Where Do Carpet Remnants Come From?
Many people are under the impression that remnants are left-over pieces of broadloom from an installation. This is not usually the case, however. In a store that carries large rolls of carpet in stock, the remnants are usually the ends of those rolls. Once a roll has only a few feet left on it (usually around 20 feet or less, but that can vary) the store staff will roll up what is left and mark it for sale as a remnant. It is much easier to sell what is left as a discounted whole rather than hope customers will buy it bit by bit. In smaller stores that don’t carry many (or any) rolls in stock, carpet remnants are usually bought from manufacturers or suppliers. Carpet manufacturers end up with short roll ends in the same way stores do, so they tend to do the same thing: sell them off as remnants. However, typically when a manufacturer or supplier sells remnants to retailers, they do so in bulk; retailers usually must purchase a number of remnants all at once, sometimes up to 50 at a time.
Pros of Buying Carpet Remnants
In addition to the cost savings, another advantage to buying a remnant is convenience. Usually, a customer can walk into a store that sells remnants, make a selection, and walk out with the remnant. There is no wait time involved for special orders, or even for the staff to make a cut off of a larger roll. It is quick and easy and makes for a good way to get started on a weekend project.
Cons of Buying Carpet Remnants
The most obvious drawback of shopping for a remnant is the selection – or rather, lack thereof. If you are looking for a specific style of carpet in a specific color, you may have to visit a lot of stores before you come across the exact carpet you are looking for in a remnant. Even if you are flexible regarding the carpet style and color, you still have to search for a remnant that will be a suitable size for your area. Some stores will be willing to cut down larger remnants for you to make it easier for you to install. Some may even be willing to sell you only the portion of the remnant that you require. Typically, the store would only do this if the left-over piece (the remnant of the remnant, if you will) is still large enough to sell as a decent-sized remnant.
Fear of the Unknown
Another significant disadvantage to purchasing a carpet remnant is that you will not necessarily be able to know for certain what carpet you are buying. If the remnant is the end of a roll that the retailer had in stock, and the salesperson knows what the carpet is and can match it to a labeled sample for you, then you are lucky. Often, though, the salesperson may not even know what carpet it is (such as when the retailer has purchased a batch of remnants from a supplier) so there is no way to tell for sure what carpet you are buying, or even what type of fiber the carpet is made of.
Going Unprotected by a Warranty
Probably the biggest downside to buying a remnant is the lack of a warranty. Remnants are most often sold “as is”, meaning that you do not receive a warranty on the piece of carpet you are buying. Your receipt may even say only “carpet remnant” or something to that effect, without specifying the carpet. The issue of having a warranty really depends on the intended use of the remnant. If you are simply looking for a cheap carpet to use in a low-traffic area or for a relatively short period of time, then you may not be concerned with getting a warranty on your purchase. However, if you are hoping to use a remnant to cover an area that will be subjected to a lot of traffic in a key area of your home, it would be nice to have a warranty in place to protect your investment.
So, Is It Worth It?
Ultimately, you must decide whether the money saved in buying a remnant is worth the risk of possibly having something go wrong with your carpet and having no warranty to cover it. Generally speaking, remnants are not huge investments that would result in a big loss in the event the carpet was actually defective but had no warranty. If you can find a remnant in size, style, and color suitable to your needs, you can save a fair amount of money – and that’s a pretty good deal.
