The Short Answer
On our estimates, carpeting a typical bedroom or living room costs about £400 to £780 with a mid-range carpet, underlay and fitting. A straight flight of stairs is £180 to £300, and a whole three-bed house £3,500 to £5,500.
Fitting itself is a small part of the bill: the carpet you choose sets most of the price, from about £5 to £15 per m² for a budget carpet to £50 or more for a luxury one.
Flooring cost calculator
Priced per square metre of floor, supplied and fitted or fitting only, with the extras that change the price.
Estimated total
£300 to £1,050
| Carpet with underlay, 15m², supplied and fitted | £300 to £1,050 |
Carpet prices
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Bedroom or living room, supplied and fitted | £400 to £780 |
| Straight flight of stairs | £180 to £300 |
| Whole three-bed house | £3,500 to £5,500 |
| Carpet with underlay, supplied and fitted, per m² | £20 to £70 |
| Fitting only, per m² | £5 to £12 |
| The carpet alone, per m² | £5 to £50 |
What a fitted price includes
When we checked in October 2026, Tapi, the carpet retailer, published a worked example for a three-bed house of 94.35m² in a mid-range carpet: about £4,700 all in. Alongside the carpet itself, that covered:
- underlay (from £8.99 per m² in its range);
- grippers around the edges and door bars;
- fitting (about £5.50 per m² in its example);
- taking up the old carpet (from £1.50 per m²) and disposing of it.
Retailers apply a minimum fitting fee, so a single small room costs more per m². I'd check every quote lists underlay, grippers, door bars and removal, because they add up.
Measuring up
Tapi's advice is to add 50 to 100mm to each edge to allow for doorways. For stairs, it works a straight flight of 13 steps out at roughly 6.5m by 0.9m of carpet, before any landing or winders. I'd let the fitter measure before you order.
What's under the old carpet
The Health and Safety Executive says old asbestos floor tiles can be hidden under carpets, along with the adhesive that stuck them down. In a home built or refurbished before 2000, if lifting the carpet reveals old thermoplastic or vinyl tiles, leave them in place and get advice before anyone breaks them up. If you'd rather have a hard floor, compare laminate, LVT or sanding the original boards.
Get carpet fitting quotes
Carpet is priced by the area, the stairs and whether you're buying the carpet through them.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to have a carpet fitted?
On our estimates, about £400 to £780 for a bedroom or living room with a mid-range carpet, underlay and fitting.
How much would it cost to carpet 14 stairs?
About £180 to £300 for a straight flight on our estimates, more with a landing or winders.
Is it cheaper to fit carpet yourself?
Fitting is only about £5 to £12 per m², a small part of the cost. I'd pay for fitting, especially on stairs.
Does fitting include underlay and removing the old carpet?
Not always. Underlay, grippers, door bars and taking up and disposing of the old carpet can be priced separately, so check the quote.
How we priced thisView sources (3, 2 official)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- IndustryCarpet fitting costs (published 28 July 2025), Tapi. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- OfficialLocations of asbestos and taking the right action, Health and Safety Executive. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- OfficialDiagrams showing where asbestos can occur in buildings, Health and Safety Executive. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
