How much does it cost to carpet a bedroom?

Roughly 200 to 900 dollars for a 10 by 12 room installed with pad, based on national ranges published by HomeGuide in 2026. The carpet you choose is most of the difference.

How much does it cost to carpet stairs?

About 12 to 45 dollars per step installed. Cap-and-band costs more than waterfall.

Is carpet priced by the square foot or the square yard?

Both are used. One square yard is 9 square feet, so 36 dollars a yard equals 4 dollars a foot.

Why does new carpet ripple?

Usually because it was not power-stretched, or the pad is too soft for the carpet. Sometimes it can be re-stretched rather than replaced.

How Much Does It Cost to Carpet a Room?

Short answer: Installed carpet with pad runs about $2 to $8 per square foot, around $5 on average. A 10-by-12 bedroom is roughly $200 to $900. Stairs are priced per step, about $12 to $45 each. Removing old carpet and pad adds about $0.25 to $1.60 per square foot (HomeGuide, 2026).

Watch the units

Carpet is often quoted by the square yard, which is 9 square feet. A price of $36 a yard is $4 a foot. Convert every quote to the same unit before you compare them.

Carpet also comes in fixed-width rolls, so every room produces some waste. Where the seams go decides how much, which is why a seam plan should come before the price.

The pad and the stretch

Carpet manufacturers specify the pad their warranty requires. A pad that is too soft lets the backing flex until it ripples, and a cheap pad can void the warranty.

Wall-to-wall carpet has to be pulled tight with a power stretcher. A knee kicker alone does not get it tight enough in a full-size room, and that is what shows up a year later as ripples.

Stairs

Waterfall installation runs the carpet over the nose of each step in one piece. Cap-and-band wraps it tight under each nose. Cap-and-band takes longer and costs more, and gives a more tailored look.

Before you replace it

In many 1920s to 1950s homes around Bethesda, carpet was laid over original oak floors. It is worth pulling back a corner first. If there is solid hardwood worth refinishing, that may be the better spend. MHIC #111971 in Maryland, Virginia Class A #2705183185, family-owned since 2005.

Get it looked at, free

We inspect across Maryland — Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard, Anne Arundel, Frederick, Carroll and Baltimore counties. Free inspection, photo report within 24 hours, and the report is yours to keep whether or not you hire us.