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AIBU?

...to think it is worth £30 for someone else to take the carpet up?

55 replies

5Foot5 · 07/10/2013 13:16

DH and I disagree on this. He thinks IABU and I think he is being unrealistic. I would be interested in views and suggestions.

We have ordered a new carpet for the lounge and dining room. While talking to the salesman he explained how much it would cost to have it fitted. He then said "I assume you are OK taking up the old carpet?" Now it had never actually occurred to me that we would have to do this (it is ages since we had any new carpet) so I must have looked doubtful. He then said that the carpet fitter could take it up for us but it would cost an extra £30. My reaction was "Fine, we would like that" while DH was "Oh it's OK we can do it ourselves." The salesman then said we could think about it but would have to let them know before the appointment with the fitter was made.

So. £30. We are not rolling in money but we are not hard up either. Also we found the carpet had a discount on it that we were not expecting which means it is coming in at less than we expected. Either way we could afford the £30 no problem.

DH is saying it will be dead easy we can just pull it up before we go to bed the night before. I think he is being over-optimistic because we will have to cut it up to get it out of the house and if we wait until just before bedtime we probably won't be in bed until about 2am.

In any case we will have to move as much furniture as possible out of the room that evening so once we have done that and then pulled up the carpet it will mean downstairs is a bit of a grim place to be. We don't have nice cosy floorboards it is a solid concrete floor. Frankly I just want to hand over the extra £30 and let someone else deal with it.

Who is being unreasonable do you think? Anyone pulled up any carpets lately to share their experiences?

OP posts:
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craftynclothy · 07/10/2013 13:19

We pulled ours up easy enough. Rolled it to mske it easy to get out of door. I'm with your dh. I wouldn't pay 30 quid for it

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NotYoMomma · 07/10/2013 13:20

they are a piece of piss to take up - yabu

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 07/10/2013 13:20

It is dead easy but allow yourself time.

Before you lift it, cut it into metre wide strips with a sharp knife. Much easier to handle smaller width rolls.

Then you need to allow time to give the floor underneath a really good brush and perhaps a wipe over with a cloth. If you've got floorboards that squeak its a good time to to sort them out. Its also a really good time to repaint your skirting boards. Way easier without the carpet and wont take long if you dont need to scrape lots of old paint off first.

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 07/10/2013 13:22

ah, oops about the concrete floor/floorboards. At least you dont have squeaking to sort out. Still worth getting rid of all the dirt underneath the carpet though.

With dds room we cut out a square of carpet to make do as a temporary rug as we had time to paint the room before the carpet came and didnt want her on bare floorboards.

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Maryann1975 · 07/10/2013 13:22

I was lucky and had a lovely brother who offered was bullied into taking my carpet up in the front room. I think it was a PITA kind of job though, just man handling all the carpet and lugging it to his van, taking it to the tip etc. if I hadn't got a brother I would probably pay £30 and not feel bad. We are not rolling in money either.

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DameFanny · 07/10/2013 13:26

If the money includes taking the carpet away for disposal I'd bite his hand off.

Oh, and do you have a wrecking bar or similar to get the grips up? Because they're an utter pain.

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 07/10/2013 13:28

It might be that they will reuse the grips?

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Flatiron · 07/10/2013 13:30

I haven't got anything against paying in principle, but we have always taken up our own carpets, only so that I can be sure that the floor underneath has been cleaned and hoovered properly!

Can't bear the idea of brand new carpet being laid on top of all the dirt left behind when you remove the old one Blush

I suppose you could hoover after the fitter has removed the carpet, or he might even do that himself, if you're lucky!

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5Foot5 · 07/10/2013 13:31

The £30 does not include taking the carpet away, we still have to do that ourselves either way. Apparently if they take it to the tip it counts as trade waste and they have to pay £70 but if we take it to the tip it is household waste.

What is a wrecking bar? Oh god I hadn't even thought of the grips!

It is a moderately large area - about 4m by 8m which is why I think it won't be a quick job.

We are decorating well before the new carpet comes but I don't want the old one taken up before we decorate because I hate the thought of living on bare concrete until the new carpet arrives.

