Carpet Replacement: DIY or Call a Professional?

Is carpet replacement a straightforward job you can do yourself? Or is it better to call a professional? Consider the following before deciding to replace your carpet yourself or to call in a water damage specialist:

• How Much Carpet Needs Replacement?

The first consideration should always be the scope of the replacement project. If just a small square of carpet (say, a half metre or so) needs to be cut out and replaced, it’s probably fine to do it yourself. You should, however, be extra cautious that you’ve assessed the visibly water-damaged section and a good swath around it, since water may have worked its way further than anticipated and can promote mould and bacterial growth if left intact.

For anything significant in size, your best bet is to call in a professional. Water damage often implies more than a spilt drink on a section of carpet but instead flood damage, so you can imagine that a project like this can affect the entire carpet pretty easily.

• What’s Your Budget?

Purchasing all of the tools and replacement carpet and backing won’t break the bank and it’s marginally less expensive than calling in a carpet replacement specialist. If you’re strictly concerned with saving as much as possible, do it yourself.

Carpet replacement specialists will charge for parts and labour, but the advantage of paying a few dollars more is that you can rest assured that they will get it done right the first time, saving you potentially lots of money if you would have had to redo the job yourself.

• Is Time Important to You?

If you’re in a hurry, it’s best to simply leave the job to a professional. Carpet replacement is their bread and butter, their meat and potatoes, well… you get the idea. Nevertheless, carpet replacement is possible to do yourself provided you’ve got the time, tools, and proper techniques to get the job done right the first time.

Of course, the time you spend working on your hands and knees is time you could be spending doing something more enjoyable on your free time, so consider the convenience of letting a professional handle it for you.

• Measure Twice, Cut Once

Sizing out carpet requirements for a room isn’t exactly rocket surgery, so purchasing, cutting, and replacing a section of carpet should be straightforward. Well, it depends on how much needs to be replaced as mentioned above. 

The unfortunate result of many DIY projects is improper replacement, since the carpet may have sustained water damage further along than what was initially visible. Water may have seeped under the backing and deep into the roots far beyond what you cut and replaced, so you’re still left with a hazardous section of carpet where mould and bacteria will begin to grow anew. Professionals can properly assess the scope of the damage and cut replacement carpet to the appropriate size so that the entire remaining carpet is safe.

• Verdict: DIY or Call a Professional?

If you’re the type that wants to save a few pennies and doesn’t mind spending quality time on your hands and knees, by all means replace your carpet yourself. It is a learning experience, but it’s also a project that can have serious consequences if all of the damaged carpet is not properly removed due to the growth of black mould.

In nearly every case, it’s best to get in touch with a reputable local water damage carpet remediation company to have your carpet replaced properly and safely.

Floodcare

The friendly people at Floodcare can have your carpet replaced safely and in short order. Get in touch with us today.