Just been out looking at new carpet for bedroom....
I'd originally thought I'd get them to fit over the old underlay....
but most of suppliers say you should buy new underlay as old will have
flattened etc...

Hmmm.... I've removed old carpet ...
Current underlay is somesort of brownish fibre (actually green squared
pattern
on floorboard side and brown matt fibres on top side...) and about 5+mm
thick ... staple thru
Its at least 8 years old (we moved in) ... and less than 25 years old (house
built)....

Underlay costs seem to be between £2 sqyd (fibre) and £5(foam) sq yd... Do I
need new ...
Would it help / be advisable to put the new layer (say fibre) of underlay
over the old and get them to staple top layer thru bottom to floorboard ...
or will this cause
trouble... Should I just throw out old underlay and replace with new
(I wouldn't want to throw out good stuff and replace with inferior just meet
some sales guys
quota)..
What say you ...?
thanks Andrew

Andrew wrote:
Just been out looking at new carpet for bedroom....
I'd originally thought I'd get them to fit over the old underlay....
but most of suppliers say you should buy new underlay as old will have
flattened etc...

Hmmm.... I've removed old carpet ...
Current underlay is somesort of brownish fibre (actually green squared
pattern
on floorboard side and brown matt fibres on top side...) and about 5+mm
thick ... staple thru
Its at least 8 years old (we moved in) ... and less than 25 years old (house
built)....

Underlay costs seem to be between £2 sqyd (fibre) and £5(foam) sq yd... Do I
need new ...
Would it help / be advisable to put the new layer (say fibre) of underlay
over the old and get them to staple top layer thru bottom to floorboard ...
or will this cause
trouble... Should I just throw out old underlay and replace with new
(I wouldn't want to throw out good stuff and replace with inferior just meet
some sales guys
quota)..
What say you ...?


If the underlay is holding together well, and still has some bounce
(when you compress it, it compresses then returns) then I'd stick with
it. If it isn't, replace it. I've yet to see underlay at £2/yard that is
worth buying - I'd be looking at around £5-£6/yard for decent underlay.

--
Grunff

"Andrew" wrote in message
...
| Just been out looking at new carpet for bedroom....
| I'd originally thought I'd get them to fit over the old underlay....
| but most of suppliers say you should buy new underlay as old will have
| flattened etc...
|
| Hmmm.... I've removed old carpet ...
| Current underlay is somesort of brownish fibre (actually green squared
| pattern
| on floorboard side and brown matt fibres on top side...) and about 5+mm
| thick ... staple thru
| Its at least 8 years old (we moved in) ... and less than 25 years old
(house
| built)....
|
| Underlay costs seem to be between £2 sqyd (fibre) and £5(foam) sq yd... Do
I
| need new ...
| Would it help / be advisable to put the new layer (say fibre) of underlay
| over the old and get them to staple top layer thru bottom to floorboard
....
| or will this cause
| trouble... Should I just throw out old underlay and replace with new
| (I wouldn't want to throw out good stuff and replace with inferior just
meet
| some sales guys
| quota)..
| What say you ...?
| thanks Andrew
|
|

There's an old saying in the trade
"A poor carpet needs a good underlay and a good carpet deserves one."
The fibre type should be jute, cotton and other similar products, which mats
down in walk way areas. The underlay is not only there to feel nice but to
protect the carpet and I would recommend that it is replaced. Lets face it
you are paying good money for a carpet, probably a lot more than for the
underlay, and you will want the carpet to last 8/10 years by which time the
old underlay will be 16 - 20 years old. Go for a fairly solid rubber
underlay, not the waffle type, and you will find that it doesn't mat down in
the walkways half as much as the fibre types.
By the way, pinning new over old is false economy as they will move causing
rucking of the new carpet which in turn leads to premature wear.

Just my 10p's worth - the choice is yours!

Steve

In article ,
Andrew wrote:
Just been out looking at new carpet for bedroom....
I'd originally thought I'd get them to fit over the old underlay....
but most of suppliers say you should buy new underlay as old will have
flattened etc...

In my experience, the carpet often outlasts the underlay - unless it's
really good stuff.

--
*If God dropped acid, would he see people?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Andrew" wrote in message ...
Just been out looking at new carpet for bedroom....
I'd originally thought I'd get them to fit over the old underlay....
but most of suppliers say you should buy new underlay as old will have
flattened etc...

