Carpetright prices and gap between skirting and flootrboards.

[hiwatt]

Hi guys.
I need new flooring and couldn't decide on Laminate or carpet but eventually decided on carpet.However there is an inch gap between my floorboards and skirting and when the guy came out to measure up he said with the underlay it might cover the gap but there might still be a gap.
Now in the small kitchen area it will have to be vinyl which means there will be a gap of an inch around the vinyl.
Any ideas what would cover these gaps without looking tacky??

Another issue.My flat is a very small one bedroom and living room with tiny "kitchen" area.
Carpetright quoted me £1,130 for my carpet,underlay and fitting.I couldn't beileve this as it's a tiny flat.
Is there anywhere that sells decent carpets at decent prices.
I just want a half decent quality carpet but that price seems ridiculous for a small bedroom and a living room(That wasn't even counting the vinyl for the small kitchen area)

 

[cjard]

Can you afford it? Do you want it? Right, well buy it then and stop moaning..

If you can't afford it, then maybe you should try seeking out another shop, one that doesn't have massive warehouses in every town, thousands of staff and a yearly advertising budget that runs to more than you or I will earn in 20 years.

Personally, I don't think the price is that unreasonable given the small size of e job, the messing about, what you're getting but we all have different perspectives..

 

[hiwatt]

It's not about if I can afford it or not.You think £1.130 to carpet one small bedroom and a small living room is reasonable??
Yes I could have got it there and then but thought the price was far too expensive for 2 small rooms.What I was asking was if anyone knew of somewhere that isn't as expensive and if the gaps could be a problem and how to cover them?Do I sense a carpetright interest/employee here?

"Personally, I don't think the price is that unreasonable given the small size of e job, the messing about"

What messsing about?I'm just wanting to buy a carpet and have it fitted?So you think the smaller the job the more I should be charged?I really don't get your logic here?

I'm not moaning I'm asking advice but could do without yours and your attitude to be honest.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

He's not having a pop, just gently suggesting that national chains are not necessarily the best way to go for windows, carpets, roofing etc etc- those adverts, vans etc cost money. As for small jobs being a pain- yes they are. For a good carpet fitter, a room takes x minutes- doesn't make much odds whether it is 2m x 2m or 2m x 5m. So even though in area terms your job is small, in time terms it'll cost. Up here there's a local company will do a whole house (think their definition of whole house is 3 bed terrace) underlay, reasonable carpet and fitted for £600.

25mm gaps under skirtings- bummer. No easy way out of that one. Best way is drop the skirtings but that'll be messy. You could try 10mm fillets glued to the bottom edge of the skirtings but again it'll be a faff to get it looking right. Don't use those horrible quadrant fillers that people put in with laminate flooring.

 

[hiwatt]

He's not having a pop, just gently suggesting that national chains are not necessarily the best way to go for windows, carpets, roofing etc etc- those adverts, vans etc cost money. As for small jobs being a pain- yes they are. For a good carpet fitter, a room takes x minutes- doesn't make much odds whether it is 2m x 2m or 2m x 5m. So even though in area terms your job is small, in time terms it'll cost. Up here there's a local company will do a whole house (think their definition of whole house is 3 bed terrace) underlay, reasonable carpet and fitted for £600.

25mm gaps under skirtings- bummer. No easy way out of that one. Best way is drop the skirtings but that'll be messy. You could try 10mm fillets glued to the bottom edge of the skirtings but again it'll be a faff to get it looking right. Don't use those horrible quadrant fillers that people put in with laminate flooring.

Cheers OBND.
£600 that sounds very fair.I thought even around £700-800 would do it.Regarding the 1" gaps,I've had a couple of people say that once the underlay is fitted then the carpet on top of the gripper that that should cover them up but someone else said probably not?
Do you think there will still be a visable gap if they tuck the carpet under the skirting?
Thanks a lot.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

If the gap really is an inch (25mm) then there's gonna be a gap- grip rod say 6mm, really expensive carpet 12mm=6mm gap. Which may or may not be a disaster, depends on colours. If you have dark carpet you'll probably get away with it, from a distance the gap won't register. Light or white carpet it'll look like a big black line round the room.
Easy way to fill the gap (if rooms are really small) 8mm osb or mdf covering the boards. But there's a swathe of stuff to ponder on that one- maintenance holes for pipework, will the doors clear, can you be a*sed?

