How Much Does It Cost to Carpet One Room?

Replacing old, outdated carpeting with a stylish new look can make your room feel completely refreshed. Once you have chosen the perfect design and color to complement your living space, it makes sense to focus on one room at a time to limit disruptions to your home and to keep runaway costs under control. To work out a realistic budget for new flooring in your room, you'll need to get out your measuring tape and do a few simple calculations. Remember that it's always better to measure twice and cut once.

The easiest way to carpet a room is to hire professionals and have them visit your home to take measurements before returning another day to install your brand-new carpet. However, you can skip the professionals and measure your room yourself if you decide to save a little money. By taking your own measurements you also increase your design choices, as you can take those figures to a variety of different outlets to find the perfect carpet for you.

You'll need to measure the width and length, rounding up any measurements to the half foot. Then, multiply the length by width for the total square footage of carpet required.

Salespeople will often add more than 20 percent to account for any unusual sections, such as doorways or around fireplaces, but this can cost you extra dollars and lead to rolls of unused carpet. A more conservative estimate would be to add around 10 percent to your square footage total.

When choosing your carpet, in order to properly budget it's important to think about the longevity of the material you choose, the placement of the carpet and how much foot traffic the room will receive. Some materials that are more plush may cost more but can last longer and therefore represent better value for the money. If you choose a patterned carpet, you may need to order a little more to ensure you can line up the design perfectly at the seams.

When estimating the cost of a carpet refresh, you need to consider more than just the roll of carpet that catches your eye. You'll also need to purchase the underlay padding that allows the carpet to lie correctly and evenly. In addition, it provides protection to the floor underneath and causes the carpet to feel better on your feet. If you decide to let the professionals ensure a perfect fit, make sure that you include in your budget the cost of installation, which can equal several hours of manpower.

Although there are many variables in the cost of a new carpet, including the quality of the carpet you select and whether you lay it yourself or hire a professional, you can expect to pay between $300 to $750 for a 12-by-12 foot room, according to Home Advisor. This price doesn't include any unusual room layouts or cutouts.