How Much Does Carpet Fitting Cost in 2026?
Carpet fitting costs £4 to £10 per m² for the labour alone in October 2026, so a fitter will charge around £60 to £100 to lay a carpet in a standard bedroom. Carpet, underlay and fitting together usually come to £20 to £40 per m², which works out at £300 to £750 for most bedrooms.
£4 to £10
Fitting only, per m²
£60 to £100
Fitting a bedroom
£75 to £160
Fitting stairs and landing
£1,500 to £3,000
Carpeting a 3-bed house
Anyone can call themselves a carpet fitter. Ask how long they've been fitting, whether they hold public liability insurance and what happens if the carpet ripples or a seam opens up. The National Institute of Carpet and Floorlayers lists qualified fitters near you, and retailers in the Carpet Foundation follow a consumer code approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.
Carpet Fitting Prices (Labour Only)
If you've already bought the carpet, or the shop doesn't include fitting, these are the rates independent fitters charge. Most price rooms by the square metre and stairs by the flight.
Fitting per m²
£4 to £10 per m²
Flat rooms: gripper, underlay and carpet laid
Typical: £6 per m²
Standard bedroom
£60 to £100
10 to 15m², fitting only
Typical: £80
Stairs and landing
£75 to £160
Straight flight, fitting only
Typical: £120
Stairs priced per step
£12 to £20 per stair
Winders and half landings cost more
Typical: £15 per stair
Day rate
£150 to £250
For whole-house jobs
Typical: £200
Minimum charge
£60 to £80
Small jobs such as a single landing
Typical: £70
| Job | What it covers | Typical | Price range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitting per m² | Flat rooms: gripper, underlay and carpet laid | £6 per m² | £4 to £10 per m² |
| Standard bedroom | 10 to 15m², fitting only | £80 | £60 to £100 |
| Stairs and landing | Straight flight, fitting only | £120 | £75 to £160 |
| Stairs priced per step | Winders and half landings cost more | £15 per stair | £12 to £20 per stair |
| Day rate | For whole-house jobs | £200 | £150 to £250 |
| Minimum charge | Small jobs such as a single landing | £70 | £60 to £80 |
Sources: published UK carpet fitting price guides from trade directories and flooring retailers, and rates advertised by carpet fitters (March to September 2026). Ranges are rounded. How we put our prices together.
To cite this page: Less.co.uk, “Carpet Fitting Cost UK 2026”, updated 27 October 2026, https://less.co.uk/home-improvements/flooring/carpet-fitting-cost. You're welcome to quote these figures with a link to this page.
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How Much Does It Cost to Carpet a Room?
These totals are for a mid-range carpet at around £30 to £40 per m², supplied and fitted with underlay, gripper and door bars. A budget carpet brings them down by roughly 40%, and a premium wool carpet can double them.
Hallway
about 6m²
£150 to £250
Small bedroom
10 to 12m²
£300 to £450
Double bedroom
15 to 20m²
£500 to £750
Living room
20 to 25m²
£600 to £950
Stairs and landing
straight flight
£300 to £450
Whole 3-bed house
60 to 80m²
£1,500 to £3,000
| Room | Size | Supplied and fitted |
|---|---|---|
| Hallway | about 6m² | £150 to £250 |
| Small bedroom | 10 to 12m² | £300 to £450 |
| Double bedroom | 15 to 20m² | £500 to £750 |
| Living room | 20 to 25m² | £600 to £950 |
| Stairs and landing | straight flight | £300 to £450 |
| Whole 3-bed house | 60 to 80m² | £1,500 to £3,000 |
Fitted Carpet Prices per m²
The carpet you choose moves the total far more than the fitting does. These prices include the carpet, underlay and fitting.
Budget
£18 to £25 per m²
Polypropylene, often felt or foam backed
Mid-range
£30 to £40 per m²
Better polypropylene or nylon twist and saxony
Premium
£50 to £80+ per m²
Wool and wool-rich carpets
For prices on laminate, vinyl, engineered wood and other floors, see our flooring cost guide.