 

[hiwatt]

If the gap really is an inch (25mm) then there's gonna be a gap- grip rod say 6mm, really expensive carpet 12mm=6mm gap. Which may or may not be a disaster, depends on colours. If you have dark carpet you'll probably get away with it, from a distance the gap won't register. Light or white carpet it'll look like a big black line round the room.
Easy way to fill the gap (if rooms are really small) 8mm osb or mdf covering the boards. But there's a swathe of stuff to ponder on that one- maintenance holes for pipework, will the doors clear, can you be a*sed?

The gap is an inch.I've measured it.It's slightly over an inch in some spots.I was gonna get a 6-7mm underlay and not a really expensive carpet but a half decent one.Was gonna get a dark grey colour.
The guy that came to mesure up for carpets reckoned you wouldn't see the gaps once the underlay and the gripper was down but it'd be a nightmare if I bought the new carpets etc and then there was still a visable gap.
In terms of pipework it's just a radiator in each room?
Is it a bad idea to go for carpets with a gap like this between the floorboords and skirting?
Thanks.

 

[dazlight]

The underlay doesn't go to the walls though. It's the gripper rod an the carpet.
You could plywood the floor 1st before the carpet

 

[oldbutnotdead]

It isn't ideal but what ya gonna do? With dark grey you'll probably get away with it. If its a local dealer, see if they'll let you have an offcut/remnant to play with, stick it under your skirting and see what you think (or if you have an other half see what he/she thinks- you're always going to see the gap now, someone who isn't looking for it may well not notice it if the grey is dark enough).

Now (given how cold it is) is a good time to check for draughts coming through those gaps- if you can feel any cold air movement then it'll be well worth filling the gap with something once the carpet is in. Slices of spare carpet folded double, maybe pipe insulation (depending on how grey your carpet is)- have a play, don't forget to ask the fitter to leave you the scraps.

Pipework- that's the fitters job, no problem as long as there's an inch or so between pipe and grip rod.

Another thought for you- while you've got bare floorboards you might want to check for obvious cut out boards (heating pipes, access to cables)- if you find any (or even whole floorboards that have obviously been removed at some stage) well worth seeing what is under them- if you find cables or pipes then mark the floor (PVC tape or gaffa tape with Sharpie writing on) - gives the fitter a fighting chance of not spiking cables or pipework when the grip rods go down.

 

[joe-90]

Just glue some timber strips under the skirting the same thickness as the skirting. Only take a couple of hours. £1100 is a silly price. Carpetright are ok for just fitting carpet - so lay your own grippers and underlay. It's not difficult.

 

[crazydaze]

Without knowing the cost of the carpet and the size of the rooms it's hard to say if it's a fair price, it's fair to say that it's often suggested that Carpet Right is not the cheapest place to buy carpets, but it is all dependent on spec.

 

[Tigger90]

Have you looked on eBay for your carpet? I knew which carpet I wanted and have got a brand name 80/20 wool mix 4.15m X 5m for £249.95 plus £13.95 postage. It is a great quality carpet and retailed at £913.

 

[KenGMac]

Why is there a 25.mm gap between skirting and floor?

How old is the property?

Ken.

 

[Gerrydelasel]

I'm not sure if this is what oldbutnotdead was talking about, but you could add more skirting board on top of the existing, but lower down. This would solve the gap problem and also create a more ornate skirting effect, which you might like?

(I was thinking of doing exactly this in my house, but for the opposite reason -I have NO gap under my skirting, but I want carpet fitted!)

 

[crazydaze]

I'm not sure if this is what oldbutnotdead was talking about, but you could add more skirting board on top of the existing, but lower down. This would solve the gap problem and also create a more ornate skirting effect, which you might like?

(I was thinking of doing exactly this in my house, but for the opposite reason -I have NO gap under my skirting, but I want carpet fitted!)

You don't need a gap to fit carpet, infact, the smaller the gap, the less you'll get black lines round the edges.