How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or are
there other places these should also be used?

How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded up
to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or whatever?

How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

What else should I know while measuring?

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing tyro?

TIA



--
You know it's time to clean the refrigerator
when something closes the door from the inside.

KenK wrote:
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

I always measured to allow for a little to trim off . Usually wall to wall
plus about 4" .


What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or
are there other places these should also be used?

All the walls , and if the carpet butts to a "step" , like a 3/4" hardwood
floor .


How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded
up to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or
whatever?

Sold by the square yard , allow about 5-10% overage for seam cuts ,
doorways , out of square rooms , etc . Standard carpet is 12' wide ,
sometimes + an inch or 2 for seam allowance .


How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

It's more about pad density than thickness . Too thick and the carpet will
stretch and loosen from the deflection when you step on it . Standard when I
was in the business was 1/2 inch thick . Not sure if they still make it
(been out of the business quite a while) but Omalon Extra was considered a
premium padding .

What else should I know while measuring?

They're going to come out and measure your rooms , you need to measure
also , total sq feet divided by 9 to get yardage then add a little - if
their measurements differ significantly from yours go somewhere else -
padding the yardage is a very common trick to pad the bottom line .

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing
tyro?

TIA

You'll want to compare pile density , it's in oz/per sq foot or yard ,
more is better . As above pad density is also important . Be sure they plan
to use a power stretcher , modern synthetic carpet backing must be stretched
a certain percentage to remain tight and that ain't happening with a knee
kicker . Seam placement is important too , you'll want the seams in lighter
traffic areas if possible .
--
Snag

On 10/1/2016 10:36 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
KenK wrote:
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???



How is carpet purchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded
up to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or
whatever?

Sold by the square yard , allow about 5-10% overage for seam cuts ,
doorways , out of square rooms , etc . Standard carpet is 12' wide ,
sometimes + an inch or 2 for seam allowance .


To clarify this a bit, yes, it is priced by the square yard, but you do
have to buy it in 12' wide pieces. If the room is wider you have to
figure that 12' wide and add pieces on the side. They have to be cut so
that the weave all faces the same direction.

Sounds like you are considering DIY? It can be done, but you can hire a
pro at reasonable price and save a lot of headaches too.

On 10/01/2016 8:35 AM, KenK wrote:
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or are
there other places these should also be used?

How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded up
to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or whatever?

How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

What else should I know while measuring?

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing tyro?
....

Other answers good; a more complete exposition of points covered by
Terry/Ed is at

http://www.carpetbuyershandbook.com/buying-carpet/important-buying-info/carpet-measuring.php

Note that 12-ft is the most common width; 15-ft and 13'-6" are available
from some manufacturers for some carpets; you'll just have to ask what
any particular carpeting you select is available as--sometimes if the
dimensions are just wrong, it'll pay to pay a slight premium over base
cost to minimize waste or simply the number of seams reduction makes for
a much cleaner install so it's worth a little more up front cost.

On 10/1/2016 9:35 AM, KenK wrote:
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or are
there other places these should also be used?

How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded up
to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or whatever?

How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

What else should I know while measuring?

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing tyro?

TIA



My carpet knowledge is very old but I spent 20 years in textile fibers
basic R&D. I was very familiar with carpet fibers but construction is
also very important. Not only that, there is misrepresentation. All
nylon fiber for example is not the same and there are carpet finishes
that are important. Nylon carpet fibers should not be round and a
trilobal structure helps hide dirt. Stain resistant finishes and
antistats are important. I've seen tire cord nylon purchased by a
carpet manufacturer. That would make a lousy carpet.

Underlay is also very important as what appears nice and bulky may
permanently disfigure under furniture legs or otherwise collapse in use.

There is a big remnant supplier and installer here that I had a bad
experience with. I bought what was labeled nylon and after it was
installed I took a piece into the lab to check the basis weight and the
fiber. The fiber turned out to be polyester. Had it been on stairs, I
would have had it removed but settled for about 25% rebate.

A technician here had a similar problem with the same outfit. We both
picked up something the average person would have missed.

Carpet used to be sold by the square yard but now it is the square foot.

I would stick with reputable carpet manufacturers and reputable carpet
brands. You can google all this stuff up.

On 1 Oct 2016 13:35:36 GMT, KenK wrote:

How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or are
there other places these should also be used?

How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded up
to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or whatever?

How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

What else should I know while measuring?

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing tyro?

TIA


Couple of thoughts. If the sub floor is wood and you have squeaks,
when the carpet is removed - that is a good time to make repairs and
fasten it down.

Some carpet selections may have a pattern every three (3) feet and the
pattern needs to be matched. That may require additional carpet.

As a teen I worked awhile as a install helper. It can be hard on the
body - back and knees over the long term. I'd not DIY it anymore.

