Q. Should I Buy Carpet from Lowe's or Home
Depot?
Alan's
Answer: I
think that buying carpet from Lowe's, Home Depot or any other nationally
advertised big-box retailer
may not be the best way for homeowners to go. I have a number of very good
reasons for saying this and could easily write three pages to explain it all,
but for now let me say it's mainly because I don't think they have your best
long-term interests in mind. But let me be brutally frank, I think they are
more concerned about their CORPORATE PROFITS than they are about you and your
overall product satisfaction.
Unscrupulous
Carpet Retailer Danger Signs:
-
Do
they charge a fee for measuring?
-
Do
they require full payment up front?
-
Do
they use private labels on their products?
-
Do
they offer free or discounted installation?
-
Do
they farm-out their carpet installations to another company?
-
Do
they farm-out their in-home measuring services to another company?
I
also I find their salespeople often lack basic carpet or flooring knowledge
and experience that I believe is absolutely necessary to be able to advise
homeowners wisely. They also use private labels on their carpets to make
it difficult for you to comparison shop. Is that fair? So I must ask... Why
buy carpet or flooring from any business that doesn't care about you, your
hard-earned money, who make it difficult for you to make wise and informed
choices and have no regard your long-term product satisfaction? You need to
buy from a reputable carpet dealer. See
who I recommend near you
About
me; I work alone and maintain six carpet information websites and a preferred
carpet dealer directory where I recommend over 300 reputable, locally-owned
carpet and flooring dealers and growing rapidly. I am a sole proprietor and
have no employees. I don't have any "stockholders" to answer to. I
freely advise homeowners like you how to make wise and informed carpet buying
choices, without being afraid of being fired by the Board of Directors. There
is no one telling me what to say or what to do. No Enron, no BP, no Bernie
Madoff, no worldcom, it's just me and my 30+ years of carpet experience and my
trusted carpet buying advice that can easily save you and every other
homeowner hundreds on new carpet. I freely help consumers avoid making costly
carpet buying mistakes and never charge a dime for answering thousands of
consumer emails annually. If you let me, I can help you save time, save money
and avoid scams. My motto? Why spend extra money on needless add-ons or
upgrades when it's not necessary or beneficial to you? That's how I
roll.
(My
Carpet Buying Guide ebook is available as an instant download
and contains a wealth of money-saving advice not revealed in my website and is
a smart investment for only $14.95)
Looking
back, I know now that I didn't have wide enough experience after just 10, 15
or 20 years in the flooring business. But I certainly thought I did at the
time. It really took me over 25 years for me to fully understand the entire
scope of the carpet business and to see it for what it really is. It's trendy,
its state of the art visual advertising and sensual marketing, it's emotional
and captivating, it's highly competitive, it's arrogant, it's hot, sexy and
sinfully deceptive and it's a multi-billion dollar industry.
I
wrote my first carpet buying guide in 1998 after just 21 years in the
business. It was 28 pages. I sold 500 copies through direct mail in my first
month. Today my carpet buying guide is 136 pages and is jam-packed with
closely-guarded industry secrets, including insider knowledge and information
that can easily save homeowners hundreds if not thousands on new carpet,
padding and installation.
So
what's the problem with home improvement warehouses? They are all relatively new to the carpet business and I think
they have a lot to learn before they will be as good a resource as a locally
owned carpet dealer with decades of hands-on experience.
Home
improvement warehouses do a great service by offering do-it-yourselfer's the
many items needed to do those common household replacements and repairs. I buy
lots of products from them too including light bulbs to plumbing supplies. But
buying carpet or flooring is not the same as buying a tape measure, a ceiling
fan or a bag of potting soil. There are too many variables in carpet and
flooring and it's too expensive to leave it in the hands of inexperienced
store employees. You can't just display a
bunch of new carpet samples and hire some unqualified salespeople to write up the orders
and call it good. Selecting the right carpet is not an easy task and diligent
care must be taken to get everything done right - from start to finish.
The
typical corporate mindset is mainly concerned with making as much money as
possible and spending as little as possible on subcontractors, salespeople and
customer service. This means that YOU the consumer may not get your carpet
installed by a well trained and experienced carpet installer, you may not get
accurate and
experienced carpet advice from their in-store salespeople, and you may not get
accurate measuring, and estimates from the people they send out to measure your home.
I
hear
plenty of complaints regarding all these areas from unhappy
homeowners. That's why I only recommend buying from a
locally owned, family run flooring dealers that have been in the carpet business for many
years. Not only will they treat you like gold, but they will take good care of
you before, during and after the sale. See
who I recommend near you.
Q.
Is there a carpet for people that have allergies can use in
the house. I have dogs and I try to keep the fur up. We put laminate in our
living room, but I really would like to go back to carpet.
