How To Choose New Flooring Like A Pro!
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Home Depot and Lowe's Carpet Installation
Tempted by Home Depot or Lowe's FREE Carpet Installation? You can buy new Carpet and Flooring at Lowe's or Home Depot. They both certainly want your business and advertise heavily to attract your curiosity. They spend tons on TV advertising to try to convince you to buy from them because there is plenty of profit selling carpet and flooring products.
Qualified Carpet Installers?
Both Lowe's and Home Depot use independent installation companies 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 new carpet or if they are qualified to install your new carpet or flooring.
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 stories from so many homeowners who ended up with a poor installation job. They get very upset about the runaround they get when calling to seek a remedy for their carpet problems.
"We've had nothing but problems with Home Depot since they installed our carpet in May of 2021"
Don't let this to happen to you. No matter where you choose to buy carpet, if you ever have a problem with your new carpet or installation, you deserve a quick response and remedy.
Retail Carpet Sales Gimmicks
Many 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 good chance at getting a really great deal.
No matter what their current carpet or flooring sales gimmick is, their goal is to make you think they are giving away the farm. They are not. If it sounds too good to be true....
Empire's Next-Day Installation?
It's not really the next day, your job is scheduled after you have your home measured, endure an in-home sales pitch, choose your materials, sign a contract and whip out your credit card.
That process can easily take several days or longer depending on many variables.
Did you know that Empire requires their salespeople to form their own corporation and become independent sales contractors?
The salespeople they send to your home are not employees. They are independent sales contractors and are paid on performance. That means they are free to charge you as much as they think they can get away with.
They do more than just measure up your home for carpet, they also size you up. If you live in a nice neighborhood and have an expensive car in the driveway, you might be quoted higher prices for the products you are shown.
Inferior Quality Products?
And what about the products they offer? Are they well made and as durable as you expect?
You will not be happy if you buy a cheaply made carpet at an inflated price. Carpet Specifications
Even if you are tempted to buy from a big box retailer like Lowe's or Home Depot, you would be wise to get quotes from several locally-owned carpet stores to compare prices.
No Set Prices?
An identical brand and style carpet can vary in price at every carpet store you visit. Retailers can price their carpet, padding and installation any way they want.
Local carpet stores often have lower prices than the big box stores, even when you factor in their free installation gimmick.
I have found that locally-owned reputable carpet stores provide better customer service, qualified installers, experienced sales staff, accurate measuring and first quality products. What more can you ask for?
Print up and use my free Carpet Shopping Form. It will help you ask the right questions, compare carpet specifications side by side, and narrow down your final choices.
Carpet Installers and Extra Fees
I respect hard working and qualified carpet and flooring installers. They work very hard to earn their money by providing an honest days work, often enduring hours of strenuous physical demands and follow strict legal state licensing, bond and insurance regulations.
Installing residential or commercial flooring is very difficult and time consuming. It requires significant planning, execution and attention to detail. I think flooring installers are often taken for granted, underpaid and not appreciated.
Carpet Installers Laugh
No professional carpet installer is willing to work for free or is willing to install a whole house of carpet at a huge discount. The free installation that home depot and Lowe's offers is just a sales gimmick.
Ask any installer if they are willing to work for free and they will laugh out loud! If any installer is willing to work for less than the normal going rate, then you should question their qualifications and experience. Use my Carpet Installer Questionnaire
Free carpet installation is not really free
They have figured out a way to give you something for free but charge you more for the other things you need. Most carpet installation jobs don't fall within their "basic" guidelines so there will be some extra fees and charges.
You should expect that from the big box retailers who lure you in with their free carpet installation advertising. You don't really believe they are give away anything for free do you?
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 stores and they charge less for padding ($3 vs. $5.65) and more for installation ($4/yard), and it will still cost me $250 less than the home improvement warehouse!"
What is "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?
It should be obvious to you that they hide the added cost of low-cost or free installation by charging you 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.
Home Depot and Lowe's also charge for measuring, but I think this should be a part of their service and not an extra fee. Why pay for measuring when there are plenty of local carpet dealers who offer free estimates and measuring.
Don't pay 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.
Carpet Installation Cost
The average going rate for carpet installation in the USA is about $5.25 per yard. It's a little higher in the northern states and a little lower in the southern states.
There is almost always an extra fee for stairs, furniture moving and transitions where the carpet meets vinyl, tile or hardwood flooring. Home Depot and Lowe's have 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 for awhile.
When you are done reading all about that, come on back and let me help you learn the tricks I've learned to help you make wise and informed carpet and flooring choices.
I Support Local Carpet Stores
Some carpet installation specials are a really good deal for consumers, especially those offered by locally-owned carpet retailers.
Local carpet retailers may offer discounts on carpet, padding or specials on installation similar to the big box stores, but without all the fine print!
But be careful who you buy from, it's easy to fall prey to carpet scams these days and that's why I have been compiling my own handpicked list of locally owned carpet dealers to recommend to my readers.
I think you will be much happier buying from a reputable locally-owned carpet store. One that has your complete satisfaction in mind and will treat you right from to start to finish, before, during and after the sale!
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