There are two types of carpet remnants. They are the pieces of carpet left over from the roll of carpet you bought after your carpet is fitted. And they are the remainder of the roll left in a shop which is left after the rest of the roll has been sold to customers – probably just enough to carpet a small room.
Stores usually sell carpet remnants at a discount compared to the price when they have a full roll of carpet to sell and you can get a great deal with these especially if you have only one small room to carpet. Companies do this to avoid having lots of pieces of carpet left hanging around cluttering up their stock rooms and taking up a lot of space in the store.
However if you want to carpet your whole house in the same carpet it is better to buy from a full roll so that you get the best color match rather than attempting to find discount carpet remnants. Trying to piece sections of carpet together from different rolls rarely works well.
Rolls of carpet remnants
If you are on a budget but don’t want to buy cheap carpet (it doesn’t always look that good or last well) then scour the internet and local stores for quality carpet remnants being sold off. You will have plenty of choice. Just make sure that you have your room dimensions handy to buy carpet remnants the right size. (You should aim for an extra six inches all round to allow for installation and fitting.)
Even if you have a large budget you may be able to get better quality carpet than you otherwise could by looking at the remnants available. Sometimes looking at lots of different carpets of all types as you see in the remnants section of a store sparks off ideas that you would not think of looking at huge rolls of carpet.
You can also make use of carpet remnants (whether from your own off-cuts or from a store selling off the end of a roll) if you would like some cheap rugs around the house. If the piece gets dirty you can just cut off another piece. They are great for saving your carpet in high traffic areas.
In fact, it’s a good idea when getting a new hall carpet to get a piece left over bound at the edges to prevent it fraying. You can use bound carpet remnants as matching runners to prevent wear and tear on your new carpet at the front door where everyone comes in with outdoor shoes.
It’s a good idea to save the leftover pieces of carpet in any case if you have space as you never know when you might need them. Other ways to use remnants of carpet are
- as matching rugs under heavy furniture to prevent permanent indentations in the main carpet. If you don’t do this it will b difficult to rearrange your furniture in future without your carpet looking strange.
- as exercise mats under heavy equipment such as treadmill or stationery bike to protect the floor (make sure they can’t slip)
- as a back up in case your main carpet gets damaged or stained – a professional may be able to do a seamless repair using the remnant carpet
- as a child’s play area or under their chair in the dining room to save your carpet from spills
- as a mat under your pet’s bed, dog house lining or feeding station, to be thrown away when necessary
The best place to find remnants are at stores (online or off) which have a brisk trade in carpets and a lot of lines. They are bound to have the best choice as there will be lots of pieces of carpet of different types remaining on rolls. If you are looking for a common carpet color such as beige or blue you will have plenty of choice but don’t give up if you are looking for something more unusual.
You can also find remnants on eBay where you can pick up some great deals (though do remember to take shipping costs into account before bidding).
