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FAQ Custom residential and commercial carpet In Los Angeles

What form of payments do you take?

We accept MasterCard, Visa, AMEX, check, and cash.

Do you have insurance?

We are fully licensed and insured (Lic#609710)

What brands of carpet do you carry?

We carry most of the major (and minor) carpet brands.

It is a long list, but we try to carry a wide representation of available products in our showroom.

What types of padding do you carry?

Rebond (foam), and commercial padding are the typical padding's that we use.

Aside from these, we also carry/can get 10lb pad, Monterey pad, healthier choice padding, and wool padding.

Can padding be "doubled up"?

No. We do not install carpet over double padding because the carpet can lift off of the tackstrip, the padding can bunch up under the carpet, and we do not find this to be a generally safe practice.

We have many choices of padding to fit your needs.

Is it ok to use different carpet in different rooms?

It is very common to use different carpets in different areas. There are often various decorum in different areas of the home, and the flooring has to compliment this accordingly.

Also, if anything happens to the flooring in one room at a later time, it be changed without disrupting the look of any other areas in the home.

How long should new carpet last?

While most carpets today can withstand normal wear for extended periods, there are many things that can be done to help your carpet last longer. Click here for care information.

Typically with normal wear you should expect to get anywhere from 5-30 years out of your carpet depending on fiber type and care after installation.

How can I measure for carpet?

To get a good idea of how much material you will need, you can use this guide to help get a better understanding of how to measure for carpet. Many people underestimate how much material they need, leading to an increase in the estimated price for their job.

To get a good idea for carpet cost, it is important not to underestimate the amount of material needed. Lester Carpet will measure locally at no cost.

What is a remnant?

A remnant is usually referring to a piece of carpet smaller than 12' x 20'. It is also referred to as an "end roll", and can be used for a small room, runner, or for area rugs.

We have a huge inventory of remnants at discounted prices.

Do you sell used carpet?

No. We cannot and do not sell used carpet. We have no idea what could have taken place on used carpet, or what could be living in it.

Do you rent carpet?

We cannot rent carpet because it falls under the category of "used" (see above). Definitely call us with specifics on your needs because many of the "rental" prices that we hear of are actually more than just buying the carpet from us.

Plus, there is usually a cleaning charge from the rental places.

How often do you get new stock?

Our stock is personally selected as it becomes available. Our warehoused carpet consists of specials, seconds, and discontinued carpets.

We have to strike on these opportunities as they become available. Sometimes it is once a week, and sometimes once a month.

What should I do if I live in a complex/condo/building/etc.?

It is very important to find out what requirements your building has for new flooring. Different buildings have different CC&R's and insurance requirements, and it might take a couple of days for us to get any insurance paperwork together for your building before being able to start any work.

Please find out ahead of time. We can communicate with the appropriate people, but if we do not have enough time to get the necessary papers together, there may be delays. Some buildings don't care, some make our installers where neckties while on the property. We just need to know ahead of time.

How quickly can you install?

We are usually able to install within a couple of days for material that is in our inventory. If we order material, we can install the day after it arrives in our warehouse.

Carpet stocked at our warehouse is ready for install immediately assuming we have an installer available.

What should I do to prepare for installation?

Before we install, we usually recommend the following: Computers, small breakable objects, and valuables should be put somewhere safe and out of the way. Items like books should be boxed.

Is there a charge for removal of existing carpet?

No. We do not charge for removal of existing padding and/or carpet. We do charge if the carpet is glued to the floor as the installers have to scrape the floor before new carpet can be installed.

What extra charges are there and why?

Extra charges are typically for furniture move, floor prep (scrape up of glue, floating a floor, installing new plywood, etc.), installing on stairs, or installing in bathrooms.

Extra labor charges are typically due to more materials being supplied be the installers, and/or a more time consuming installation.

How long will installation take?

This depends on many factors. Most jobs are done in one day. Large homes, and offices might require multiple days to complete.

Furniture, stair and bathroom installs will significantly slow an installation.

Should I paint before installation?

In our opinion, yes. Accidents happen, better on the old carpet. Drawbacks to painting first are: carpet install might scuff baseboards (in which case touch up paint will be needed), and if the new carpet is shorter than the old carpet, the painter might not paint low enough.

This can be remedied by asking the painter to cut the old carpet away from the wall before painting. We will handle disposal.

How far away will you go to install?

We typically install within 20 miles of our store, but we really do not have a limit for distance that we will travel for installation.

There is however a trip charge if the installers are traveling a long distance to compensate them for fuel, vehicle wear, and time spent driving.

What if I need a small area patched?

Even if we can get the same carpet, the dye lot will not necessarily match. The best thing to do is to typically take a piece from a closet, or other area for the patch.

Then we can put something different in the place where we removed the carpet for the patch. We can never guarantee that a patch will be perfect.

Should I put in hard surface (tile, wood, laminate) first?

Yes. It is easier to bring the carpet to the hard surface than the other way around. Our guys can install metal or rubber transitions if needed (we need to know ahead of time, and there is an additional charge for new metal or rubber).

They do not carry wood transitions as there are too many different stains of wood.

Can the installer fix my floor (level the concrete, stop a squeak, repair plywood)?

Our installers can float small areas with concrete, and replace plywood if needed. Both of these are considered floor prep, and would result in an extra labor charge. While our installers can attempt to stop a squeak in a subfloor, they may not be able to if it has do to something that would require more than driving a couple of extra screws into the subfloor (water damage, damaged joists, termites, etc.)

The carpet can be cut back from the problem area before installation for an inspection or attempted fix by a contractor, as we would be replacing the carpeting anyway.

Do you install carpet if I buy it elsewhere?

We typically do not for various reasons. You can call to find out if we can, but we will not take responsibility for the material being damaged, running short, or any other issues. Payment for labor is due upon arrival if we decide to do the install.

There is unfortunately a lengthy list of issues that we have come across by agreeing to install carpet purchased/obtained by customers from other locations.

How fast is your area rug turnaround?

Usually next day for regular binding or wide binding, and 3-4 days for serged edges.

This is contingent upon how busy our binding guy is, or if he is ill (practically never).

What is the largest area rug that you can make?

We have made rugs that were larger than 20 feet by 40 feet. The only issue is that anything wider than 15 feet (length does not matter) cannot be transported by us.

We would then have to build it onsite, or transport it in pieces, and seam it onsite.

What binding choices are available?

We can bind narrow or wide, cotton, nylon, leather, fabric, your own material, serging, almost anything.

We have some binding in stock. Other binding types have to be ordered, and can take additional time.

Can you cut and/or bind my own personal rug from home?

We sure can. You can e-mail a picture of the rug to us info@lestercarpet.com with details on what is needed for pricing information.

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Custom rug for one of our amazing Designers, the very talented Darren Ransdell.
Carpet 5040. Italian. Wool.
Carpet 5776, Wool.
Wool Carpet. #5780.