Is there a better time to buy carpeting?

[veremchuka]

I only purchased carpeting once when we were building this house. At that time we had no choice when to buy, it was a month before the CO was issued.

Today I have a problem. My dog peed on one of the bedroom carpets for a few years. She died just over 9 months ago and that carpet is still tacky damp and one spot is really bad. I want and need to replace the carpet. I may need to cut out and replace parts of the floor as I am sure the pee has soaked into the plywood. For this reason I can't just order and have them do an install, I need to see what it looks like under the underlay.

So since I have the luxury to buy the carpeting today or before Christmas or in the middle of January, is there a time that would be advantageous to do so relative to the price? I always was told it was a good time to buy a new car just after Christmas as everyone was broke or did not want to buy a new car in winter due to the salt and sand on the roads. Seems early January would be a time that people would not be buying carpet and maybe the prices would be better?

 

[W2R]

I'd think that might depend on the store from which you intend to buy your carpet. My suggestion would be to go over there during a slow time, and just ask and see what they say.

I just assumed that after right Hurricane Isaac, with all the flooded houses nearby, would not be a great time to buy carpet here. So, I waited a month and a half or so. When I finally went in, they told me that business had actually been down... apparently everyone else was waiting too, or else they were waiting for insurance settlements or something. I got an unbelievably low price on my carpet, and less than a week after my first inquiry I had new carpet. They also subtracted the charge to remove the old carpeting.

Maybe it would be a good idea to cut the carpet out so that you can take a look. If it needs subflooring, that could take longer and cost more so you might want to know about that.

After my carpet got so wet due to the hurricane, I called my handyman and had him (and his son) cut it out and put it down by the curb. Then I was easily able to see that no mold had formed, and that was a big relief and allowed Home Depot to do a better cost estimate when they came over to do that.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Carpet buying is indeed seasonal.

The worst time to buy carpet is before the Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. At that time many people are re-carpeting to impress relatives that will be visiting.

The best time to buy carpet, is the two months after New Years when everyone is broke from Christmas. Furthermore many stores pay an inventory tax on around Feb 1 and wish to unload merchandise before then.

However, sales come and go. If you can catch a great price then grab it.

 

[Mulligan]

On a house I bought about 15 years ago, it had the same problem of animal urine in the carpet. When I pulled the carpet back, the smell was stronger as the pad and flooring was exposed. I let it "air out " a few days and then bleach moped the flooring a few times before I had the new pad and carpet installed. I never smelled the urine again.

 

[Dimsumkid]

You should use this product on the stained areas if the wood underneath isn't replaced. I used it when I had a few litters to take care of, it works pretty well neutralizing the odors. They sell it at the local pet stores too.

Amazon.com: Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor Remover, 32-Ounce: Pet Supplies

Home Depot is running a whole house $37 basic carpet install until 12/19 (on purchases over $599), at least it'll save you on the install if you can't find a better deal at other places. It's in my local ad, should be a national deal, you need to check your local ad:

Niles Home Depot Weekly Ads, Guides, and Catalogs

 

[jerome len]

I've saved some money by dropping by Home Depot once a week looking at what they put on sale. I "think" that when a carpet has been in stock too long they drastically reduce the price until it's gone. A few years, ago, they had 2 different carpet choices we liked.......we went back a couple weeks later to buy and one of the two had its price reduced by half. When I asked why, the salesman said it wasn't moving so they had to "blow it out and take the loss". If you have the time and a HD near by, you might check it out for a few weeks and see if you can get a deal on something you really like. Good luck.

 

[FUEGO]

My BIL does flooring (tile and hardwood) and is usually busiest in the late spring and summer and into the fall. Usually he slows down by winter as most of the new builds seem to start at the end of winter or early spring when it starts to warm up. Makes laying concrete easier. So if you asked him when he would be willing to come down on price (for labor) it would be winter time when he is looking for work, not summer or fall when he's working 60+ hrs/wk.

But it sounds like you might be doing this yourself or buying a small patch? Carpet is pretty cheap in small quantities so if you can find a good match to patch a small area I would guess timing the absolute cheapest purchase isn't too important.

That said, I saw the home depot $37 carpet install deal and it looks pretty good. You could probably knock out re-carpeting 2-3+ rooms by buying $600 of carpet and paying $37 for labor. Not sure what isn't included in "basic install" though... And you may be able to pay a little extra to get them to pull up and replace a sheet or two of sub floor while they are out.

 

[veremchuka]

Maybe it would be a good idea to cut the carpet out so that you can take a look. If it needs subflooring, that could take longer and cost more so you might want to know about that.

Absolutely, I intend to cut out the worst areas to see what damage has been done to the plywood before I decide on any carpet much less have it brought here. I fear I'll see rotting wood and this is why I suspect I may need to cut out parts of the floor. I've held off cutting out parts of the carpet because I know I'm not ready to address this say this week or next but I want to do it in the coming months. The fact the carpet is still damp in 1 spot indicates there's a lot of dampness in the underlay and probably the floor otherwise it should have dried out in 10 months.

Carpet buying is indeed seasonal.

The worst time to buy carpet is before the Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. At that time many people are re-carpeting to impress relatives that will be visiting.

The best time to buy carpet, is the two months after New Years when everyone is broke from Christmas. Furthermore many stores pay an inventory tax on around Feb 1 and wish to unload merchandise before then.

However, sales come and go. If you can catch a great price then grab it.

Excellent info, thanks! Sounds like mid January to mid february would be a good time to buy it. I could get the floor fixed in early January and then be ready for the carpet. Makes sense that people would be buying before the holidays, good thing I asked.

You should use this product on the stained areas if the wood underneath isn't replaced. I used it when I had a few litters to take care of, it works pretty well neutralizing the odors. They sell it at the local pet stores too.

Amazon.com: Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor Remover, 32-Ounce: Pet Supplies

I bought this product by the gallon in her final 2-3 years! The funny thing is the carpet doesn't smell to me unless I get right down near it and then it has a bit of a urine smell.

Thanks all for the info.