Hmmm.... I've removed old carpet ...
Current underlay is somesort of brownish fibre (actually green squared
pattern
on floorboard side and brown matt fibres on top side...) and about 5+mm
thick ... staple thru
Its at least 8 years old (we moved in) ... and less than 25 years old (house
built)....

Underlay costs seem to be between £2 sqyd (fibre) and £5(foam) sq yd... Do I
need new ...
Would it help / be advisable to put the new layer (say fibre) of underlay
over the old and get them to staple top layer thru bottom to floorboard ...
or will this cause
trouble... Should I just throw out old underlay and replace with new
(I wouldn't want to throw out good stuff and replace with inferior just meet
some sales guys
quota)..
What say you ...?
thanks Andrew

I say that this is a d-i-y newsgroup! Carpet laying isn't rocket
science!
Carpet laying is easier than plumbing, just do it yourself!
You don't want a second layer of underlay over the first! it's either
reusable, or you strip it and
put new down. If the underlay is still resilient, then reuse it. Foam
underlay turns into dust in less
than ten years. Decent felt underlay costs around GBP5 per sq. m, well
worth reusing it.

--
Jan

In article ,
Jan Wysocki wrote:
Carpet laying is easier than plumbing, just do it yourself!

Might be to you, but it's not to me. If you want a neat job, that is. ;-)

--
*Therapy is expensive, poppin' bubble wrap is cheap! You choose.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Carpet laying is easier than plumbing, just do it yourself!


Might be to you, but it's not to me. If you want a neat job, that is. ;-)


I'll second that. I'll do any job on our house except for carpet laying
and whole-room plastering. I am not good enough to get a decent finish,
and I don't have enough rooms to practice on.

--
Grunff

In article ,
Grunff wrote:
Carpet laying is easier than plumbing, just do it yourself!


Might be to you, but it's not to me. If you want a neat job, that is. ;-)


I'll second that. I'll do any job on our house except for carpet laying
and whole-room plastering. I am not good enough to get a decent finish,
and I don't have enough rooms to practice on.

Yup. And if you make a mistake in plumbing, it's no big deal to simply do
that part again. Slice into a 1000 quid carpet wrongly and there's not
much you can do to fix it.

--
*Rehab is for quitters

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Andrew wrote:
Just been out looking at new carpet for bedroom....
I'd originally thought I'd get them to fit over the old underlay....
but most of suppliers say you should buy new underlay as old will have
flattened etc...

In my experience, the carpet often outlasts the underlay - unless it's
really good stuff.

Unless you cut holes in it for your pressure mats (!!)

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Jan Wysocki wrote:
Carpet laying is easier than plumbing, just do it yourself!

Might be to you, but it's not to me. If you want a neat job, that is. ;-)

Oh so you had your carpets fitted by a professional AND THEN took it up to
cut holes in your underlay for your pressure mats? WHAT?!

In article ,
PJ wrote:
Might be to you, but it's not to me. If you want a neat job, that is. ;-)

Oh so you had your carpets fitted by a professional AND THEN took it up
to cut holes in your underlay for your pressure mats? WHAT?!

You appear to have been waiting quite a time to have a go about this?

Lifting and re-laying a properly fitted carpet is easy - it's cutting it
correctly I find difficult.

And all my pressure pads are still working fine. Must be about 10 years
old and in the heaviest trafficked parts. I'd suggest you use a decent
supplier when you buy stuff. Price isn't everything.

--
*I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

You appear to have been waiting quite a time to have a go about this?

No, not waiting. i just remember.


And all my pressure pads are still working fine. Must be about 10 years
old and in the heaviest trafficked parts. I'd suggest you use a decent
supplier when you buy stuff. Price isn't everything.

But a pressure may is a pressure may... there is only one manufacturer.

Anyway.... you enjoy them.

In article ,
PJ wrote:
And all my pressure pads are still working fine. Must be about 10 years
old and in the heaviest trafficked parts. I'd suggest you use a decent
supplier when you buy stuff. Price isn't everything.

But a pressure may is a pressure may... there is only one manufacturer.

In the entire world? Somehow, I doubt that.

