Carpet Remnant Buyer's Guide

A carpet remnant is the last piece of a full carpet roll- brand-new, high-quality carpet, priced to move because it's what's left when the rest of the roll has gone to another job. For a bedroom, a basement, a home office or a custom area rug, it's the cheapest way to get good carpet on your floor.

The catch is that remnants are one-off pieces. The rack looks different every week. That makes buying a remnant slightly different from buying carpet off a roll, so here's what to know before you come in.

What size carpet remnant do you need?

This is the question that trips most people up, and it starts with a fact about how carpet is made: broadloom carpet is typically manufactured in 12-foot-wide rolls. (A few styles come 13 ft 6 in or 15 ft, but 12 ft is the standard.) Everything that gets cut from that roll inherits the limit- so a remnant is almost always 12 feet or less on one side, with the length being however much was left.

That's why remnant sizes work out the way they do: 10×12, 12×13, 12×16, 10×20. Here's what those pieces actually cover: 

To know what size you need, measure the room, then add margin. Take the width and length at the widest points, including doorways and closet openings, and add three to four inches on every side. That margin is what lets an installer trim to the wall cleanly- a piece cut exactly to your room measurement will come up short once it's stretched into place.

If your room is wider than 12 feet, a single remnant won't cover it without a seam. That's not automatically a problem since seams in the right place are barely visible, and installers place them away from sightlines and traffic paths. But it does mean you need either a piece long enough to turn, or a room where a seam makes sense. We’re happy to help you figure out what size you’ll need for your project.

For stairs, measure each step as tread plus riser. It’s usually about 18 inches of carpet per step, then add the landing. A 12×16 remnant will typically cover a standard 13-step staircase.

What should a remnant cost?

Remnants are priced per piece rather than by the square foot, and they generally run a fraction of what the same carpet costs from a full roll. It's the same high-quality carpet from mills like Dream Weaver, Shaw, and Lexmark. You're being paid, in effect, to take the end of the roll.

Two costs people forget to budget for:

• Pad. A remnant is carpet only. Good pad protects the carpet and changes how the floor feels underfoot far more than most people expect.

• Binding or installation. A raw-edged piece needs finishing if it's going down as a rug. Binding is an in-house service that turns a remnant rug into something that looks bought rather than salvaged.

What to check before you buy

• Ask your salesperson about fiber types. Nylon takes traffic and cleans up well, so it’s the right pick for a hallway or a family room. Polyester feels softer and holds color beautifully, so it’s better suited to bedrooms. Wool is a luxury in a low-traffic space.

• Note the pile direction. Carpet has a nap, and two pieces from the same roll laid in opposite directions will read as different colours. If you're covering a space with more than one piece, they need to run the same way.

• Take the measurements with you. Not the room's rough size- the actual numbers, including doorways.

• Decide about pad before you leave. It's far easier to sort in one trip.

When a remnant is the wrong choice

An honest guide has to include this part. A remnant isn't right when:

• You're carpeting a whole house. You need consistent colour across rooms, which means one dye lot from one roll.

• You're matching carpet you already have. Dye lots vary between production runs. Even the same style and color won't match exactly, and a near-match reads worse than an obvious contrast.

• The room is large and awkwardly shaped. Once you're seaming several pieces together, the savings shrink and the risk rises.

Where a remnant is exactly right: one room at a time, a basement, a rental turnaround, a workshop or garage floor, a stair run, or a custom-bound area rug.

Turning a remnant into a custom area rug

This is the most popular thing our customers do with remnants. Pick a piece you like, and we bind the edges in-house with a clean, durable finish. The result is a custom rug exactly the size you want for a good deal less than a ready-made rug of the same dimensions. 

How to shop remnants in Colorado Springs

Remnants are first come, first served, and the selection turns over constantly. New pieces appear every time a roll is cut for another job, or extra carpet comes back unused. There's no online inventory list because it would be out of date within days.

So come and look! We're at 5855 N Academy Blvd. Bring your room measurements, and if you're after something specific, call ahead at 719-633-7724, and we'll tell you what's available today before you make the trip. If the right piece isn't there this week, it may well be there next.

Browse what's on the rack

Carpet remnant questions

1. What size carpet remnant do I need?

Measure the room at its widest points, including doorways, and add three to four inches on each side for trimming. Because carpet is milled 12 feet wide, most remnants are 12 feet or less in width. A 12×13 covers a standard bedroom, and a 12×16 typically covers a primary bedroom or a living area. Rooms wider than 12 feet need a seam.

2. Are carpet remnants cheaper than buying carpet by the roll?

Yes, substantially! A remnant is the end of a roll, so it's priced per piece to clear out rather than by the square yard. It's the same high-quality carpet. The discount simply reflects the size of the piece, not its condition. Remember to budget for pad, installation, and binding for custom area rugs.

3. Can a carpet remnant be made into an area rug?

Yes. Binding the cut edges turns any remnant into a finished area rug, and we do this in-house. It's the best way to get a rug in an exact shape and size, and it usually costs less than a ready-made rug of the same dimensions.

4. Can carpet remnants be installed like regular carpet?

Yes. Remnants can be stretched over pad and finished exactly like carpet from a roll, including seaming where a room needs more than one piece. Our local crews install remnants throughout Colorado Springs. The trick is making sure we can find you the right size piece.

5. Why can't I see all your remnant sizes online?

Because they'd be wrong by the time you read them. Remnants are single pieces, and popular ones sell within days. Call 719-633-7724, and we'll tell you which carpet remnants are on sale right now.