Carpet stretching is priced by the square foot, and the biggest thing that changes the price is what's under your carpet: a wood subfloor or concrete. Here is exactly what we charge in Portland, what's included, what costs extra and why, so you can figure out your job before you call.
- How much is carpet stretching?
- $0.89 per square foot over a wood subfloor. $0.99 per square foot over concrete. The job minimum is $225.
- What about furniture?
- We move it for you. Furniture moving starts at $179 and depends on how much there is and how heavy it is.
- Seams at doorways?
- $59 for a standard doorway or hallway seam. $79 for a double doorway.
- Is tack strip extra?
- No. Fixing tack strip is included, unless more than two or three pieces have to be replaced.
- Do you give free estimates?
- Yes, in person. We come measure only the areas that need stretching, so you pay for the carpet we actually work on.
- Is there a warranty?
- Yes. Every carpet stretch comes with a 3-year warranty.
Our carpet stretching prices
These are the prices we use on every residential stretching job in the Portland area.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Power stretching over a wood subfloor | $0.89 / sq ft |
| Power stretching over concrete | $0.99 / sq ft |
| Furniture moving (two technicians) | From $179 |
| Standard doorway or hallway seam | $59 each |
| Double doorway seam | $79 each |
| Tack strip repair, as needed | Included |
| Job minimum | $225 |
| Warranty on all stretching | 3 years |
Tack strip repair is included unless more than two or three pieces need to be replaced. If yours needs more than that, we'll tell you before we start.
Stretching over a wood subfloor: $0.89 per square foot
Most bedrooms, living rooms and upstairs floors in Portland homes sit on a plywood or OSB subfloor. On these jobs we use a power stretcher with a spike attachment at the back end that grips into the subfloor. That gives the stretcher something solid to push against, so we can pull the carpet tight across the whole room and hook it back onto the tack strip.
Why stretching over concrete costs more: $0.99 per square foot
Basements and a lot of ground floors in Portland homes have carpet installed over concrete. You can't spike into concrete, so the power stretcher has to push off a set of poles braced against the opposite wall instead. Setting those up and moving them around the room takes extra time.
Carpet over concrete also tends to come with loose tack strip. Tack strip on concrete is held down with concrete nails, and over the years those nails work loose. If the concrete is cracked or broken where the tack strip sits, getting it to hold again can be tricky. That extra setup and repair work is why concrete is ten cents more per square foot.
Why we stretch the whole room, not just the bad spot
People often ask if we can just stretch the one area that has a ripple. We usually can't, and here is why. A ripple is extra carpet. If you pull only one section tight, that slack doesn't disappear. It gets pushed to another part of the room, and the carpet will wrinkle on the other side. It might not show right away, but it will show later.
Stretching the full room pulls the slack out evenly toward the walls, where it gets trimmed off. That's what keeps it flat, and it's what lets us put a 3-year warranty on it.
Furniture moving: from $179
We move the furniture for you. It starts at $179 because moving furniture takes two technicians instead of one. The price goes up from there depending on how much furniture is in the room and how heavy it is.
- We need access to two walls. The stretcher pushes from one wall toward the opposite one, so those walls need to be clear.
- We like to work away from the doorways. It isn't always possible, but it helps when the doorway side of the room can be cleared.
- Most furniture never leaves the room. We put furniture glides under it and slide it around while we stretch, then slide it back.
Seams at doorways: $59 or $79
When the carpet runs from one room into another, the slack has to go somewhere. We stretch the carpet on both sides up to the doorway and hold it in place with stay nails. That leaves the extra carpet bunched up at the doorway, like in the photo below. From there we cut the existing seam, trim off the extra and re-seam the two sides so the seam lays flat.
It takes time to do that right, which is why we charge for it: $59 for a standard doorway or hallway seam and $79 for a double doorway.
What's included in every stretch
- Power stretching of the full room, with the extra carpet trimmed off at the walls
- Re-securing loose tack strip as needed, with up to two or three pieces replaced
- A 3-year warranty on the stretch
- A free estimate before we start
Not sure if stretching is what you need? Ripples that showed up after a cleaning are covered in carpet rippled after cleaning, and our stretching and repair questions post covers the rest.
