How Much Does Carpet Stretching Cost? [2025 Data]
Carpet stretching costs an average of $170 and ranges between $120 and $300. Pros charge a minimum rate for the first room and a smaller fee or hourly rate for additional rooms.
Carpet stretching can revive an old carpet with wrinkles and bubbling.
Factors like the size, the type of carpet, and the condition of the carpet impact the price.
Most pros charge a flat rate to stretch carpet in a room and an additional fee for each additional room.
Some contractors charge hourly, while others charge by the square foot, so ask your pro for an estimate.
A wrinkly carpet isn’t just an eyesore—it’s a trip hazard. You can smooth your carpet (and your peace of mind) with carpet stretching, also known as carpet restretching. Carpet stretching costs $170 on average, with prices ranging from $100 to $350 for a single room, plus another $40 to $80 for each additional room. The type of carpet, the size of the room, and necessary repairs all impact the price.
Carpet Stretching Cost Factors
Stretching can revive your old carpet by smoothing out wrinkles, bubbles, and ripples. Though most carpet contractors charge a flat rate for the first room, the total price depends on multiple considerations.
Type of Carpet
Some carpets are more difficult to stretch than others because of the type of carpet fiber or the pile height. Low-pile carpets cost the least to stretch because they require the least amount of labor. Thick carpets require more labor to stretch, so they slant toward the higher end of the cost range.
In particular, Berber carpet repair is notoriously difficult. Contractors charge 20% to 25% more to stretch carpets with this type of looped fiber.
Size of Carpet
The larger the carpet, the more you’ll pay for this service. Carpet stretching costs $0.50 to $1.50 per square foot, so the size of the rooms matters.
Your contractor’s single-room fee includes a certain maximum square footage, which is around 144 square feet (or a 12-by-12-foot room). Larger rooms will incur an additional per-square-foot charge.
| Type of Room | Average Square Feet | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Small living room | 200 | $100–$300 |
| Large living room | 400 | $200–$600 |
| Primary bedroom | 300 | $150–$450 |
| Guest bedroom | 130 | $100–$200 |
| Home office | 100 | $100–$150 |
| Finished basement | 1,000 | $500–$1,500 |
Number of Rooms
Carpet stretching costs a flat rate of $100 to $350 for the first room, with an extra $40 to $80 for every additional room. This will be reflected in a price per square foot or an hourly rate. Expect higher additional fees for rooms with older carpets, difficult layouts, and lots of furniture.
| Rooms | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 | $100–$300 |
| 2 | $140–$380 |
| 3 | $180–$460 |
| 4 | $220–$540 |
Complexity of Layout
The complexity of the room sets the price. Some rooms have a perfectly square carpet with no obstructions, but you’ll end up paying more if your room has a complex layout. This includes areas with multiple corners, abrupt edges, and seams. These elements will add to your total cost:
Stairs: If your room has stairs, you’ll spend an extra $10 to $20 per step. However, a certain number of steps may be included in your contractor’s flat rate.
Baseboards: If your room has baseboards, you might have to lift them to fit the carpet, which costs an extra $10 per room.
Hallways: Hallways longer than a certain size or those that curve and bend could add on extra fees.
Closets: Closets will incur an additional fee, depending on the layout of the closet and the seams.
Doorways: Your pro might have to take apart and re-seam the carpet in a doorway for about $15 to $25 per door.
Materials
Carpet contractors have the tools needed to stretch your carpet, but they need extra supplies in some cases. This is true if they have to replace damaged components. Common materials include floor transition strips (for areas where the carpet ends) and tack strips (to hold the carpet to the subfloor), both of which cost $10 to $20 each.
Furniture
Carpet stretching contractors all handle furniture removal differently. Some include it in your initial quote, but charge an extra fee to remove oversized furniture (think: your grand piano). Others charge an hourly rate or a flat fee of $25 to $75 per room. The overall cost will vary with how much furniture you have.
Labor
Most of the cost of carpet stretching goes toward labor, but how it’s billed depends on the contractor. If your contractor doesn’t charge a flat rate per room, they’ll either charge an hourly rate of $60 to $120 or bill by the square foot.
