With flooring, installation is a service, and all services need to be paid for one way or another. If you’re able to remain within the limitations of the offer, free or included carpet installation might genuinely be beneficial to you. In other cases, it might be better to pay for installation separately.
What You Get With Carpet Installation
With many carpet and floor covering companies, free or included installation usually includes:
Typical Limitations of Carpeting Installation
The carpet must cost over a certain amount. Bargain-priced and clearance carpeting are usually not part of the deal. Regularly offered carpeting below a certain price tier will also not be included. These offers typically do not include:
Glue-down carpetingCommercial installationsApartments, condominiums, and other multi-family housingSpecial order carpetingCertain types of padding
Services Not Included in Carpet Installation
Dismantling Furniture
Floor companies will never dismantle large built-in items. Moving certain types of heavy furniture or furniture that is attached to floors or walls will not be included. Items like wet bars and large built-in shelves or bookcases will not be removed by carpeting installers.
Removing Hard Flooring
Removing old carpeting is difficult but manageable by a floor installation crew. Removing hard flooring like laminate, engineered wood, tile, luxury vinyl, or sheet vinyl will never be done by a carpet installer offering included or even paid installation. You’ll need to contract out this project to another service provider.
Subfloor Preparation
Hopefully, you have a subfloor and underlayment system perfectly suitable for your new floor. If not, you should hire a contractor or contract the flooring company to perform this service. Small areas that need to be leveled can actually be addressed inexpensively with a liquid, pour-on self-leveling compound. Larger areas need carpentry work and can be expensive.
Touch-ups and Repairs
Some walls and baseboards may become scuffed during installation. Installers do their best to avoid scuffs. But when scuffs appear, it’s usually the homeowner who has to fix them or clean them. Also, you’ll need to ask whether certain materials are not included in the offer. A few transitions might be included. But if there is an excessive number of transitions, the company may charge for them. Most free installation offers apply only to carpeting and laminate flooring. Rarely will you find free installation offers for ceramic tile or hardwood flooring, both labor-intensive activities. Wall-to-wall carpeting is not a do-it-yourself project. Installation is not as simple as unrolling the product and pressing the edges into tack strips. Hardwood floor and tile installation are both considered as much an art as they are a craft, and you will be hard-pressed to find free offers for either.
When Included Installation Is a Good Offer
How can you determine if the free installation offer is good for you? When comparing the free installation offer against other companies’ offers, simply separate materials from labor. Imagine that you have a 1,000-square-foot space that you want to carpet. One flooring company offers free whole-house carpeting installation on any job over $699. Materials for the job will cost $2,240, including taxes, for a grand total of $2,240. Another company does not include installation; installation costs $600. Materials charges, including tax, come to $1,700. The grand total is $2,300. Since the two estimates are within $60 of each other, you may decide between the two companies on other factors like reviews, reputation, and warranty.