Don't let the per-square-foot price scare you
Most people think they have a lot more carpet than they actually do. The square footage of your house is a deceiving number. It counts the space under every wall, plus bathrooms, the kitchen, closets with hard floors and every other area that has no carpet at all. Blueprints are the same: most of them show the full square footage of each room, including the space under the walls, plus bathrooms and other areas with no carpet.
The number we use is only the carpet that needs to be stretched. If it's one bedroom and a hallway, that's all we measure. That's why your price usually comes in well under what you'd get by multiplying your home's square footage.
We'll come out, measure just the areas that need stretching and give you a firm price before we start. No charge for the estimate. Book a free estimate or call (503) 520-9717.
Estimating your job
- Measure each room. Length times width, in feet, gives you square feet.
- Check what's underneath. Upstairs rooms are almost always wood subfloor. Basements and slab ground floors are usually concrete.
- Multiply. Square feet times $0.89 for wood or $0.99 for concrete.
- Add the extras. Furniture moving if you want us to handle it, plus $59 or $79 for each doorway seam we need to cut and re-seam.
- Check the minimum. If the total comes in under $225, the job is $225.
A 12x12 bedroom over a wood subfloor is 144 square feet, or about $128 of stretching. That is under the $225 minimum, so it would be $225. Three bedrooms that size come to about $385, so doing several rooms in one visit is where you get the most for your money.
Getting your carpet cleaned too? Stretching plus cleaning counts toward our 10% combo discount. Stretch first, then clean.
Or skip the math. Text us a photo of the room, or book a free in-person estimate and we'll measure it for you.
Quick FAQ
How much does carpet stretching cost in Portland?
We charge $0.89 per square foot to power stretch carpet over a wood subfloor and $0.99 per square foot over concrete, with a $225 job minimum. Furniture moving starts at $179, doorway and hallway seams are $59 each and double doorways are $79. Minor tack strip repair is included, and every stretch comes with a 3-year warranty.
Do you give free in-person estimates for carpet stretching?
Yes. We come out, measure only the carpet that actually needs to be stretched and give you a price before any work starts. The estimate is free.
Why does stretching carpet on concrete cost more?
Concrete takes more setup. The power stretcher pushes off poles braced against the walls instead of gripping the subfloor, and carpet over concrete usually has loose tack strip that has to be re-secured first. If the concrete is cracked or broken, getting tack strip to hold takes extra time.
Can you stretch just part of a room?
We usually stretch the whole room. If only one section is pulled tight, the slack gets pushed somewhere else and the carpet will wrinkle on the other side of the room. It may not show right away, but it will show later.
Do I have to move my furniture before a carpet stretch?
No, we can move it. Furniture moving starts at $179 because it takes two technicians instead of one, and the price goes up with the amount and weight of the furniture. We need access to two walls and like to work away from the doorways when we can. Most furniture just slides on glides while we stretch, so it rarely has to leave the room.
Why do you charge for seams at doorways?
When carpet has to be stretched through a doorway, we stretch both rooms to the doorway, hold the carpet with stay nails, cut the existing seam, trim the extra and re-seam it. It is slow, careful work. A standard doorway or hallway seam is $59 and a double doorway is $79.
Is tack strip repair included in the price?
Yes. Fixing tack strip as needed is included. We only charge extra when more than two or three pieces need to be replaced.
Does carpet stretching come with a warranty?
Yes. All of our carpet stretching comes with a 3-year warranty.
Is it cheaper to stretch carpet or replace it?
If the carpet is in decent shape, stretching costs a small fraction of new carpet. Replacement only makes sense when the backing has separated or the carpet is worn through.
Ready to get rid of the ripples?
Text us a photo or book a free estimate. Every stretch is done with a power stretcher and backed by a 3-year warranty.
Get a Free Estimate Text Us a Photo (503) 520-9717More: Carpet Stretching in Portland · Carpet Repair · Carpet Cleaning
