Cost to Carpet a Bedroom in 2026: $510 to $1,320 for a 12×12 Room
It costs $510 to $1,320 to carpet a 12×12 room (144 sq ft) in nylon or triexta, including 8 lb rebond pad, 10 percent extra for cuts and professional installation, on retailer prices checked 13 October 2026. Budget polyester costs $280 to $1,080 and wool $690 to $2,210. Removal of the old carpet is priced separately. Below: every common bedroom size by grade.
Bedroom Carpet Cost, Quick Reference
10×10 bedroom (budget)$190–$750
12×12 bedroom (standard)$510–$1,320
14×16 large bedroom (standard)$790–$2,060
14×20 main bedroom (standard)$990–$2,570
Memory foam pad upgrade (12×12)+$21–$87
Carpet and pad to order (12×12)158 sq ft
12x12 room cost by carpet type and region
Carpet type
12x12 installed
Polyester (PET)
$280 to $1,080
Olefin (polypropylene)
$300 to $720
Nylon
$510 to $1,300
Triexta (PTT)
$630 to $1,320
Wool
$690 to $2,210
Berber (loop, any fiber)
$450 to $1,580
Region (nylon or triexta)
12x12 installed
northeast (1.09x labor)
$520 to $1,340
midwest (1.03x labor)
$510 to $1,330
west (1.04x labor)
$510 to $1,330
southwest (0.92x labor)
$500 to $1,300
southeast (0.87x labor)
$500 to $1,290
Polyester and olefin on 6 lb rebond, nylon, triexta and berber on 8 lb, wool on memory foam. Only labor changes by region (BLS carpet installer wages), so the spread is small on one room. A 12x12 room is 16 sq yd; Shaw says most carpet comes in 12-foot rolls, so a 12-foot-wide room needs no seam. Other room sizes and room types are on the cost to carpet a room page. Price other fibers, pads and stairs in the carpet cost calculator.
Bedroom Carpet Cost by Size
All costs include carpet, pad (6 lb rebond for budget, 8 lb for standard, memory foam for premium) with 10 percent waste, and professional labor. Excludes old carpet removal.
Bedroom Size
Budget (polyester)
Standard (nylon/triexta)
Premium (wool)
10×10
100 sq ft
$190–$750
$350–$920
$480–$1,540
10×12
120 sq ft
$230–$900
$420–$1,100
$570–$1,840
12×12
144 sq ft
$280–$1,080
$510–$1,320
$690–$2,210
12×14
168 sq ft
$330–$1,260
$590–$1,540
$800–$2,580
14×16
224 sq ft
$440–$1,680
$790–$2,060
$1,070–$3,440
14×20 (main)
280 sq ft
$540–$2,100
$990–$2,570
$1,340–$4,300
Sources and method.The Home Depot, Installed Carpet listings by fiber (per sq ft prices of polyester, nylon, triexta, wool, olefin and berber carpet; checked 13 October 2026); Lowe's, carpet listings (nylon and polyester) (per sq ft prices of nylon and polyester carpet; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, Carpet Padding listings (per sq ft prices of 6 lb and 8 lb pad, memory foam and moisture-barrier pad; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, Carpet Installation Cost Guide (average cost per sq ft: carpet $1 to $4, padding $1.01, installation $0.69 for basic install; furniture moving, removal and disposal priced separately; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, How to Calculate Square Footage (order 5 to 10 percent more material for waste; checked 13 October 2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Carpet Installers (47-2041) (national and state hourly wages, read through the BLS public data API; checked 13 October 2026); Mohawk Flooring, Soft Surface Flooring FAQs (fiber traits (nylon for heavy traffic, triexta with built-in stain protection, polyester as the budget fiber, wool needing more care); quality carpet can last 10 to 15 years or longer with care and professional cleaning every 12 to 18 months; checked 13 October 2026); Shaw Floors, Carpet Installation (plan and install guide with FAQs) (most carpet is made in 12-foot rolls and 15-foot rolls are available; larger rooms and large pattern repeats need extra material; installation takes several hours or a couple of days depending on size and complexity; furniture moving and old-floor removal are usually an additional cost; checked 13 October 2026); U.S. Census Bureau, Characteristics of New Housing 2025: Number of Bedrooms in New Single-Family Houses Completed (2025 completions: 12 percent had 2 bedrooms or fewer, 46 percent had 3, 42 percent had 4 or more; checked 13 October 2026); U.S. EPA, Learn About Asbestos (vinyl floor tiles, the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives are among the products that may contain asbestos; checked 13 October 2026). Installed figures are our arithmetic on the cited inputs: carpet and pad at the retail prices shown, plus 10 percent for waste, plus labor from $0.69 per sq ft (Home Depot's published basic rate) to $1.60 (our estimate: $0.69 scaled by the BLS 90th to 10th percentile installer wage ratio). Removal, furniture moving and stair surcharges are not included.
Which Carpet Grade for Which Bedroom?
