Felt Backed Carpet

[eeyrcr]

Hi,

I'm currently rennovating a first floor flat with a view to selling it on and making oodles of cash (?!?!?!??!?!??).

I'm trying to decide on a flooring. It used to be covered with underlay and hessian backed carpet. This has been taken up and has revealed that the floor is actually sheets of chipboard covered in some (presumably cheap) plastic tiles.

I've been looking for sources of cheap carpet and have been told about felt (not foam) backed carpet which doesn't need underlay.

Has anybody got experience of felt backed carpets without underlay? I can't help feeling that fitting a carpet with no underlay is somehow wrong. How does the felt compare with foam backed carpets?

Any opinions would be greatfully received!

Thanks,
- Chris

 

[shaggy]

Felt-backed carpet is replacing foam-back because long term the foam breaks down. You're selling it so why worry? I'm hoping to finish my house and sell next year. I shall fit the cheapest carpet I can find which at the moment is foam-back cord @£1.99/yd²

 

[eeyrcr]

Thanks for the response, shaggy!

I kind of share your sentiment with the "You're selling it so why worry?" comment. My only concern is that if the carpet feels cheap underfoot, it may put off potential buyers?

- Chris

 

[shaggy]

Not really; if it's good carpet then does the selling price include carpet? If it does, they say they don't want it and negotiate the price down excluding carpet. It's no use to you though so you leave it anyway. It's best to say the price doesn't include the cheap carpet and then just leave it. People like to make their mark on a house and will change the carpet and decorate to suit themselves. That's why new houses have magnolia walls; they look bright and clean but will be changed to suit the new owner. If they like the house they will buy it, so don't waste money on £50/yd² carpet.
Having said that I would never bodge a job or hide any defects because I was selling a house.

 

[WoodYouLike]

Yes, it will. They start thinking: hmm, need to replace that, extra costs

 

[Thermo]

i agree we thought that, still got the patterened 1970 s carpet in the lounge though (wouldnt have minded but its the same carpet as the one we had in our house when i was a boy!) Just because its cheap doesnt mean it has to look cheap. Have a good look around and get it laid by a professional. May cost a few quid extra, but a well laid cheap carpet looks better than a badly laid expensive one

 

[shaggy]

I don't expect everyone to agree with me but I have renovated and sold quite a few houses. Whatever you do, you have to try to please the majority of people. Some people will not like the bathroom suite or the kitchen. Some people will not like pvc windows and prefer real wood but others will want the lower maintenance of pvc. You can never please all the people.

 

[Thermo]

shaggy i see your point exactly. Its like kitchen units and bath fittings etc. If your developing on a tight budget then go for cheap plain stuff, but get it installed properly. Makes it look ten times better and more expensive.

 

[chappers]

A decent underlay can make the carpet feel of much better quality.
I am just finishing my third development and this time we have gone right for the top end of the market with the three flats we have done, Have already sold two of them at over the asking price and £ for £ have achieved a much higher return on our money this time.
Some people know and like quality and are willing to pay for it and some people wouldn't know quality if it bit them on the arse you can't do anything about that so aim for quality and maximise your profit.
I totally agree with Shaggy though if cheap is what you have to do then make sure the finish is impeccable as I said some people don't know cheap from expensive, but nearly everyone can tell well fitted from poor.

 

[MalcolmDJHarrison]

Shaggy, there is another issue that is missed in all this discussion. There is a sustainability issue and if you do up houses with cheap materials they are going to be scrapped sooner rather than later. One year in and a cheap carpet goes to landfill along with the kitchen and the bathroom suite. Its also about toxins and embodied energy and quality of the living environment too.