Alan's
Answer: Visit www.carpet-rug.org
and check out the allergies link.
Q.
I just purchased your ebook the other day and am thankful I
did. However, my wife and I went to a couple of retailers yesterday and are now
in awe of the prices for Frieze carpets. Either your price estimates are years
out of date or the info from your ebook will probably save us over $600 for a 32
square yard family room carpet. I was expecting to pay ~ $40/square yard for a
top-quality nylon Frieze carpet, 8 pound pad, and carpet removal and
installation. As you mentioned in your book, many retailers use the square foot
method (we went to 3 and they all use square foot measurements). The best price
we found for carpets we liked is $6.25/sq ft to $7.60/sq ft. This includes
delivery, pad, install, and lift/removal of existing carpet. Transition bars are
included with the $7.60 carpet and we need 14 feet. The carpets we looked at (I
have samples in my hands now) are; Queen Carpet (Shaw), Style: San Giovanni (S)
Q0801, 100% Anso Caress Continuous Filament Nylon, R2X stain and soil
resistance, SoftBac Platinum backing, and 10 year Texturegard warranty. Cost
~$7.00/sq ft. That’s $63.00/sq yd!! Masland Carpets and Rugs (Belize),
9380-613 Native, 100% DuPont Continuous Filament Tactesse nylon, Stainmaster
Xtralife carpet, Textured cut pile. $7.60/sq ft or a whopping $68.40/sq yd.
Anyway, you get the idea. We really like the carpets above, but can you clarify
if the prices above are exorbitant or normal for the brand and style? Your ebook
states we really shouldn’t pay more than ~$40/ sq. yd for a very good quality
nylon carpet. Are the carpets above top-of-the-line or are your quotes a few
years old? You highly recommend finding a carpet installer, but we’re new to
the area and don’t know enough people to ask for references and the yellow
pages only had one name. Again, your ebook is great!! I never knew the carpet industry was so
complex and I’ve learned much. I just wasn’t prepared for the price quotes
from yesterday. Thanks for your time and any feedback you can provide is greatly
appreciated.
Alan's
Answer:
A frieze is a higher priced carpet
for sure, but the price you have been quoted is high. You could buy wool carpet
for that amount. I found the Queen San Giovanni online (for
less than $30 per yard, so your price of $63 is out of line. I would think you
could find it for less than $35 at a retail store. The choice is yours, assuming
you want to find these same carpets or similar carpets for a better price, you
will need to comparison shop at some other stores. Yes, you have picked
top-of-the-line goods but you could save money by not choosing Tactesse or
Caress (soft nylon) and avoid Soft-Bac. Yes Tactesse or Caress is soft, and are
priced higher for that reason. A standard nylon is more durable and less money.
Soft-Bac is not something you really need. If your carpet is installed properly
by an experienced installer the Soft-Bac features are pointless. I figure the
installation (including tear out and transitions) and padding (8-pound
7/16" Rebond pad) should cost you less than $10 per yard total, so I think
you could do the whole job for about $45 per yard if you shop around. Or you
could do it all for a lot less if you just steer clear of the soft nylons.
Prices have been rising, but there are a lot of high priced retailers who simply
charge too much for their products and installation.
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Question:
I read your ebook this morning and went on a mission to search
for carpet today. Boy, what a task that is! Your ebook is incredibly helpful
though and allowed me to narrow my search immensely. I went to about 6 different
places and ended up back at the first place I went. It is an owner operated
store in business for 25 years and they had one particular carpet that seems
reasonably priced, although it is more than I intended to spend so I wanted your
opinion before I make the purchase. It is a Shaw style: Windswept Magic (Q0382),
Color: Light House, 100% DuPont Tactesse Continuous Filament Nylon, Frieze (just
love that style), Face-weight: 49oz, 7/yr Stainmaster Xtralife, 5/yr Texture,
10/yr Abrasive, Lifetime Anti-Static. The only thing I don't know for sure is
the twist but I told them I was looking for a 5 or better and it seems to be at
least a 5 from what I can see. Using your charts & forms I calculated (rough
estimate) 10 yards for the stairs with risers & 45 yards for the basement
and their pricing was $1970.62 total. I was given a total price for the job so I
had them break it down for me: Carpet:$23.47 yd. (on sale) Pad: $4.09sy
1/2" 6lb rebond. Installation: $4.50 yd. Stair Steps: $6.00 per step (13
steps), Stringers: $45.00, Metal Door Strips: $1.50ft (9ft). I'd just like your
opinion to make sure I'm not paying too much for the carpet or anything else.