Extra Costs on a Carpet Quote
These are the items most likely to be charged on top of the per m² rate. Ask for each one to be listed so you can compare quotes properly.
Underlay
£3 to £8 per m²
Thicker underlay makes a mid-range carpet feel better and last longer
Gripper rods and door bars
£10 to £15 per room
Door bars on their own are about £5 to £10 each
Taking up and disposing of old carpet
£20 to £50 per room
Or £1.50 to £3 per m²
Trimming doors
£20 to £50 per door
Needed when the new carpet and underlay are thicker than the old
Moving furniture
Often included
Some fitters charge £50 to £100 for heavy or bulky pieces
| Extra | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Underlay | £3 to £8 per m² | Thicker underlay makes a mid-range carpet feel better and last longer |
| Gripper rods and door bars | £10 to £15 per room | Door bars on their own are about £5 to £10 each |
| Taking up and disposing of old carpet | £20 to £50 per room | Or £1.50 to £3 per m² |
| Trimming doors | £20 to £50 per door | Needed when the new carpet and underlay are thicker than the old |
| Moving furniture | Often included | Some fitters charge £50 to £100 for heavy or bulky pieces |
Carpet Fitting Costs by Region
Typical prices for carpeting a 12m² bedroom with a mid-range carpet, supplied and fitted. London comes in about 17% above the UK average, and the North East and Yorkshire about 11% below.
| Region | 12m² bedroom |
|---|---|
| London | £490 |
| South East | £450 |
| East of England | £440 |
| North West | £430 |
| Scotland | £420 |
| Midlands | £420 |
| South West | £410 |
| Wales | £390 |
| North East | £370 |
| Yorkshire | £370 |
Regional prices use the BCIS location factors published by the Department for Education (December 2025), with the Valuation Office Agency's figure for Wales. There's no current official figure for Scotland, so we show the UK price there. How we work out regional prices.
What a Carpet Fitter Does for the Money
The fitter nails or glues gripper rods around the edge of the room, lays the underlay, then stretches the carpet over the gripper with a knee kicker so it sits tight with no ripples. They trim it at the skirting, tuck the edges in and fit a door bar at each doorway. A standard room takes two to four hours, so a whole upstairs is often a day's work.
Big carpet retailers often sell fitting as an extra or offer it free above a certain spend, and the person who turns up is frequently a self-employed fitter working for the shop. Either way, check whether the price covers underlay, gripper, door bars, stairs and taking away the old carpet.
Why You Pay for More Carpet Than the Room Needs
Carpet comes off the roll in fixed widths, usually 4m or 5m in the UK. A bedroom 3.6m wide still needs a 4m-wide piece, so you pay for the strip that gets trimmed off. A good fitter or shop measures up and plans the cuts to keep the waste down, and will tell you where any join will fall. If you're measuring yourself, measure at the widest points, including door recesses and bay windows, and let the shop work out the roll width.
Carpeting Stairs
Stairs take longer than a flat room because each step is cut and fitted on its own, so fitters either quote for the whole flight or charge £12 to £20 per stair. A straight flight with a landing typically costs £75 to £160 to fit. Winders, half landings and open sides push the price up. Supplied and fitted with a mid-range carpet, a straight flight and landing comes to around £300 to £450. Stairs get more wear than any other part of the house, so a hard-wearing carpet and decent underlay pay off here. If the staircase itself is past saving, our staircase cost guide has prices.
Check the Floor Underneath
Fitters need a clean, dry and level floor. Squeaky or uneven floorboards may need screwing down or covering with hardboard first, and a damp concrete floor has to be sorted before any carpet goes down. Ask for this to be priced in the quote so it doesn't turn up as a surprise on the day. If the fitter does a poor job, you have rights under consumer law to have it put right: Citizens Advice explains them.
