Carpet Installation Cost Ottawa
Installing carpet in a 3-bedroom Ottawa house costs $3,000–$9,000 depending on carpet grade, room size, and add-ons. Here's the breakdown.
Carpet installation cost in Ottawa runs $4 to $12 per square foot installed, including underpad and labour. A 150 sq ft bedroom is $600 to $1,800, a 3-bedroom house $3,000 to $9,000. All figures are 2026 Ottawa rates before HST.
Key Takeaways
| Item | 2026 Ottawa figure |
|---|---|
| Installed carpet, all grades | $4 to $12 per sq ft |
| Budget polyester, foam pad | $4 to $5 per sq ft |
| Mid-grade nylon, rubber pad | $6 to $8 per sq ft |
| Premium wool or high-end nylon | $9 to $12 per sq ft |
| One bedroom, 150 sq ft | $600 to $1,800 |
| 3-bedroom house, 800 to 1,200 sq ft | $3,000 to $9,000 |
| 5-bedroom house, 1,500 to 2,200 sq ft | $6,000 to $18,000 |
| Stairs, 13 steps | $585 to $2,340+ |
| Old carpet removal | $0.50 to $1 per sq ft |
| Per-visit minimum | $500 to $800 |
The installed price is carpet, underpad and labour. Labour runs 30% to 40% of the total. Everything else is an add-on, and everything else is where the quote grows.
What the Per-Square-Foot Price Buys
Three tiers. They are not the same product with a different label.
Budget, $4 to $5 per sq ft. Polyester at $2 to $3, labour at $1.50 to $2, foam pad. It covers the floor cheaply. It mats down in three to five years. Rentals, flips, short holds.
Mid-grade, $6 to $8 per sq ft. Nylon at $3 to $5, labour at $2 to $3, rubber pad, power stretching, sealed seams. Eight to twelve years of wear. Most Ottawa homeowners land here.
Premium, $9 to $12 per sq ft. Wool or high-end nylon at $6 to $10, labour at $2 to $4, dense rubber or memory foam pad. Removal, subfloor check, furniture moving and cleanup usually included. Wool lasts 15 to 20 years.
The Carpet and Rug Institute advises checking the carpet manufacturer’s cushion requirements before buying pad. Most residential carpet uses cushion between ¼ and 7/16 inch thick with at least 6 lb/ft³ density. Berber and low-profile carpet generally take firmer cushion at 3/8 inch (CRI). Get the pad wrong and the warranty argument is yours to lose.
One Bedroom
A standard 10×12 to 10×15 bedroom, 120 to 150 sq ft, costs $600 to $1,200 installed at mid-grade. A 200 sq ft master runs $1,200 to $1,600.
Small rooms do not scale down in step. Most installers carry a $500 to $800 minimum per visit. A 10×12 room at 120 sq ft works out to $720 to $960 at mid-grade, but the minimum still applies.
Cost to Carpet a 3-Bedroom House in Ottawa
Three bedrooms plus the hallway, 800 to 1,200 sq ft. The main floor usually stays hardwood or laminate.
A typical layout: master 150 to 200 sq ft, two secondary bedrooms 120 to 150 sq ft each, hallway 100 to 200 sq ft, plus 100 to 150 sq ft if the upper landing gets carpet. Boxy rooms cost less. Bay windows and angled closets add cuts and seams.
By tier, on 900 sq ft:
| Tier | Cost | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | $3,600 to $4,500 | Polyester, foam pad. Removal and furniture usually extra |
| Mid-grade | $5,400 to $7,200 | Nylon, rubber pad, power-stretched, seam-sealed. Furniture often included, removal extra |
| Premium | $8,100 to $10,800 | Wool from $10/sq ft. Everything included |
Three quotes from actual jobs:
- Budget rental, 850 sq ft polyester at $4.50, removal $425, furniture $150: $4,400
- Mid-grade family home, 950 sq ft nylon at $7, removal $570, furniture $200, subfloor cleaning $300, 7 transitions $175: $7,895
- Premium custom home, 1,100 sq ft wool at $11, removal $660, furniture $300, subfloor levelling $500, 8 transitions $240: $13,800
Angled walls and complex layouts push these up 10% to 20%. Replacing old carpet rather than installing on bare subfloor? See carpet replacement in Ottawa.
