Fitting-Only Carpet & LVT Installation: The Complete Guide (2026)

You’ve spent weeks choosing the perfect flooring, compared samples, and finally ordered your carpet or Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) online or from a retail park store. Now comes the hard part: getting it fitted. Most high-street flooring websites make it look like you have to use their in-house subcontracted services, but this is simply not true.

I’m Paul, an independent floor fitter with over 20 years of trade experience. I run a mobile flooring showroom covering South London boroughs (including Dulwich, Streatham, Croydon, Bromley, Sutton) alongside Surrey, West Kent, and Sussex. Unlike the "subcontractor lottery" at the big retail chains—where the person who quotes your job is rarely the person who fits it—I handle every measurement, subfloor check, and installation myself.

In this guide, I will share the honest trade realities of **fitting-only** flooring installations. We will look at what it really costs in 2026, what is actually included in the price, how to handle subfloor prep, the trade-offs of skipping retailer-arranged fitting, and how to coordinate a flawless installation without hidden extras on fitting day.

What Does "Fitting-Only" Actually Mean?

In the flooring trade, fitting-only (often called labour-only fitting) is a direct contract between you and the installer. You purchase the main carpet, underlay, or LVT planks yourself. The fitter provides the labour, trade expertise, specialized tooling (like power stretchers and moisture meters), and finishes the floor.

This differs fundamentally from a traditional **supply-and-fit** service. In a supply-and-fit contract, the retailer or fitter sources all materials, bundles them with the installation, and places a markup on those materials. While supply-and-fit is convenient, fitting-only has surged in popularity because online trade outlets and wholesale clearance warehouses now allow homeowners to buy premium carpets and click LVT directly at wholesale rates.

Major retail chains like Tapi, Carpetright, and B&Q sell their materials on a "supply-only" basis if requested. They legally permit you to walk out of the store with the roll of carpet or boxes of LVT and arrange your own independent fitter to lay it.

Who Is Fitting-Only For?

Fitting-only is not the best choice for every project, but it is highly effective for specific homeowners:

• The Smart Online Shopper: Homeowners who find high-quality roll ends, clearance stock, or premium underlays online at a fraction of high-street retail prices.
• The High-Street Buyer Avoiding Markup: Customers who prefer Tapi or Carpetright designs but want to source their own trade-grade accessories (like grippers and underlay) to avoid the retailer's 200% accessory markup.
• Landlords and Renovators: Professionals who buy carpets in bulk for multiple properties and use a single trusted fitter to maintain a consistent finish.
• Homeowners Demanding Single-Point Accountability: Homeowners who want a specific, named craftsman to install their floor rather than letting a retail store assign a random subcontractor from their roster.

Whether you bought a roll online or need an expert to check your subfloor, I provide direct labour-only fitting across these key hubs. For example, if you are looking for local installation in Surrey, check my dedicated rates for carpet fitting in Reigate and Reigate LVT fitting, or if you are slightly further east, see my guides for Oxted carpet fitting and vinyl & LVT fitting in Oxted. I also regularly cover Croydon areas, so you can check my pricing for carpet fitting in Coulsdon and Coulsdon vinyl & LVT flooring, plus carpet fitting in Beckenham and, further into Kent, LVT fitting in Tunbridge Wells.

How Much Does Fitting-Only Cost in 2026?

When you hire a fitting-only specialist, you are paying for direct trade hours and expert technical skill.

According to published national cost guides like Checkatrade, UK labour-only carpet fitting typically runs **£3 to £7 per m²** nationally, rising to **£5 to £9 per m²** in London and the South East. Because I work in these premium regions, my standard labour-only fitting rates start from **£9.00/m² for carpets**, **£17.00/m² for LVT**, and **£11.00/m² for cushioned sheet vinyl**.

These rates are fully transparent and visible on the homepage price estimator. Here is a quick reference table of my direct labour rates:

You might notice that independent direct labour rates sit at the upper end of the London average, and are significantly higher than the low piece-rates that big retailers quote. Let's look at the economics behind this difference:

Big retail chains (like Carpetright and Tapi) pay their subcontracted carpet fitters fixed piece-rates of around **£2.50 to £4.50 per m²**. Because that rate is too low for a professional to survive on, the retailer recovers the margin by forcing you to buy their branded underlay and accessories at heavily marked-up prices (often £12–£15/m² for underlay that costs £4/m² wholesale).

When you book an independent fitter directly for a labour-only job, they charge a realistic labour rate (usually **£4 to £8/m²** nationally, or £9.00/m² in London) because they are not making a profit on a marked-up carpet sale. This direct relationship is actually more transparent: you pay a fair price for skilled labour and source your materials at cost, rather than paying an artificially low labour fee offset by hidden retail markups. If you are carpeting a full house or want to compare this to full room rates (carpet and underlay included), see the full South London cost breakdown by room.

What's Usually Included (and What Isn't)

The single biggest source of friction on fitting day is a misunderstanding over what is included in a labour-only rate. With supply-and-fit, the fitter is responsible for bringing everything. With fitting-only, you must assume nothing is included unless it is explicitly itemized in your quote.

