Fitting the Last Piece of the Jigsaw
When buying a new carpet; fitting is the last piece in the jigsaw.
For many of us we may think that once we’ve chosen our preferred design, the hardest part is over, but in reality that’s just the beginning.
Often homeowners will have little knowledge about what actually constitutes a good carpet fitter and indeed what kind of questions they should be asking to get the top level of service available to them. But like anything else, what can really help is knowing a couple of professional tips.
The quality of your installation is absolutely crucial. Even a good, hard wearing carpet will look poor if it hasn’t been fitted correctly.
Here we’ve given you an idea of what you should be looking at when getting your new carpet fitted.
Fit for the job? Proper installation is essential. Where you can, always have your carpet fitted professionally – when you have spent time, money and effort choosing a carpet you really want, don’t ruin it by having it badly fitted. Don’t be fooled by offers of ‘free fitting’. It’s a skilled job and you pay for what you get. Fitters who cut corners and fit carpets badly have the potential to completely ruin your carpet buying experience.
It’s important that you choose a carpet fitter who is a Master Fitter or Approved Fitter from the National Institute of Carpet and Floor Layers (NICF). As the only accredited body for carpet fitters, you can rest assured all members have been fully assessed to ensure they hit the required standard and offer a professional service.
Joining forces: If your room is larger than 4m wide, try and choose a carpet that comes in a 5m width to minimise or eliminate the need for a join.
If you do have to have a join in the carpet, it is important that the carpet fitter and you as the customer take the time to discuss where the seam will be. A common complaint, after installation, is the position of the seam. Joins aren’t invisible but where one is inevitable, ask that seams be placed in less visible areas.
This means that when buying new carpets you assess all your potential requirements. If you haven’t bough enough and need to purchase some down the line it’s unlikely it will come from the same production batch meaning the shade is likely to vary slightly. Planning can be everything.
Measuring mania: To get an approximate idea of the amount of carpet you need, multiply the length of the room by the width to get the square metreage. Make sure you have enough carpet to cover the room by adding an extra 10% to the measurements. This allows for room irregularities and colour match. With this in mind, the best course of action is to have a retailer or installer to make final measurements especially where stairs and odd-shaped rooms are being carpeted.