On 10/1/2016 1:16 PM, Oren wrote:
On 1 Oct 2016 13:35:36 GMT, KenK wrote:

How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or are
there other places these should also be used?

How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded up
to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or whatever?

How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

What else should I know while measuring?

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing tyro?

TIA


Couple of thoughts. If the sub floor is wood and you have squeaks,
when the carpet is removed - that is a good time to make repairs and
fasten it down.

Some carpet selections may have a pattern every three (3) feet and the
pattern needs to be matched. That may require additional carpet.

As a teen I worked awhile as a install helper. It can be hard on the
body - back and knees over the long term. I'd not DIY it anymore.


Reminds me of putting down an untacked carpet with a built in rubberized
backing on my vinyl tile floor in the basement family room.
When I went to replace it the rubberized backing was essentially glued
to the vinyl. It tore off in most spots and took a major effort to remove.

On Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 10:37:05 AM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
KenK wrote:
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

....snip...
..

What else should I know while measuring?

They're going to come out and measure your rooms , you need to measure
also , total sq feet divided by 9 to get yardage then add a little - if
their measurements differ significantly from yours go somewhere else -
padding the yardage is a very common trick to pad the bottom line .


Great advice, except for that part. (IMO)

You have automatically assumed that a difference in measurements means
that they are ripping him off.

In this situation we have a complete novice (no offense intended) doing
the measurements and then a professional (assumption) doing the measurements.
A significant difference could be based on experience, not dishonesty.
Seams, direction of carpet, fitting standard size carpet into a non-standard
room, hallways, foyers, stairs, etc. There are a lot of variables.

If the salesman's measurements differed significantly vs. mine, the first
thing I would do is ask him to explain how he came up with those numbers.
I can then either agree that his numbers makes sense (i.e. I missed something),
I can question him further or verify his numbers through other means (if I'm
still uncomfortable) or I can send him packing if I think he is trying to
rip me off.

DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 10:37:05 AM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
KenK wrote:
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to
the next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in
measurement to decimal foot, ???

...snip...
.

What else should I know while measuring?

They're going to come out and measure your rooms , you need to
measure also , total sq feet divided by 9 to get yardage then add a
little - if their measurements differ significantly from yours go
somewhere else - padding the yardage is a very common trick to pad
the bottom line .


Great advice, except for that part. (IMO)

You have automatically assumed that a difference in measurements means
that they are ripping him off.

In this situation we have a complete novice (no offense intended)
doing
the measurements and then a professional (assumption) doing the
measurements. A significant difference could be based on experience,
not dishonesty.
Seams, direction of carpet, fitting standard size carpet into a
non-standard room, hallways, foyers, stairs, etc. There are a lot of
variables.

If the salesman's measurements differed significantly vs. mine, the
first thing I would do is ask him to explain how he came up with
those numbers.
I can then either agree that his numbers makes sense (i.e. I missed
something), I can question him further or verify his numbers through
other means (if I'm still uncomfortable) or I can send him packing if
I think he is trying to
rip me off.

I worked in the industry for over 15 years , and saw this from SOME places
I contracted installs for . I'm assuming from what I've seen Ken post that
he can measure and calculate square feet/yards . What I'm saying is that if
he comes up with 87 sq yd for 3 rooms and the salesman comes up with 103 ,
something ain't right . Your suggestion to ask how the salesman how he got
there is however a good one , people do make mistakes ...
I worked sales for a very brief time for one small store . I quit the day
I was told to call a customer back and lie to them that I'd miscalculated by
10 yards . Also called the customer and warned him that the guy would
probably call . Sad thing is that the places that do this also want to pay
the (contract) installers only for the "real" yardage .
--
Snag

"KenK" wrote in message
...
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or are
there other places these should also be used?

How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded up
to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or whatever?

How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

What else should I know while measuring?

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing tyro?

Material? Loop or cut? High or low? Sculpted? Fade resistance? Water,
mold & other bad stuff resistance? Et cetera.

On Sat, 1 Oct 2016 13:48:18 -0400, Frank "frank wrote:

Reminds me of putting down an untacked carpet with a built in rubberized
backing on my vinyl tile floor in the basement family room.
When I went to replace it the rubberized backing was essentially glued
to the vinyl. It tore off in most spots and took a major effort to remove.

The rubber backed carpet can stick, even without glue but glue
compounds the removal. If I'm correct, rubber backed carpet is most
often used in commercial places like restaurants, casinos, etc.
Matching the color pattern and getting the seams 'accurate and
straight' is a trick. Some of those patterns are interesting.

On 10/1/16 9:35 AM, KenK wrote:
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or are
there other places these should also be used?

How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded up
to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or whatever?

How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

What else should I know while measuring?

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing tyro?

TIA



Kenny my boy, it's clear that as little as you know about carpet and
installation, the best advice is to head on down to your favorite carpet
store and let them handle it...