OP posts:
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valiumredhead · 07/10/2013 13:32

Easy to take up-cut the carpet into manageable strips with a Stanley knife and roll and tape with gaffer taper or similar.

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MrsLettuce · 07/10/2013 13:34

Hell, I'd have 'em do it in a heart beat.

Surely it's not only taking up the old carpet, it's the disposal and cleaning the floor before fitting the new carpet? Let 'em get on with it!

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MrsLettuce · 07/10/2013 13:35

x psts - probably not worth it then. HoHum

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Alibabaandthe40nappies · 07/10/2013 13:38

They won't take it away for you? That is rubbish. We paid £40 for fitting and disposal when we last had carpet fitted. The whole point of having someone do these things is so that you don't have the hassle.

I always make the fitter wait while I hoover the floor quickly, although normally that can be achieved while they are taking the old carpet out and into their van and bringing the new one inside.

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steppedonlego · 07/10/2013 13:41

I took up a carpet from concrete floor on my own when 3 months pregnant. Really easy to do, the grips I just levered out with the nail side of a hammer. Give yourself a couple of hours, but save yourself the £30

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MissGarth · 07/10/2013 13:43

My neighbour put her old carpet up on gumtree the other day...free for collection. I thought this was odd. She got three offers to take it that day; apparently people use it in gardens to die back weeds or something? I don't know, but anyway, if you can pull it and roll it up it might mean someone else will come and take it off your hands for you for free.

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Writerwannabe83 · 07/10/2013 13:43

I'd pay the £30 Smile

My husband on the other hand would absolutely refuse and no doubt make a right mess of trying to do it himself Smile

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MoaningMingeWhingesAgain · 07/10/2013 13:47

Take it up yourself.

If you offer the old one on freecycle someone may collect it for you to use in their garden/allotment to keep the weeds down.

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Onesleeptillwembley · 07/10/2013 13:49

Seriously? You think your husband is being unrealistic? And the poster above who wouldn't trust hers as 'he'd make a mess of it'? Did you marry children? I dread to think what your husbands are like if you are so convinced they can't do this simple job.

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StanleyLambchop · 07/10/2013 13:52

It is a horrible job and we have always paid for the fitters to take it up- usually they take it away at the same time, I think we paid £25 for it last time. Have you got underlay to go as well? Sometimes they can re-use that (and the grippers) but ours is usually all squished down so you don't get the soft bouncy feeling you get with a carpet with fresh underlay. The grippers usually fall apart just to the extent that you can't re-use them, but not to the extent that they are easy to take out. As I said, horrible job. YANBU to want them to do it.

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BackforGood · 07/10/2013 13:52

I agree with MissGarth - carpets are quite often advertised on Freegle and always 'taken' very quickly.
I wouldn't pay £30 to have them take it up.
Even if you did, they wouldn't clean it all before putting the new one down.

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FortyDoorsToNowhere · 07/10/2013 13:52

I would double check that the carpet fitters will move furniture.

We had to move every thing for them.

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StanleyLambchop · 07/10/2013 13:54

BTW they don't advise using old carpet on allotments anymore. Apparently it can leach chemicals into the ground and contaminate it.

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GhostsInSnow · 07/10/2013 13:56

If he was taking it away then yes, I'd do it. I've pulled carpet up before where the rubber back perishes and I'm left in a cloud of choking dust, but if you still have to dispose of it yourself then no, not worth it.

My Mum ordered new carpet last year, I said I'd be over on the morning of the fitting and I'd get up the old stuff. Fairly large living room. I arrived at 10am to find not only had she taken the bloody lot up 2 days before but she'd cut it down into manageable chunks and managed to convince the bin men to take it for her by bribing them with a fiver and a bottle of pepsi Shock
She's 77.

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OldBeanbagz · 07/10/2013 13:57

Personally i would take the carpet up myself and offer it on Freecycle. There's always someone else in need.

Paying £30 is just mad.

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Stravy · 07/10/2013 13:58

I wouldn't pay. DH would. I would pay if it was for them to move the furniture, take up the carpet and then dispose of it but not just to take it up.

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