Cost to Recarpet a Room: Average Prices and Budget Guide

A typical 12×12 bedroom runs $580 to $1,650 to recarpet with mid-range Stainmaster nylon over an 8-pound rebond pad, fully installed by an Empire-style chain or an independent flooring contractor. The total cost to recarpet a room breaks down to $2.80 to $7.20 per square foot installed for residential-grade products, plus $0.45 to $0.95 per sq ft for the pad and $0.65 to $1.25 per sq ft in labor. Premium SmartStrand or wool nylon blends push the budget to $9 to $14 per sq ft, while builder-grade polyester from Home Depot or Lowes starts at $1.49 per sq ft for material alone. Where you land depends on three choices: fiber, face weight, and pad density.

Average Costs by Room Size

• Small bedroom (10×10, 100 sq ft): $410-$1,150 installed
• Standard bedroom (12×12, 144 sq ft): $580-$1,650 installed
• Master bedroom (14×16, 224 sq ft): $895-$2,560 installed
• Living room (16×20, 320 sq ft): $1,280-$3,650 installed
• Stairs (12 steps, 80 sq ft equivalent): $480-$1,400 installed

These figures assume basic furniture moving, tear-out and disposal of old carpet, and a standard tackless installation. Add $0.35 to $0.65 per sq ft if your subfloor needs leveling or if you have an open-concept floor plan with multiple seam locations.

Fiber Choices and What They Cost

Polyester ($1.49-$3.50/sq ft material)

PET polyester from Mohawk SmartStrand SilkReserve and Shaw Anso Premier handles stains well but mats faster than nylon under heavy traffic. Best for bedrooms, guest rooms, and low-use areas. Expect 5 to 8 years of life before visible wear.

Nylon ($3.25-$6.50/sq ft material)

Nylon is the workhorse of US residential carpet. Stainmaster PetProtect, Mohawk Continuum, and Shaw Caress all use type 6,6 nylon with solution-dyed color. The fiber resilience holds up to 12 to 18 years of use, justifies a higher upfront price, and resists matting in hallways and stairs.

Triexta ($4.50-$7.25/sq ft material)

Mohawk SmartStrand uses corn-based triexta (PTT) with a permanent stain protection built into the fiber. Spilled red wine and pet accidents rinse out with water, even after months. The trade-off is slight matting under heavy point loads like chair legs.

Wool ($8-$14/sq ft material)

Wool from Karastan, Couristan, and Stark resists soil naturally through lanolin content, holds dye richness for decades, and self-extinguishes in fire. The premium price reflects 25 to 40 years of expected life with proper care.

Padding Choices That Affect Comfort and Warranty

The pad is the single most underspecified part of a carpet job, and it determines how the finished floor feels underfoot. Rebond pad in 6 to 8 pound density at 7/16-inch thickness costs $0.45 to $0.65 per sq ft and works fine for bedrooms. Stairs and high-traffic areas need 8 to 10 pound density at no more than 3/8-inch thickness, or the carpet will telegraph footprints and wear at the edge of each tread.

For pet-prone households, moisture-barrier pads from Healthier Choice or Future Foam at $0.85 to $1.15 per sq ft block urine from reaching the subfloor. Most carpet manufacturers void texture-retention warranties if you install too thick or too soft a pad, so confirm pad specs against the carpet manufacturer’s installation guide.

Labor and Installation Charges

Installation labor runs $0.65 to $1.25 per sq ft for straightforward bedroom installs. Add costs for the following extras:

• Old carpet tear-out and haul-away: $0.35-$0.75 per sq ft
• Furniture moving: $35-$125 per room
• Stairs (per step): $7-$15 each above standard
• Custom seams in odd-shaped rooms: $45-$95 per seam
• Transition strips at doorways: $12-$28 each
• Subfloor repair (per sheet of 3/4 plywood): $85-$165

Where to Buy: Big Box vs Independent vs Direct

Home Depot and Lowes promote $189 whole-house installation specials, but the per-square-foot material price typically runs 15 to 25 percent higher than an independent flooring shop. The chains use subcontracted installers paid per square foot, which incentivizes speed over quality. Independent shops like local Carpet One, Flooring America, and family-owned dealers often match online pricing and provide W-2 installers with 5 to 15 years of experience on the same crew.

Online sources like Carpet Express, Georgia Carpet Industries, and SqYards sell mill-direct goods at $1.85 to $3.50 per sq ft, which lets you arrange your own installer at $0.85 to $1.45 per sq ft separately. Total savings of 18 to 30 percent are realistic if you can coordinate logistics.

Hidden Costs That Bust Budgets

The original installer often charges a $125 to $245 fee to move large furniture like beds and dressers, and a $35 to $65 per-piece fee for armoires and pianos. Carpet over radiant heat needs a special low-R-value pad that adds $0.45 to $0.85 per sq ft. Houses built before 1978 with possible asbestos backing on old vinyl require professional testing at $185 to $385 before tear-out. Allergen-sensitive customers spending another $0.25 to $0.45 per sq ft on a HEPA vacuum prep and Lock-and-Key seaming for off-gas control.

How Long Will It Last

Expect 7 to 12 years from a $4 per sq ft nylon, 12 to 18 years from a $6 to $8 per sq ft Stainmaster or SmartStrand, and 25 to 40 years from a wool installation kept clean and professionally maintained. Professional steam cleaning every 12 to 18 months at $0.25 to $0.45 per sq ft extends life by 30 to 50 percent versus rental-machine cleaning.

Final Considerations

For most homeowners, the sweet spot in cost to recarpet a room sits at $4.50 to $6.50 per sq ft installed for a mid-range Stainmaster nylon over an 8-pound pad. Skip the cheapest tier; the $1.49 builder-grade carpet looks tired in 36 months and the labor cost to redo the job wipes out any savings. Get three written bids, ask each installer to specify pad density and stretching method (power stretcher only, never knee kicker on a full install), and budget 10 to 15 percent contingency for subfloor or trim surprises.