Knowing how to choose a carpet installer can save you a great deal of time and money, which is why choosing a carpet installer is a big decision for so many homeowners. If you pick the wrong contractor, and the installer botches the job, you may lack any form of recourse.
To spare you from enduring unnecessary headaches, we put together this short list of what you should watch out for when narrowing your list of prospective candidates.
Reputation
The adage about word-of-mouth being the best form of advertising still rings true, but word-of-mouth isn’t just beneficial to companies— it is beneficial to homeowners, too. If your neighbor or your sister-in-law had carpet installed by Company ABC and had nothing but problems with the installer, then you know to cut that company from your list of prospects. Does the installer have the necessary licenses and insurance? Will they work around your busy schedule? Is the installer in good standing with the Better Business Bureau? If the answer to any of those questions is no, send that installer on his or her way.
Warranty
Any installer who will not back their work with a written lifetime installation warranty is an installer who lacks faith in his or her ability to do the job the right way. If you give an installer $8,000 to re-carpet your home, don’t you want to know that the installer will come back to handle any repairs that may arise in the future? An installation warranty is more than just a piece of paper—it’s your peace of mind.
Good Things Aren’t Cheap, and Cheap Things Aren’t Good
If you find an installer on Craig’s List claiming he can perform your installation for half of what everyone else charges, you should run away from that installer as fast as you can. Why would he do the job for half the cost? Chances are, he doesn’t grasp the full scope of the work, or he has burned so many bridges in the flooring industry that doing shoddy work out of the back of a van is the only way he can support himself.
Either way, he isn’t the person you want to give thousands of dollars of your hard-earned money. Always remember that buying flooring is just like buying a car; the good ones aren’t cheap, the cheap ones aren’t good, you can’t buy a new Mercedes for the price of a ’77 Chevy, and you will get what you pay for.
What You Want in an Installer
When you’re ready to choose a carpet installer, make sure the company you’re working with offers the following:
- Free in-home estimates
- Free furniture-moving services
- Lifetime installation warranty
- Day, evening, and weekend appointment times
- Eco-friendly products
If you live in Metro Detroit and you need new carpet, vinyl, hardwood, laminate, or LVP, call The Carpet Guys at 248-409-5359. We will send one of our design consultants to your home to take all the necessary measurements and show you a variety of samples to choose from, at no cost to you.
