Are you thinking about installing your own carpet? We get it. It can seem like doing things yourself is the best and most affordable option — until your DIY carpet installation approach starts to act up in less-than-desirable ways.
6 Reasons You’ll Regret DIY Carpet Installation
Here are the top six reasons customers say they regret doing their own carpet and why we recommend letting the professionals at Creative Floors do the job.
1. The Subfloor Materials Were in Horrible Shape
So you found a great deal online, ordered what you thought you needed, and then got to work ripping out your existing flooring to install your brand-new carpet.
Uh-Oh. Once that flooring is up, you may find the subflooring is compromised and shouldn’t be covered back up with the new stuff. This could entail:
- Old pet stains
- Water damage
- Mold/mildew growth
- Rotted or eroded areas
- Uneven or unlevel layers
New carpeting should never be installed on compromised subflooring. At this point, you’ll need to call the pros, meaning the entire job would have been faster and more affordable if you’d gone with them in the first place.
2. Not Investing in The Best Carpet Underlayment (Pad)
Carpets always have to have an underlayment or it voids your warranty- typically a foam-like material – that serves multiple functions. It is tempting to skimp on this critical choice because nobody sees it anyway, right? Unfortunately, this is a misconception.
While they might not see the padding with their naked eye, the pad’s discrepancies reveal themselves in other ways. Carpet padding is every bit as important as the quality of the carpet itself.
A high-quality carpet pad:
- Is another step in the stain-resistant department
- Minimizes odors from spills or accidents
- Creates a smooth appearance and minimizes wrinkles (see #4)
- Provides a comfortable landing for feet, children, pets, etc.
- Improves the wear-and-tear on the carpet, which increases a carpet’s life by as much as 50%
There is much more to DIY carpet than picking a carpet you like and buying it. Professional carpet installation is a multi-step process that includes updating the subfloor (if necessary), installing the proper carpet underlayment, and ensuring the selected carpet will do the job.
3. Choosing the Wrong Carpet For Your Home & Lifestyle
Sometimes, people get so excited about a gorgeous new carpet that they forget to consider which type is most appropriate for their lifestyle and the application.
When you choose a carpet on your own, you’re at the mercy of the advertisements you read – which are not always accurate. Working with local flooring professionals ensures you select the right carpet for your needs the first time, sparing you from stained, frayed, or otherwise damaged carpet that doesn’t last as long as advertised.
4. It Gets Wrinkles
Have you ever seen a carpet with wrinkles? Not only is it an eyesore, it’s also a trip hazard. Commonly, wrinkled carpet is a sign that is stretched out due to traffic, over cleaning or not letting it dry thoroughly after cleaning, using the wrong cleaning process and humidity.
Once the carpet is wrinkled, you have to hire professionals to stretch and reinstall it, which is easier said than done.
Most carpet companies refuse to work with DIY carpets because they don’t want the liability for a product they never would have sold, and they cannot stand by others’ workmanship.
Hiring carpet professionals drastically minimizes your risk of post-installation issues, and you reap warranty benefits if any installation-related issues (like wrinkled carpeting) arise.
5. It’s Way More Work Than You Think
Even with picture-perfect subflooring and carpet padding in place, DIY carpet installations are a tremendous amount of work.
You’ll have to:
- Move all of your furniture out
- Remove and then replace floor trim
- Tear up and clean up the old carpet or flooring materials
- Be on your hands and knees for quite some time as you roll out, cut, and install the new carpet
- Become familiar with (and acquire) carpet installation tools, skills, and tricks
- Pull, pull, and pull some more to ensure the carpet is stretched enough but not too much
- Learn how to cover the stairs (and other irregular areas/shapes)
- Install transitions between carpeting and adjacent room flooring in a neat and level way
- And so on
Once the job is done and the carpet is acclimated, you’ll have to move the furniture back in place and dispose of the old carpet remnants. Finally, if any mistakes were made, the new DIY carpet may have to be replaced all over again.
6. You Void (or Miss Out On) Valuable Warranties
Installing your own carpet means voiding many of the product and installation warranties you gain when you work with professionals. These warranties are typically based on the assumption that customers used licensed carpet installers to do the job.
If you don’t use the right subfloor, padding, or installation methods, the carpet manufacturer may not uphold the typical product warranties because they can blame those other factors rather than their product.
Enjoy Worry-Free Carpet Installation With Creative Floors
Why deal with all of that hassle when you can enjoy competitively priced, worry-free carpet installation with Creative Floors? For more than 25 years, we’ve helped Orlando-area homeowners like you enjoy a lifetime of high-quality carpet and installation.
Contact us to schedule your carpet consultation in one of our showrooms or via a convenient in-home appointment. We look forward to showing you why DIY carpet is never the answer!
