That is not what I said. I said they often have advantageous pricing on deals THEY have gotten, with far better quality. Most shops are happy to dispense the knowledge, especially if they can sell you the appropriate runner with a bit of education. . I stand by my other point. Do it once and do hardwood. Kids don't get cold, they have enviable circulation! They need area rugs only and a hard surface is super for play and "accidents" in the night. You can find wonderful wools in remnants for a master! - !2' x whatever feet, and have it cut and bound! The worst "investment" over time? Edge to edge carpet. You "learn" nothing in the Big Box. Nor are the installers so super duper. : ( You go to the big box, when you already KNOW what you need to know. Carpet is a touch/feel/on site endeavor. You will find a LOT of wonderful, thick, chunky stuff at that specialty. Braided , resembling a fisherman knit sweater! Guess what? They know the trend is and has been to hardwood. And in many of these shops, chunks of space are being devoted to LVP. for just that reason. Then they make you an area rug in some wonderful chunky .........: )

Padding comes in rolls, just like carpet. The installers will make every attempt to use a single piece of padding where they can. The type of padding dictates how it is installed. Most carpet layers will where booties to reduce the impact of 'building materials' on your newly installed floors. They often vacuum once they are done.

Thank you everyone for your input and I'm especially intrigued by the idea of a chargeback if needed. But it seems any claim with the CC needs to be made within 30 days after the statement date. How would that work when we'd have to wait 90 days or more for the product to arrive in the first place? Then a further payment before install and who knows how long before the job is done? I am not convinced a chargeback would work here. One possible option: try to negotiate terms with the carpet company beforehand. I've noticed that the "Terms & Conditions" on the estimate contract they want us to sign mentions "...balance due 24 hours prior to the order leaving the warehouse, unless prior credit terms are established." And "If a deposit is received by credit card, balance may be processed on delivery or completion unless otherwise notified." >> Maybe their own terms show the way, and could apply to us.

Hi. We did a “waterfall” treatment on our two stairs. The installer said he doesn’t do it very often, but we like it better than seeing it wrapped tightly around each stair tread.