--
You can’t get rich in politics unless you’re a crook.
- President Harry Truman

On Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 8:04:33 PM UTC-4, Travis Bickle wrote:
On 10/1/16 9:35 AM, KenK wrote:
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or are
there other places these should also be used?

How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded up
to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or whatever?

How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

What else should I know while measuring?

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing tyro?

TIA



Kenny my boy, it's clear that as little as you know about carpet and
installation, the best advice is to head on down to your favorite carpet
store and let them handle it...


Yeah, because learning new things is bad. Never strive to expand your knowledge. Never
try to educate yourself even if it's only to protect yourself from unscrupulous tradesmen.
Never try to educate yourself so you'll know if there are more options than you had considered.
Stay ignorant. If you don't know how to do something, always ask someone else to do it for
you. There's never a reason to better yourself.

DerbyDad03 posted for all of us...


Kenny my boy, it's clear that as little as you know about carpet and
installation, the best advice is to head on down to your favorite carpet
store and let them handle it...


Yeah, because learning new things is bad. Never strive to expand your knowledge. Never
try to educate yourself even if it's only to protect yourself from unscrupulous tradesmen.
Never try to educate yourself so you'll know if there are more options than you had considered.
Stay ignorant. If you don't know how to do something, always ask someone else to do it for
you. There's never a reason to better yourself.


Little harsh... He's like many other posters here that do the basic research
here first instead of other logical sources. Some of the posters here have
informed us about materials and spec's so it's not a wasted topic.

--
Tekkie

On 10/1/16 9:45 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 8:04:33 PM UTC-4, Travis Bickle wrote:
On 10/1/16 9:35 AM, KenK wrote:
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???

What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or are
there other places these should also be used?

How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded up
to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or whatever?

How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

What else should I know while measuring?

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing tyro?

TIA



Kenny my boy, it's clear that as little as you know about carpet and
installation, the best advice is to head on down to your favorite carpet
store and let them handle it...


Yeah, because learning new things is bad. Never strive to expand your knowledge. Never
try to educate yourself even if it's only to protect yourself from unscrupulous tradesmen.
Never try to educate yourself so you'll know if there are more options than you had considered.
Stay ignorant. If you don't know how to do something, always ask someone else to do it for
you. There's never a reason to better yourself.


It's obvious to anyone with even minimal critical thinking skills that
the OP's reach is well beyond his grasp. He'd quickly get in way over
his head. Hey, if he wants to **** away thousands of dollars and end up
with his house looking like crap, it's his call.

I was just trying to save the guy some money and some grief- not to
mention what he'd get from his wife- until he hired a professional to
come in behind him to fix his DIY disaster ;-)

--
You are entitled to your own views. You are not entitled to your own facts.

On Sun, 2 Oct 2016 14:49:47 -0400, Travis Bickle
wrote:

It's obvious to anyone with even minimal critical thinking skills that
the OP's reach is well beyond his grasp. He'd quickly get in way over
his head. Hey, if he wants to **** away thousands of dollars and end up
with his house looking like crap, it's his call.

Um, is it obvious to you the OP is ~ age 83, not married and lives in
a mobile home? Finding girls in Yuma, AZ, much less catching them, is
difficult.

On Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 9:35:40 AM UTC-4, KenK wrote:
How do you measure for new carpet? To the nearest rounded foot, to the
next higher foot, to the next inch, convert inches in measurement to
decimal foot, ???


Measure the rooms to the nearest inch, eg 15 ft, 6".



What about tack strips - all places where carpet touches a wall? Or are
there other places these should also be used?

How is carpet puchased? To the nearest square foot? Or is it rounded up
to the number of feet in standard carpet roll width - 20 ' or whatever?

How do you determine what thickness of padding to buy?

What else should I know while measuring?

Anything else I should have asked as a complete carpet purchasing tyro?

TIA


Take the measurements to a carpet store, have them install it. They
will come out, measure it again, order it, install it right and quickly.
Some things just aren't worth DIY. You have the tools, skill and
knees to stretch it? Tools, supplies to do seams if necessary?

On Mon, 3 Oct 2016 08:36:20 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

Take the measurements to a carpet store, have them install it. They
will come out, measure it again, order it, install it right and quickly.
Some things just aren't worth DIY. You have the tools, skill and
knees to stretch it? Tools, supplies to do seams if necessary?

If the OP knows a real estate agent, he could ask for referrals for
installers. Some guys, the best, don't need to advertise. They
always have work from agents selling homes that need carpet.

One thing about the tools is they only serve to install carpet. Not
like they can be used for car repairs

On Monday, October 3, 2016 at 10:36:24 AM UTC-5, trader_4 wrote:

Take the measurements to a carpet store, have them install it. They
will come out, measure it again, order it, install it right and quickly.
Some things just aren't worth DIY. You have the tools, skill and
knees to stretch it? Tools, supplies to do seams if necessary?


Best advice yet!