Rant: Ignored an old timer about padding and regret it

Had this guy Bob, been installing carpet for 30 years, tell me to never skimp on the rebond padding. I was on a tight budget for a rental flip and used some cheap 4lb stuff instead. Six months later the carpet looks like crap in the high traffic areas, seams are showing, and the padding is flat as a pancake. Now I gotta rip it all out and redo it, cost me about $400 more in materials and lost time. He straight up said "you'll be back" when I ignored him and he was dead right. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way?

2 comments

2 Comments

hernandez.jordan11d ago

Honestly, is the carpet really that bad or are you just being hard on yourself? I've seen cheap padding hold up fine for a couple years in rentals, especially if you're not expecting top quality. Seems like a steep price to pay, but maybe you can get away with patching the worst spots instead of starting fresh.

calebrivera10d ago

@hernandez.jordan patching can definitely buy you a year or two if you're careful with it...