Additional Repairs
By the time you need to stretch your carpet, it could be time for other repairs. Carpet cleaning is the most common service, but you might have to patch damaged areas of your carpet or fix the elements underneath it. The latter is common if your carpet suffered water damage. Here are the costs of some common repairs:
| Carpet Repair | Average Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Patch repair | $150–$250 |
| Carpet cleaning | $125–$250 |
| Carpet dyeing | $50–$585 |
| Carpet pad replacement | $75–$350 |
| Subfloor repair | $2–$10 per square foot |
Patch repair: A patch repair costs $150–$250 on average. For this type of repair, you’ll cut out a damaged portion of the carpet and replace it with a matching section of new carpet. This is done for damage less than 1 square foot in size.
Carpet cleaning: Professional carpet cleaning costs $125–$250 and can refresh an old carpet if there are noticeable stains or discoloration.
Carpet dyeing: Carpet dyeing costs $50–$585 and is a solution to faded spots. If your carpet is in a sunny room, it can lighten over time. A carpet contractor can dye the carpet to match the areas without sun exposure.
Carpet pad replacement: Carpet pad replacement costs $0.75–$3.75 per square foot, and most homeowners spend $75–$350 to replace the pad in an average-sized room.
Subfloor repair: If you need to repair your subfloor, you’ll need to replace your carpet. That said, if your carpet is relatively new and hasn’t been water damaged, you might want to keep it. In any case, subfloor repair costs $2–$10 per square foot.
Cleaning your carpet on a regular basis helps prevent dirt and debris from building up on the fibers. Your carpet will look great and last longer if you make cleaning it routine.
Carpet Stretching vs. Carpet Replacement
Carpet stretching is more affordable than carpet replacement and can revitalize your carpet’s look. For most homeowners, carpet replacement costs $800 to $2,850 compared to the $100 to $350 it’ll cost to stretch your carpet.
That’s hundreds of dollars in savings, and it’s an excellent option if your carpet is in relatively good condition and only suffering from some wrinkles or bubbles. However, there are some instances in which replacing your carpet is a better idea:
Your carpet is nearing the end of its 5–15 year lifespan.
Your carpet is damaged enough that you can’t stretch it without risking tears.
Your carpet is discolored or stained, and cleaning won’t get it out.
You notice that large portions of your carpet are visibly worn.
You need to repair the underlying subfloor.
Repair costs exceed 50% of the cost of a replacement.
DIY Carpet Stretching vs. Hiring a Pro
Carpet stretching isn’t an economical DIY project because the average homeowner doesn’t have the proper tools in their garage. A power carpet stretcher costs $400 to $800, which is more than the cost of hiring a pro for this job.
If you want to stretch your own carpet to save on labor costs, you can look into renting a power stretcher. You might be able to use a knee kicker (which costs around $50) if your carpet is in a small area and only has mild wrinkling. In most cases, it’s better to hire a carpet installation pro near you, especially if you have a large area of carpet to stretch.
Ways to Save on Carpet Stretching
Since most of the cost of carpet stretching goes to labor, there are a few ways you can save money on this home project. These tips can help:
Move your furniture: If your contractor charges an additional fee to move furniture, you can save money by moving it yourself. Keep in mind, it’s dangerous to move large items on your own, so enlist a friend to help.
Do the extras yourself: While you can’t DIY carpet stretching without the right tools, you can do other jobs your contractor will charge for. These could include removing portions of carpet that need to be replaced rather than stretched, or cleaning your carpet after it’s stretched.
Shop around: To find the best value, get quotes from at least three contractors. This will help you understand the local market. If a price seems too good to be true, it usually is.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to [email protected]. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have an older carpet that’s in relatively good condition, aside from wrinkling or bubbling, carpet restretching can be worth it and make your carpet look like new. It won’t remove stains, wear in the pile, or discoloration, but it can extend the carpet’s lifespan by at least a couple of years. If carpet repairs cost more than 50% of the cost of a new carpet, consider replacing it instead.
Carpet stretching isn’t permanent, but it can last anywhere from two to six years. The longevity of this project depends on the quality of the carpet and whether it’s in a high-traffic area. You might not be able to stretch old or damaged carpets because they can tear. Certain fibers, like nylon, stretch better than others.
Your room doesn’t need to be completely empty to restretch a carpet, but you’ll need enough space that you can move around furniture to access the wrinkled areas and the wall where you’re reattaching the carpet. A contractor will move your furniture out of the way before they start the job, but you can save money by moving your furniture before they arrive.
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