--
*Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Thanks for the advice ... I think I'll take a sample of my underlay (from a
high
traffic area) and compare with the vendors ... if theirs is noticably better
I'll
replace with new... else I'll keep the old...
thanks again
Andrew

Andrew wrote:
Just been out looking at new carpet for bedroom....
I'd originally thought I'd get them to fit over the old underlay....
but most of suppliers say you should buy new underlay as old will have
flattened etc...

Hmmm.... I've removed old carpet ...
Current underlay is somesort of brownish fibre (actually green squared
pattern
on floorboard side and brown matt fibres on top side...) and about
5+mm thick ... staple thru
Its at least 8 years old (we moved in) ... and less than 25 years old
(house built)....

Underlay costs seem to be between £2 sqyd (fibre) and £5(foam) sq
yd... Do I need new ...
Would it help / be advisable to put the new layer (say fibre) of
underlay over the old and get them to staple top layer thru bottom
to floorboard ... or will this cause
trouble... Should I just throw out old underlay and replace with new
(I wouldn't want to throw out good stuff and replace with inferior
just meet some sales guys
quota)..
What say you ...?
thanks Andrew

In message , Grunff
writes
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Carpet laying is easier than plumbing, just do it yourself!
Might be to you, but it's not to me. If you want a neat job, that
is. ;-)


I'll second that. I'll do any job on our house except for carpet laying
and whole-room plastering. I am not good enough to get a decent finish,
and I don't have enough rooms to practice on.

Especially the hall - stairs - landing bit

Also, a simple mistake can be quite costly

--
geoff

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
Grunff wrote:
Carpet laying is easier than plumbing, just do it yourself!


Might be to you, but it's not to me. If you want a neat job, that is. ;-)


I'll second that. I'll do any job on our house except for carpet laying
and whole-room plastering. I am not good enough to get a decent finish,
and I don't have enough rooms to practice on.

Yup. And if you make a mistake in plumbing, it's no big deal to simply do
that part again. Slice into a 1000 quid carpet wrongly and there's not
much you can do to fix it.

Call in Bob the Builder, he can fix it

--
geoff

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
PJ wrote:
And all my pressure pads are still working fine. Must be about 10
years
old and in the heaviest trafficked parts. I'd suggest you use a decent
supplier when you buy stuff. Price isn't everything.

But a pressure may is a pressure may... there is only one manufacturer.

In the entire world? Somehow, I doubt that.

Doubt what you like. Tell you what, you look for more than one and report
back because you can probably be bothered whereas I can't.

In article ,
PJ wrote:
But a pressure may is a pressure may... there is only one
manufacturer.

In the entire world? Somehow, I doubt that.

Doubt what you like. Tell you what, you look for more than one and report
back because you can probably be bothered whereas I can't.

You're the one who is somehow fixated about my use of pressure pads in my
own domestic installation where they work perfectly.

If you haven't got the skills to fit them properly so they are invisible
and reliable, why should I care?

--
*Give me ambiguity or give me something else.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In message ,
"Andrew" wrote:

Thanks for the advice ... I think I'll take a sample of my underlay (from a
high
traffic area) and compare with the vendors ... if theirs is noticably better
I'll
replace with new... else I'll keep the old...
thanks again
Andrew


Probably too late by now, but you could find an independent carpet
supplier like the one we've discovered near Caerphilly rather than
going to one of the chains.

This supplier quotes an "all in" price on his carpets - to include
underlay, gripper, fittings and laying - and *still* worked out cheaper
than CarpetRight who were having a "50% sale" day. CarpetRight's £/sqm
cost did look cheaper, but when you added in the underlay, gripper and
fittings it actually worked out about £1/sqm more expensive for the
exact same carpet before even considering how much it would cost to
have it fitted.

The independent bloke uses an underlay called "Cloud 9" by default which
is one step up from the usual paper/hessian/rippled rubber stuff, being
made from something which looks like chopped foam sandwiched between
paper/hessian and a very slippery PVC-type film.

If you are on a tight budget he will also compromise on some areas
(notably the underlay) as my sister has found :-)

Hwyl!

M.

--
Martin Angove: http://www.tridwr.demon.co.uk/
Two free issues: http://www.livtech.co.uk/ Living With Technology
.... Can I blame my spelling on Line Noise?