "sounds preposterous" observation is incorrect... as long as you're happy to pay.
posted by samworm at 5:58 AM on December 1, 2023

The carpet guys will move around everything heavy and/or in their way, but my advice is to relocate anything you can easily carry - fragile objects, plants, trash cans, loose art supplies, etc. Pile it all in the bathroom to get it out of their way. Leave the boxes, records, and books for them to deal with. It will only be a day or two, max.
posted by nkknkk at 6:03 AM on December 1, 2023

We had our first floor re-carpeted through Costco affiliate. Process was seamless. The crew moved everything room-by-room, and we did nothing. Furniture moving with installation was included in the pre-negotiated Costco package. Price wasn’t cheap but also wasn’t ridiculous. If you have access to Costco, membership probably worth it
posted by limagringo at 6:04 AM on December 1, 2023

When we used Home Depot to recarpet some rooms they had us move small things, electronics and breakables but they moved the bigger furniture pieces out of their way when doing the install.
posted by MadMadam at 8:31 AM on December 1, 2023

Here in Chicagoland the best current option is to go through Costco or Home Depot (who support republicans). The Spruce has a few guides on carpeting, including buying, avoiding mistakes and possible costs that are decent enough.

In the before times* I went with Home Depot to have our upstairs done. The process is the same for both:

1. you contact them and they will set a date to send a contractor out - this is usually free or the cost can be applied to the installation
2. This person will come to your place and measure everything and quote a price
3. price will depend on several factors, and in my experience they did not try to upsell
   • moving furniture - generally priced in and can be negotiated out
   • removing and disposing old carpet - which is often 'included' in the pricing but if unnecessary can be negotiated out of the cost
   • scope: Stairs? $$$. Closet? $$. Lots of thresholds (where the carpet transitions to another floor ie door)$
   • underlayment - this is the base floor and it must be in decent enough condition to install a carpet on. Generally not an issue - you would likely know if there was big holes or other problems with the structure of the floor. However - if there is an issue this can totally alter the project cost & scope.
   • padding - this is what the carpet sits on top of and provides the cushion. I opted for the nicer version as it would both need to withstand kids dumping liquids on it and I wanted to walk around barefoot on it.
   • the carpet. there is many types that range in quality - you'll want samples but it's always a thing to try and imagine the actual material in your space, as the lighting and wall colors can dramatically change the vibe


4. repeat whole process with another company - comparing quotes is the only way to navigate this process.


5. installation: in addition to moving furniture and removing the old floor they should also temporarily remove the baseboards. That's the decorative strip found on the wall were it reaches the floor. This can damage them (unlikely) or alter how they look. For example mine were painted onto the wall - removing them resulted in a visible seam, which is fine.


6. how to know if a reasonable job is done: A good installer will ensure that the carpet orientation lays the pile in the correct direction, which can be important for patterns or certain types of carpet material. Take two samples of the same carpet and put them side by side - rotating one demonstrates what it looks like it's orientation is important. They will also seam between the rolls which ensures that the carpet does not come apart - and will properly stretch the carpeting to avoid wrinkles. The result should be seamless, wrinkle free and correctly oriented, and you should check this before all the furniture and baseboard is put back.


7. contractors: generally they will want to minimize anything that will slow down the process. Don't ask if they want a drink- just provide them some beverages if you want. When they arrive let them know if they can play music or if they can use the bathroom.


8. Tip. In cash. Even 20 bucks for each worker covers their lunch. My last lengthy service call I tipped 50 per worker.

*this was before covid and even before every republican was tool of satan.
posted by zenon at 9:53 AM on December 1, 2023

Recently had three bedrooms re-carpeted. We had to remove anything on top of furniture but the carpet crew move the furniture as they did each room then moved it back.
posted by tman99 at 2:32 PM on December 2, 2023