Match the fiber to how the room is used. The fiber notes follow Mohawk’s and Home Depot’s own descriptions; the price is our installed range for that grade.
Spare / Guest Bedroom
→ Budget polyester
Very low foot traffic. Mohawk calls polyester the budget-friendly fiber, known for softness and rich color, which is what a rarely used room needs. No need to spend on nylon here.
$1.94–$7.49
per sq ft installed
Child's Bedroom
→ Triexta (SmartStrand) or nylon
High traffic for the size, plus spills, toys and rough play. Mohawk says triexta has built-in stain protection and can handle pets, spills and toddlers, and that nylon is strong and resilient under heavy foot traffic.
$3.53–$9.19
per sq ft installed
Master Bedroom
→ Plush nylon or wool
Low traffic but high daily comfort value: the room where you feel the carpet barefoot every morning. A plush cut-pile nylon or wool is where an upgrade is felt. Mohawk notes wool needs a bit more care than other fibers. Memory foam padding is also worth considering here.
$4.77–$15.35
per sq ft installed
Teenager's Bedroom
→ Mid-grade nylon or frieze
Moderate traffic, harder wear, often stains. Home Depot says twist carpet, sometimes called frieze, is durable and great at hiding footprints and vacuum lines.
$3.53–$9.19
per sq ft installed
Padding Upgrade: Is It Worth It in a Bedroom?
The bedroom is the room where upgrading from 8 lb rebond ($0.34–$0.51/sqft) to memory foam ($0.47–$1.06/sqft) is most worth considering. Prices are retail pad listings checked 13 October 2026.
8 lb rebond foam
$0.34–$0.51/sqft
$54–$81 for 12×12
Industry standard; functional
Memory foam padding
$0.47–$1.06/sqft
$74–$168 for 12×12
Softer underfoot; the upgrade most felt in a bedroom
Memory foam, worth it? The upgrade adds about $21 to $87 on a 12×12 bedroom (pad with 10 percent waste), a small share of a $510 to $1,320 job. For a main bedroom, it’s usually worth it. For a rarely-used guest room, skip it.
Taking Up the Old Bedroom Carpet Yourself
The prices above do not include removing the old carpet. Home Depot’s cost guide says “Furniture moving, removal and disposal are priced separately”, and Shaw tells buyers to expect furniture moving and old-floor removal to be an additional cost. No retailer we checked publishes a removal price, so we do not quote one; get it as its own line on each quote. A bedroom is the easiest room to clear yourself.
Step-by-step: (1) Move all furniture out. (2) Pull back one corner from the wall using pliers. (3) Score the carpet into strips. (4) Roll, bag, and set outside. (5) Pull up the old pad (usually stapled). (6) Leave the tack strip for the installer to check. Done, ready for the installer.
Stop if you find old vinyl flooring or black adhesive under the pad: the EPA lists vinyl floor tiles, the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives among products that may contain asbestos. Have it tested before you scrape or sand it. Check your local trash rules before putting rolled carpet out; see carpet removal cost for the professional route.
Carpeting Every Bedroom?
Most new US houses have three bedrooms or more: of the single-family houses completed in 2025, 46 percent had three and 42 percent four or more (U.S. Census Bureau). Three 12×12 bedrooms come to 432 sq ft and cost $1,520 to $3,970 in nylon or triexta in one job. Our whole-house page prices a three-bedroom example with a hallway and stairs, and the 500 sq ft page shows how bedroom bundles compare with advertised “3 rooms” deals.
Frequently Asked Questions
A 12×12 bedroom (144 sq ft, about 158 sq ft of carpet and pad with waste) costs $510–$1,320 in nylon or triexta, $280–$1,080 in budget polyester, or $690–$2,210 in wool, all including pad and labor. Removal of the old carpet is quoted separately.
= 144 sq ft of floor, or 16.0 sq yd. Order about 18 sq yd with 10% waste.
the everyday cut pile; both big-box sites sell most carpet under this name
Enter the rate on your quote, or 0 if you pull it up yourself. No retailer publishes one, so we do not guess it.
Estimated installed cost
$510 to $1,300
$3.53 to $9.03 per sq ft, or $31.77 to $81.27 per sq yd, for carpet, pad and labor on the floor
Carpet
Nylon, $2.24 to $5.74 per sq ft, plus 10% waste
$355 to $909
Pad
8 lb rebond, $0.34 to $1.01 per sq ft, plus waste
$54 to $160
Installation labor
$0.69 to $1.60 per sq ft
$99 to $230
Prices checked 13 October 2026 at Home Depot and Lowe’s. Not included: furniture moving, subfloor repair, transitions and any per-step stair fee. Ask for each as its own line on a written quote.
Ask about a carpet quote
A figure here that does not match your quote?
Send it over and a person reads it. We answer what we can answer, and every answer names what it rests on, whether that is a pad manufacturer’s specification, a wage series, or a retailer’s own published price sheet.