How to Get Your Carpet Fitting for Less
Most of the money goes on the carpet, so the biggest savings come from how you buy it. The fitting has a few savings of its own.
Get at least three quotes
Fitting rates run from about £4 to £10 per m², so the same house can be priced very differently. Ask three fitters or shops to quote for the same rooms, with the same underlay and extras, and compare the totals line by line.
Look at remnants for small rooms
Carpet shops sell roll ends and remnants for much less than a fresh cut off the roll, and a remnant is often big enough for a box room, hallway or landing. Ask what they have before you order.
Time it with the sales
Carpet retailers run their biggest promotions in January, around Black Friday and on bank holiday weekends, and free fitting above a certain spend is a common offer. Check what the deal covers, because underlay, gripper, stairs and taking away the old carpet are sometimes charged on top.
Do the prep yourself
Fitters charge for their time from the moment they arrive. Empty the room, take up the old carpet and take it to the tip yourself, and you save the uplift charge and an hour or so of labour.
Buy the carpet yourself and pay a fitter
If you've found the carpet cheaper online or in a sale, most independent fitters will lay carpet you've bought yourself at their normal per m² rate. Let them measure first so you order the right width.
Put some of the budget into underlay
A mid-range carpet on good underlay feels softer and wears better than a dearer carpet on thin underlay, and underlay costs only £3 to £8 per m².
Comparing quotes is the simplest way to pay less
Three quotes for the same rooms will show you what a fair price is where you live. It takes a couple of minutes, with no obligation.
Get my free quotesFrequently Asked Questions
How much do carpet fitters charge per m²?
Most carpet fitters charge £4 to £10 per m² for labour in October 2026, and £5 to £7 per m² is the most common rate for flat rooms. Stairs are usually priced by the flight or at £12 to £20 per stair, and many fitters have a minimum charge of around £60 to £80 for small jobs.
How much does it cost to carpet a 12x12 room?
A 12ft by 12ft room is about 13.4m². Fitting alone costs roughly £55 to £135. Supplied and fitted, a budget carpet comes to around £270 and a mid-range carpet to £400 to £540, including underlay. You'll pay for a little more carpet than the floor area because carpet comes in fixed roll widths, usually 4m or 5m.
How much does it cost to carpet stairs?
Fitting carpet on a straight flight of stairs with a landing costs £75 to £160 in labour. Supplied and fitted with a mid-range carpet, expect £300 to £450. Winders, half landings and open-sided stairs take longer and cost more.
How much does it cost to carpet a 3-bed house?
Carpeting the bedrooms, stairs, landing and hallway of a typical 3-bed house (60 to 80m²) costs £1,500 to £3,000 with a mid-range carpet, underlay and fitting. Choosing a budget carpet brings it down, and wool carpet throughout can double it.
How much does a carpet fitter charge per day?
Day rates for carpet fitters are typically £150 to £250. Most fitters quote per m² or per room for small jobs and use a day rate for a whole house.
Do carpet fitters take away the old carpet?
Many will, for £20 to £50 a room or £1.50 to £3 per m². Some include it in the price. Ask before you book, and if you'd rather save the money, take it up and drop it at your local tip yourself.
How long does carpet fitting take?
A standard room takes two to four hours, so a fitter can often carpet a whole upstairs in a day. Stairs take longer than a flat room of the same size because each step is cut and fitted on its own.
Is it cheaper to fit carpet yourself?
You save the £60 to £100 labour for a room, but you need a knee kicker, gripper, a sharp knife and some practice to get the carpet tight with clean edges. A mistake can waste a length of carpet worth more than the fitting. For anything bigger than a box room, most people find a fitter is worth it.
Do I need new underlay with a new carpet?
Usually. Old underlay gets flattened where people walk, and the dips and lumps show through a new carpet. At £3 to £8 per m² it's a small part of the total.
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Written by Chris Kervin, Co-Founder, Less.co.uk
Last updated: · Prices from published UK price guides · Methodology
