How Much Do Carpets Cost in the UK? – The Complete Guide
Are you looking to warm up your floors with a new carpet? Wondering how much it will cost you, or do you need an estimate for your budget? It’s a good idea to approach the market armed with the knowledge of what to expect. This will save you time and, more importantly, money.
There’s a lot involved in the pricing of carpets, and you need to be informed before you go out to buy. In this article, we cover all there is to know about carpet pricing from buying the carpet itself, to the cost of installation.
How Much Does Carpet and Carpet Fitting Cost?
Carpets are usually priced per square metre and not per carpet unit. This is because, much like fabric, carpets are cut to size. So when buying a carpet, you look at a sample and decide how many square metres of it you want to buy.
The price of a carpet can range from as cheap as 5 pounds per square metre to over 100 pounds per square metre. The pricing depends on several factors.
A carpet fitting simply refers to the installation of that carpet in your home. This is usually in cases where you have an end-to-end carpet. That is, you are covering the entire floor of a room with the carpet. Professionals fitting the carpet will ensure it’s smooth and perfectly blends into the walls. Prices range from as low as 5 pounds per square metre to 50 pounds per square metre.
The Factors That Determine Carpet Prices
The first thing you notice when you go to buy a carpet is that are many types of carpets, and they differ in price. There are different factors that can affect the price of a carpet. They are:
- The material used: The type of material used in making the fibre and the backing of the carpet can affect the price. For example, carpets made with natural raw materials such as wool will be more expensive than those made with synthetic materials such as polypropylene.
- The pile type: The type of pile technique can affect the price of a carpet. This is because the way the fibre is attached, or twisted, affects the look and feel of the carpet. Examples of pile types are loop, twist, berber, velvet, sisal and wilton.
- The pile height: The pile height, like the type, affects the look and feel of the carpet as well. So it also dictates the price of the carpet. It can be short, shaggy, or saxony.
- The colour: Colour and design of a carpet can also determine its price. Natural materials are harder to dye and as such, getting something like that in colour can come with an extra charge.
- The grade: Carpets come in grades, which refer to the quality you should expect from the carpet. Higher-grade carpets will be sure to rock your wallet, while lower-grade carpets are more affordable.
Carpet Price Ranges
Carpets come in three ranges of price, as following grades, which are: low grade, medium grade, and high Grade.
Low Budget Carpet
The price ranges from 5 to 9 pounds per square metre for the cheapest options on the market.
However, the low prices shouldn’t mistake you; these carpets can still look and feel great and last three to five years.
Mid-range Carpet
As expected from their name, these carpets are right in the middle in terms of quality, price, and durability. Their prices range from 10 to 25 pounds per square metre. They can last for 6 to 12 years, the perfect mix of aesthetics and functionality.
Luxury/Top-end carpets
You can expect to swim in luxury with carpets in this grade. They are crafted carefully, keeping your comfort in mind while also delivering a lavish look that lasts. Their prices range from 30 pounds to upwards of 100 pounds per square metre. Their lifespan ranges from 12 to 20 years.
Is it Cheaper to Install Your Carpet Yourself?
As with most things, DIY carpet installation is indeed cheaper than if you called in professionals. However, that depends on how well you can do it yourself. Carpet installation can be a lot more complicated than just laying a carpet on the ground. It can involve the removal of previous flooring, subfloor and threshold installation, and tacking and stretching for the carpet to fit perfectly.
If you aren’t sure of your abilities, you should call a professional. If you try to do it yourself and end up doing it wrong, you can end up with awful results. You might destroy your subfloor, or end up with a lumpy carpet.
How Much Do Carpet Underlays Cost?
Adding an underlay isn’t a common practice, but it comes with many benefits. The underlay adds extra comfort and insulates the room. It acts as a shock absorber and muffles footsteps. Most importantly, it protects both the floors and the carpet placed on them, making them last longer. Underlays cost between 5 and 15 pounds per square metre.
How to use Carpet Calculator to Calculate Your Carpet Fitting Cost?
Technology has given us many wonderful things, but for the shopper, there’s nothing quite like free online estimates. The carpet calculator allows you to check how much you will need to pay for the carpet idea you had in mind.
All you need to do is put in all the details of the carpet you want, and it will show you how much it is expected to cost.
Additional Fitting Costs to Consider
Fitting a carpet is more than just throwing out a carpet over the floor. There are additional things to worry about as well when fitting the carpet, such as:
- Underfloor heating: This can cost 500 to 1000 pounds;
- Plastering: This can cost 150 to 400 pounds;
- Painting the room: A paint job can cost 200 to 500 pounds;
- Adjusting doors: These are about 10 to 15 pounds per task.
How Much Does It Cost to Remove a Carpet?
Removing a carpet might sound like an easy task, but you can’t just peel off a carpet, especially not when it has been there for over ten years. The carpet can stick to the floors and make a mess or ruin the floors underneath. So it’s worth hiring a professional to do it; the cost is about 1 to 4 pounds per square metre for carpet removal.
Conclusion
Carpets come in different colours, textures, and materials, so the prices can vary highly. Don’t get lost and drown in the options, not knowing how much you should be spending. Instead, use the information provided in this article to calculate how much a carpet will cost you.