Anyone bought carpet recently?
 

I'm re-carpeting my rental property. Probably about 1100 sq. feet of carpet. I've only checked Home Depot so far, and was going to check Costco next.

What do I need to know? Why is the freakin' pad so expensive? Home Depot was trying to sell me on the moisture resistant pad- but it was pretty pricey.

Anyone want to steer me in a particular direction? Again, this is for a rental so I'm unsure if I just go cheap since I know it will need to be replaced before long or get something more durable ($) so it holds up.

Help.

I went for cheap medium brown carpet in our rental. It will probably get destroyed or stained. You could try the new stuff that comes in tiles, it's easy to fix a carpet stain when you just have to pull up the carpet tile.

Have you considered a click-lock laminate floor like what IKEA sells? It's an easy DIY install and cheap. I think it would hold up better for a rental than any carpet.

If I had a rental that would be my #1 choice. My in-laws (10 kids) had laminate throughout their old house for 5 years before they moved, it still looked like new. If that's not a torture test, I don't know what is.

If you buy carpet, invest in really good pad. You'll probably replace the carpet frequently due to abuse, but quality pad can last a LONG time.

for a rental you may want to look into inexpensive tile as well, more expensive in the short run but will outlast several carpets.

Another vote for laminate flooring. HD has some for .99$ per sq'. With the underlayment it is only around $1.30 sq'. This will hold up well to rental property. Sheet vinyl, unless you spend big bucks for commercial grade, will rip easily from fridges, washers and dryers and furniture. My family has a lot of rentals and we have gone to the laminate for outstanding durability and it doesnt hold odors and stains.
By the way, I just today installed laminate in one of our rentals. It looks great and will be there for years. I would be glad to come down and install it for you. Most carpet places charge around $4.00 per sq' to install but I can do MUCH better than that.
Ben

But does the carpet match the drapes? http://xkcd.com/508/

I think you're right that laminate might be the way to go.

Thanks for the direction.

Ben you have a PM!

Costco and Home Depot are relatively costly for rental rugs. Go to a carpet warehouse and find enough of a remnant roll to cover the area.

I've been away from purchasing carpeting for awhile. The first thing I noticed was that they now price carpeting by the square foot instead of by the square yard. Because most carpeting is oil-based (olefine, nylon, polyester, etc.), prices have increased. $1.50 per square foot sounds cheaper than $13.50/sq. yard.

S