Alan's
Answer: Great job! You have done well grasshopper! All looks good to me, you will
enjoy this carpet. Now, be sure to get a copy of the warranty. You have to have
it professionally cleaned about every 2 years or less. You also need to keep a
piece of leftover carpet for any needed repairs and for warranty purposes, be
sure the carpet is installed with a power stretcher and don't let the installers
leave until you are completely happy. The warranty will have other requirements
so read it carefully. Although I don't put a lot of value into carpet
warranties, I do think it is important to have you follow the guidelines they
set forth. You are another success story for me and I am so pleased that you
have avoided buying a carpet that would not make you happy in the long run.
Learn
about Carpet
Pad
Question:
Home Depot is selling a "home depot brand" carpet
that is named Traffic Master. It has a nylon fiber that is solution dyed. The
claim is that the color is completely through the fiber. Do you know anything
about this carpet or the claims for solution dyed?
Alan's
Answer: Yes solution dyed means that the strand is dyed before it is
extruded. That is different than a fiber that is dyed "after" it was
extruded. Solution dyed means the color is through and through, not just applied
to the outside of the fiber. What this means to you is that it will hold it's
color well, not fade easily and not come out of the strand due to cleaning or
abrasion. Most carpets today are solution dyed so this is not such a big deal.
Cheaper carpets are dyed in a vat and those carpets are usually used in
apartments or "builder grade". Don't go head over heals about this
home depot claim, it is like saying that a new car has an "air bag".
Home depot uses private labels, which means they change the names of their
carpet so you can't easily comparison shop. The same carpets they sell are
available at other stores under a different name. To comparison shop, you would
need to take their samples to the other stores in order to locate the same style
and color.
Question:
Thank you for writing such a helpful book! My husband and I
are beginning our carpet buying adventure and with your help, it is not so
overwhelming! Some info on our situation: Our current carpet is in bad
shape...it is old, stained, wrinkled, and several seams are coming apart. We
have pets and are parents of a 10-month-old, who is the main reason why we need
to get new carpet ASAP. We can not keep putting off this major decision any
longer because, wouldn’t you know it, she notices every separating seam and
pulls at them even more…occasionally detaching several carpet fibers to snack
on if we would let her. We’ve concluded we want to by carpet to last 10 years:
Material: textured nylon (A sales lady told us that frieze holds dirt longer
than other carpets if not vacuumed regularly. Is that correct?) Face-weight
approx. 40 oz, pad- 7/16 in., 8 lb. I wish I could spend more time researching
and shopping around for the best possible choice but as a starting point, we
have 2 types: (1.) Mohawk: Elk Grove and (2.) Shaw: Essential Silver or
Essential Gold. I like the feel of Essential Gold more than the Silver but since
we have pets and will possibly have more children, I don’t know if it will be
better to get the Silver. (I don’t know the type of nylon or the face weight
of the Mohawk, but it was in the middle price range.) What are your thoughts
about our decisions so far? Is there a benefit of choosing one over the other?
Could we go with thinner, 6-lb. pad? I also would like your opinion on the
backing of the carpet. The Shaw carpet has a "SoftBac Platinum"
backing which is supposed to prevent wrinkling. Do you have any experience with
this? The salesman said it does not scratch the walls during installation. Even
though it feels soft, I thought it could possibly hold moisture and possibly
start to mold or mildew over time. Does the carpet backing cause any major
problems like that?
Alan's
Answer: Frieze does not hold dirt any longer than any other carpet,
but yes, regular vacuuming is quite necessary to keep your carpet looking new. A
textured nylon is a good choice for you. Here are the numbers you want to look
for: Face-weight 36 to 45, Fiber: 100% continuous filament Nylon (CF or BCF)
Density: at least 2500 Pile thickness: no thicker than 3/4 inch Tuft Twist: at
least 5 twists per inch. As far as soft-bac goes, it is not something you really
need. The benefit of not scratching your woodwork is only an issue if the
installers are careless, the feature of non-wrinkling is only an issue if the
installers don't use a power stretcher. So... while Soft-Bac is good for
installers, it is an extra cost for you. I wouldn't buy it, I’d rather just
make sure the installers were careful with my walls and woodwork and be sure
they use a power-stretcher.
Carpet
Allergies
Is there a carpet for people that have allergies can use in
the house? I have dogs and I try to keep the fur up. We put laminate in our
living room, but I really would like to go back to carpet.
Alan's
Answer: Visit www.carpet-rug.org
and check out the allergies link.
Alan's
Preferred
Carpet
Dealer Directory
It's
getting hard to find a reputable carpet dealer these days! That's why I've
created a special hand-picked list of over 300 locally owned Carpet Dealers
who offer Free estimates, fair prices, knowledgeable staff, honest
measuring and qualified installers, And my personal recommendation! It
doesn't get any better than that!
See
My Recommended Carpet Dealers Near You!
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