Have you ever patched a damaged carpet, rather than replacing it?

Question

I have some departing tenants whose dog apparently tried to bury bones in the wall-to-wall carpet. There are two bald spots about 6" across and one edge that was shredded in an 8" wide patch for a stretch of about 2'.

The carpet is about 6 years into an 8-year life; it could have handled one more set of tenants without this damage. It's somewhat tired-looking and probably didn't cost much when it was installed.

The departing tenants think I should patch the carpet rather than replace it. I'm thinking it would be really hard to match the faded brown color and slightly matted texture.

If you've patched a carpet, how did it go? How much did it cost?

If you considered it and didn't do it, what were your reasons?

Thanks for any input you can offer!

Deanna McCormick · Answer

We took section out of closet to repair a carpet the guy did pretty good job.

Cost like $150.00 to do the job. and replace the piece in closet.

Bill Gulley · Answer

When you put carpet in, don't throw away the large scraps! You can store some in the attic, out of the way.

Depends on where the damage is and what kind of carpet it is, some are very easy to patch, like a tipped shear plush cut or mini shag, carpet has a nap, ensure the plug lays the same direction. Cut out the bad spot, use it to cut the plug, use heat seam tape laying it under the edges of both the carpet and the plug, iron it, brush the nap of the carpet, done!

You need to repair before you're eager to replace, damages that can be repaired are not an excuse to make improvements on the tenant's dime. Owner's responsibilities.

Replacement is a last resort when things can't be repaired, you may get more life out of that carpet yet, keep it clean.

Al, 2/8 = 1/4th, 25%. LOL  :)

Gail K. · Answer

Have you considered giving up on the carpet altogether and replacing it with vinyl planking (i.e., Allure).  Tenants can be really hard on carpet!

Gail

Al Williamson · Answer

No question they finished the useful life of the carpet. They owe 2/8 of the replacement cost no questions asked. This is pretty cut and dry.

Carol Venolia · Answer

Ahh, thank you, @Tyler Ansell! That further detail really helps.

Carol Venolia · Answer

Thank you all for your input!

@Kim Meredith Hampton, not sure where you got the idea that I was considering charging tenants for 100% of carpet replacement! I'm aware of the laws around that, which is why we're all talking about 25% of replacement cost.

@Gail Kaitschuck, yes, I got bids on replacing with vinyl planking, and they came in much higher than renter-grade carpet. Of course, the planking would probably last much longer, but I just don't have the cash right now.

@Deanna McCormick, thank you so much! That is exactly the kind of input I need.

@Tyler Ansell, saving carpet is a great idea. And thanks so much for detailing how the patching works.

Tyler Ansell · Answer

Depends on the size of the room for replacement. When it is patch-able I've paid anywhere from $30-80 depending on size and difficulty. With 3 problem areas and an old carpet I'd replace.

Tyler Ansell · Answer

Have a carpet cleaner/repair person come out and take a look. Alot of times the main problems with getting carpet patched are 1) will it look horrible being new carpet against old weathered carpet? 2) will the carpet repair well. Meaning, can it be stretched or repaired properly enough to make it worth it.

If it's coming back at the seams to the door or something I generally repair, otherwise for about $150 in my area I can get it replaced materials and all.

Carol Venolia · Answer

Thank you, @Jay Belcher! Very clear and helpful.

Jay Belcher · Answer

Unless that's a giant room, 3 patches aren't going to be cheaper than the depreciated cost of the carpet (the 25% you were going to charge them). In my area a patch is $40 or so (per patch). So for me 3 patches = $120 will cost more than the 25% of replacement.

I would agree w/ @Bill Gulley that you need to repair if possible, but when the repair cost exceeds the depreciated replacement cost, it's a no brainer to replace.

Also before you can repair, you must have carpet to repair with. That means some left over from the initial install or pull it from a closet, etc. If you don't have the carpet then forget it - no installer will either. Also carpet has a "grain" to it, so you can't take a length of carpet from say, a closet, and then patch it in rotated 90 degrees.

Take pictures, document things by showing you looked into repair cost (e.g. call a local company to get a patch number over the phone). But your thinking is clear about charging a depreciated price. Plus if your lease requires carpet cleaning cost to come from the security deposit (it should), the tenant recoups a few bucks there as well if you replace.

Have you ever patched a damaged carpet, rather than replacing it?

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