carpet suggestions... (1 Viewer)

[Keith M.]

Im finally ready to have carpet installed in the HT. But I am having a very hard time deciding on the carpet that I like...

It is in the basement on a cement floor and I know I want berber for its durability and I want something soft enough to be able to sit on the floor if need be...

I kinda like the pattern carpets but am afraid it may make the room look small.

What did most of you end up choosing and why?? Pictures are a plus!! Are there any details I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance...

BTW, I will be posting my HT pictures as soon as I get the carpet installed...

 

[Ed O'Neill]

Keith,

Having been a rug/carpet cleaner for 10 years. I have also done repairs as well. I can tell you that you can put whatever type of cartpet that you want in your basement.If you just use a jute pad it will give it that cushy feeling. I would highly recommend that you do not glue down the rug, if a child falls it will hurt.

Just a note of caution if your room is wider than 12 feet and you do get a berber make sure you buy 15' wide carpeting. You do NOT want to have a seem in a berber. Berber is a continueos loop carpet meaning if you get a pull it will eventually keep on pulling. The only way around this is if you get a pull you will have to actually melt the fibers using a soldering iron. Now having said that this can also happen to level-loop commercial carpeting however this carpeting is a lot cheaper. I bought my carpet for 80 cents a sq ft(cash and carry). Another good thing about commercial carpeting is you can usually get the darker colors. There are very few dark colors in berber.

No matter what you decide, don't go to HD or Lowes their selections are really not the best and the installers are iffy at best, also the installation prices are really jacked up. They are usually sub-contractors that worker at the smaller rug shops in your area. I went shopping for carpeting at the local rug shops, better selection and basically the same prices.

My theater is on my first floor (converted bedroom). SO I didn't have to deal with the tacking strips on cement. I was going for the theater look and got commmercial pattern carpeting. You might be able to see it in the pictures of my webpag: http://home.comcast.net/~coin-opcollector/

Hope this helps and wasn't to overwhelming

Signed
Ed

 

[Keith M.]

I actually have only looked at Lowes. I had them come out and measure. I just got the quote. They want about $1000 for my HT approx. 19' x 10 installed w/ padding!!! This seems outrageous, maybe I have chosen too high grade a carpet (maggie valley i think it is, very plush 100% nylon burber)...

Other suggestions... BTW, Im in Georgia...

 

[Keith M.]

also, installation is about $200... Is this reasonable for installation???

 

[Mike V]

Keith,

I had Berber installed a few years back, I can't remember the specifics of the carpet, sorry. The cost for my room, including everything was $1,150.00. The room is 14' x 24', is in the basement, and has a concrete floor. Based on that, I think the price you were quoted isn't bad.

I've had no problems with the carpet and it is very "cushy". I think the advice that Ed had is right on, a good pad goes a long way.

 

[paul_r]

Have a look at the carpet I put in my theater I got in Dalton north of atlanta. Just follow the link below I belive the almost finished 2 page has a close up of the carpet the pictures might be a bit dark If you want I can try and take another to send to you.

 

[Ed O'Neill]

Keith's.... 21 sq yds $1000-Price per yard $47.62
Mike V .....37 sq yds $1150-Price per yard $31.00

Keith,
That's a big diffrence in price but you may have picked out more expensive carpet.The price of $200 for the install is a good quote.After all it is an easy job with no seems.

Mike V,
Where in MA are you from.

Signed
Ed

 

[MikeWh]

I shopped around quite a bit and did excessive research (as usual for me). Carpeting was by far the most expensive part of my HT construction (not including electronics), taking about 1/3 of my budget, so I really shopped for a decent deal.

I compared several local carpet shops and HD and Lowes. I was interested in a medium-quality textured carpet, so my numbers are harder to compare to berber, which is more expensive. Also, because I needed so much carpet, I couldn't afford medium-to-high quality. I was targetting $2.40-2.80 per sq. ft., installed.

My major reasons for choosing a textured pile-- I wanted a soft carpet (not a berber) and didn't want to show tracking (like a saxony). Also, I chose their standard 7/16" pad (for plush carpets), as this is a very low traffic area in my house, and people are sitting in chairs, not walking all over the place. Mine is installed over wood subfloors, so this is a major difference that doesn't equate with your install. One final note about quality and padding-- the carpet in my HT is about 1000x more comfortable than the standard builder-grade trash that was installed in my house when I bought it brand-new. I'm extremely happy with the quality of my HT carpet. I now wish all my carpeting was like this.

The main problem I encountered was that I was interested in a light-to-medium completely neutral gray color, that would match my paint/decor. It was extremely difficult for me to find samples in the right depth of gray and without slight shades of red, green, blue, etc. in it. None of the samples from the 2 carpet stores were ideal. One or two were close. My BIGGEST piece of advice, if you are worried about color balancing-- bring home samples and look at them in the painted room.

I brought home about 10-15 samples from the 2 stores and about 10 from HD and Lowes. I found only 2 that would meet my price and color requirements. Both happened to be from Home Depot, which in my experience was a great deal.

A MAJOR $$$ saving tip on HD carpet (assuming HD still has this deal)-- apply for a Home Depot credit card, when you are ready to order the carpet. They offered 10% off the first purchase on the card, which saved me $103, plus zero % interest for 10 or 12 months. If this is still offered, this is a major way to save cash.

Total Cost: $1443.02 (total, tax included, with a 10% disc. on carpet) ($21.53/sy or $2.39/sf)

Breakdown:
67 sy carpet (67 @ $15.32/sy uninst.) = $1026.44
free pad
basic install (67 @ $5.50/sy) = $368.50
stairs install (12 @ $7.50/each) = $90.00

 

[Mike V]

Ed,

Raynham. About 75 miles South of you.

 

[Jared Neumann]

It might sound silly but I just put in the highest quality charcoal carpet I could find and love it

Its very plush you can barely even see the lines in it when vacuming

 

[MikeWh]

Why is that silly? If you can afford it, why not!

 

[Glenise]

Keith,

This is what I did.
I purchased some remnant carpet from Dalton Carpet Connection 770-941-1090 in Austell/Mableton.
This way I didn't have to drive to Dalton, GA.
I was going with one carpet but found a commercial remnant and went with that.

This is the carpet that I got.
http://www.geocities.com/myhometheater/carpet.jpg

You will have to cut and paste into your browser since I use Geocities.

Here is another picture showing some of the carpet.
Again, you have to do a cut and paste.

http://community.webshots.com/s/imag...sJUyoOb_ph.jpg

 

[Glenise]

Keith,

My carpet is in the basement and I chose not to got with a pad. I just had the installer glue the carpet to concrete.
I dont know if this is a bad thing but I'm not in the theater everyday so the carpet should last for a long time.

 

[Keith M.]

Thanks everyone for the info...


I guess I will just pull the trigger, I havent cut any corners this far on the HT, so I might as well just finish it...


Im sure it will all be worth it on opening night!!

 

[Ed O'Neill]

Glenise

With a pad that rug would last your lifetime.

Signed
ED

 

[Glenise]

Oh well.
Let's hope my carpet lasts a long time without a pad.
What are people using in their lobbies?
Carpet, tile, hardwood, etc.