Here's How Much It Costs To Repair Worn Carpet

Carpets are a popular flooring material for a reason — it's softer than hardwood, tile, vinyl, etc., less prone to showing dirt or marks, decorative, and more sound absorbent. However, carpet is quite vulnerable to issues like stains, rips, moisture damage, and other issues that harder materials aren't. This doesn't mean you have to redo the entire room, but rather that you'll need to get the carpet repaired.

The cost of carpet repair depends on quite a few different factors, including how large the damage is, what kind of damage it's incurred, the material you're working with, and so on. For example, a stubborn stain may just need an intense carpet cleaning, whereas severe water damage may require full-on replacement. The average cost for carpet repair is generally around $200, but this, of course, depends on location, the price of contractors, and the other variables in terms of damage and repair needs.

One of the most common types of damage your carpet can, and likely will, experience is staining. Spilled coffee or wine, dropped food, dried paint, and pet stains are all likely occurrences. Luckily, in most cases, this can be fixed by a deep carpet cleaning. Carpet cleaning costs an average of $175, but things like the size of the stain, how deep it is, and your carpet's material can all change that number. Pet stains also have a deodorization aspect, which you can expect to add a bit more to the overall price.

Other signs of worn carpet that needs repairing include tears in the fibers, snags and rips, and loose and wrinkled carpet. Again, the severity of these issues has a large sway on the overall cost of repairs. Very small tears can usually be fixed with a small patch of carpet and carpet tape, but larger rips will need to be professionally patched, which ranges in price from $100 to $250. Snags can also be patched, but there are also services that can reintegrate any loops of fibers. These repairs can cost anywhere from $150 to $250. Finally, if the carpet is just loose, you can have someone come out and stretch and tighten it, which usually costs $100 to $300, with the size of your carpet influencing the final price.

There are some less common types of carpet damage that require other methods of repair. One such situation is burn marks on your carpet. If you just dropped a match or something small, odds are the burn mark is tiny enough that it could be patched over like a rip or snag and cost roughly the same. However, if the burn mark is larger or deeper than that, the padding underneath may be compromised. If the mark is too large for a patch, or the padding is damaged, you'll likely have to replace the carpet, or at least a section of it, which can cost thousands.

Another less common issue is carpet discoloration and sun bleaching. This requires more involvement than a simple patch or deep cleaning. In this situation, you would hire someone to come dye your carpet, which is charged per square foot of carpet — usually $1.50 to $2.50.

Finally, the most dangerous type of carpet damage is moisture and water since it can lead to the development of mold. Expect this to be one of the costliest repairs since there are multiple factors at work. You'll need to remove the water in your carpet and kill any mold — this may even mean replacement in some sections. This can cost anywhere from $300 to $1,000. The padding and floor may also be damaged, which can cost anywhere from a couple hundred to thousands of dollars, depending on how badly it was affected.