Cost to carpet a 4- or 5-bedroom house
A 4-bedroom house sits between the two figures on this page; see the 4-bedroom cost breakdown. A 5-bedroom house runs $6,000 to $18,000+ across 1,500-2,200 sq ft, with stairs, walk-in closets, and lofts adding time. Details: 5-bedroom house carpet cost.
Cost to carpet stairs
Stairs cost $45 to $180+ per step installed. A standard 13-step Ottawa staircase runs $585 to $2,340+ in straight carpet. Add it to any house figure above. Open, curved and patterned stairs cost more. Pricing by stair type and runner options: stair carpet installation in Ottawa.
What Changes the Price
- Room size. Bigger rooms cost more in dollars and less per square foot. Less waste.
- Closets. $50 to $150 each. Walk-ins need cuts around shelving.
- Hallway width. A 3 ft hall cut from a 12 ft roll means more seams and more labour.
- Subfloor. Warped, stained or glued plywood costs $2 to $4 per sq ft to fix. Typically $200 to $600 on a 3-bedroom job.
- Furniture. $150 to $300 for a furnished 3-bedroom. Heavy armoires and built-ins hit the high end.
- Old carpet removal. $0.50 to $1 per sq ft. Glued-down carpet sits at the high end.
- Transitions. $15 to $40 per doorway. Six to eight doorways in a 3-bedroom house.
- Season. Spring and fall run 10% to 15% higher. Winter, late summer and a flexible two-week window cost less. Boxing Day and end-of-season material sales take 15% to 20% off carpet. Labour does not move.
- Doing it in one go. All bedrooms at once cost less per square foot than one room every few months.
If the hallway, stairs or basement keep their carpet, a cleaning during the same visit runs $38 to $57 per room and saves a second call-out.
When to Upgrade and When to Save
Hallways take the abuse. Dense nylon there. Mid-grade in the bedrooms.
Kids or pets: stain-resistant treatment is worth the $0.50 to $1 per sq ft.
Selling within two years: mid-grade in a neutral tone.
Staying ten years or more: spend on the pad first. Moving from foam to rubber or memory foam runs $1 to $1.50 per sq ft. Then spend on the fibre. Guest rooms can take builder-grade. More on room-by-room choices: bedroom carpet installation.
How to Get an Accurate Quote
- Measure each room, length times width, and add 10% for waste.
- Get itemized quotes from three installers. Carpet, pad, labour and add-ons broken out.
- Ask what is included. If the quote says nothing about removal, furniture or transitions, they are extra.
- Check recent work and references.
- Take samples home. Look at them under your own lighting.
Note that Ontario HST is 13%. If a quote reads $6,000 and does not mention tax, the real number is $6,780 (Government of Ontario).
Estimate your own project in two minutes with the carpet cost calculator, or book carpet installation in Ottawa directly.
FAQ
How much does carpet installation cost per square foot in Ottawa? $4 to $12 installed. Budget polyester $4 to $5, mid-grade nylon $6 to $8, premium wool or nylon $9 to $12.
What is the labour cost to install carpet per square foot? $1.50 to $4 depending on tier and layout. Labour is 30% to 40% of the installed price.
How much does it cost to replace carpet? The same installed rates plus removal at $0.50 to $1 per sq ft. A 900 sq ft 3-bedroom replacement at mid-grade runs about $6,000 to $8,000 all in.
How much does it cost to carpet a 10×12 room? 120 sq ft at mid-grade is $720 to $960 installed, subject to the $500 to $800 per-visit minimum most installers charge.
How much does it cost to carpet 13 stairs? $585 to $2,340+ for straight stairs at $45 to $180+ per step. Open or curved stairs cost more.
How much does it cost to carpet a 3-bedroom house with stairs? $4,000 to $11,500+ depending on grade, with the staircase adding $585 to $2,340+.
What is the cheapest way to carpet a 3-bedroom house in Ottawa? Polyester with foam pad, no removal, no furniture moving, prep done yourself: $3,000 to $3,500.
How long does installation take? A bedroom takes two to four hours. A 3-bedroom house takes one to two days. A 5-bedroom house takes two to four days.
Do I need underpad in every room? Yes. It protects the carpet and insulates. Most manufacturers require it for warranty coverage.
Can I carpet two bedrooms and skip the hallway? Yes, but the seam between old and new will show. Carpeting the whole upstairs at once looks cleaner and costs less per square foot.