A standard fitting-only service covers:

• Laying, cutting, and trimming the customer-supplied carpet, vinyl, or LVT.
• Tensioning the carpet using a mechanical power stretcher to British Standards (preventing future ripples).
• Securing the flooring along the perimeter grippers and cutting neat thresholds at door openings.

A standard fitting-only service DOES NOT include (unless agreed and priced):

• Underlay and Grippers: You must supply these, or pay the fitter to bring them. (I supply premium 10mm Cloud Nine underlay and grippers at trade cost if requested, which is far cheaper than retail prices).
• Door Bars: Metal transition bars to join rooms together.
• Uplift and Disposal: Pulling up the old carpet, underlay, and removing it from your property. Legally, commercial vehicles must pay trade tip fees to dispose of carpet, so this is always an extra charge.
• Furniture Moving: Clearing the room before fitting. While I happily help move a heavy sofa or wardrobe on the day, clearing small items and electronics is the customer's job.
• Door Trimming: If your new carpet is thicker than the old one, doors may rub. Fitting-only does not include trimming the bottom of wooden doors unless specifically quoted.

Buying From a Retailer Like Tapi or Carpetright? Read This First

If you are purchasing your carpet from a big retail park, they will try to guide you toward their own recommended fitters. While this seems convenient, you need to understand their published terms of purchase.

Both Tapi and Carpetright explicitly permit you to decline their fitting service and hire your own independent contractor. However, their purchase terms carry strict clauses that shift risk directly onto you:

Key Retailer Contract Terms to Keep in Mind:

• Measurement Liability: If you supply your own dimensions and the carpet is cut too short, the retailer will not refund or replace it. If you hire me, I always recommend a quick laser measurement check before you order.
• Estimated Dates: Big retailers state delivery dates as *estimates, not guarantees*. If your carpet delivery is delayed and your independent fitter is booked, you may face cancellation fees. Always coordinate delivery so the carpet is in your house *before* the fitter arrives.
• The Subfloor Out-Clause: Under big chain terms, if their fitter arrives and finds an uneven or damp subfloor (which happens frequently in older South London houses), they will refuse to fit it. The contract immediately reverts to "supply-only" and you are left with rolls of carpet on your drive. I prevent this by checking subfloor moisture and level during my initial survey.

LVT Fitting-Only: The Subfloor Trap

While carpet is relatively forgiving of minor subfloor issues, Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) are completely unforgiving. LVT is a thin, flexible vinyl plank. If your subfloor has a 2mm ridge or a slight slope, that imperfection will "telegraph" straight through to the finished surface, causing click joints to snap or glue-down planks to lift.

When you hire an installer on a fitting-only basis for LVT, **subfloor preparation is the most critical stage**.

If you are laying LVT over timber floorboards, you must install a 6mm flooring-grade plywood overlay (SP101 standard) secured with countersunk screws in a tight grid pattern to create a flat, rigid foundation. If you are laying LVT over concrete, the floor must be moisture-tested with a digital hygrometer. If dampness is present, a liquid damp-proof membrane (DPM) must be applied, followed by a self-levelling latex screed.

Ensure your fitting-only quote explicitly states who is doing the subfloor prep. In most cases, I handle the plywood and screeding myself because the final LVT finish depends entirely on the precision of the subfloor preparation. For more details on preparation, read my honest LVT flooring guide.

Stairs, Landings, and Awkward Layouts

A common mistake is assuming that a flat square-metre rate applies to the entire house.

Staircases are the most complex, time-consuming part of a carpet fitter's day. Fitting carpet to a staircase takes three to four times longer per square metre than fitting a flat bedroom. Every step must be hand-cut, tucked, and stapled individually.

Winding staircases (common in Victorian terraces across Dulwich and Streatham) are even more complex: each curved step must be templated individually so the carpet pattern remains parallel. Because of this, staircases are priced as a fixed labour charge per step, rather than by the square metre. Always make sure your stairs are detailed clearly in your labour estimate.

Vetting Your Fitter: What to Check

If you decide to hire a fitting-only specialist, you must vet them carefully to protect your investment. Here is a quick vetting checklist:

• Public Liability Insurance: Ensure they carry active cover of at least £1m (I am fully insured up to £2m).
• The Tools of the Trade: Ask if they use mechanical power stretchers. If a fitter plans to tension a large lounge carpet using only a hand-kicker, find someone else. Power stretching is essential to prevent ripples.
• Real, Verifiable Reviews: Don't trust inflated review counts. I maintain exactly 5 real, named reviews across Google and Facebook (including Neil Palmer, Grant Spencer, Graham Pickett, Michelle White, Tracy Mace) because I prefer honest, checkable feedback over exaggerated marketing numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Fitting-only is an excellent, transparent way to save money and get a high-quality flooring installation, provided you understand the responsibilities. Sourcing your own carpet or LVT online avoids high retail park markups, but you must take care of measurement accuracy, coordinate delivery timing, and confirm exactly what prep work is included in your fitter's quote.

If you've already purchased your flooring or need professional advice before ordering, I provide an independent, fully insured fitting-only service across South London, Surrey, West Kent, and Sussex. I laser-measure every room and provide a fully itemized quote with no hidden extras. Ready to book? See my full fitting-only installation service details.

Areas I Cover

Based in South London, covering Surrey, Kent, and Sussex with my mobile showroom: