Carpet stretching costs $100 to $300 per room, or $0.50 to $1.50 per square foot, with a national average of $150 for a single room in 2026.1,2 Most pros charge a $100 to $300 minimum job fee, which sets the price floor for small jobs and can push a small room’s cost per square foot above the rates for larger spaces. Prices below are national averages* for 2026.
*National averages, not local quotes. Your price depends on room count and size, furniture moving, stairs, and whether the carpet needs repair first.
$150
average, one room (Angi)
$100 – $300
per room (HomeGuide)
$50 – $75
each added room (HomeGuide)
$0.50 – $1.50
per sq ft (HomeGuide, Angi)
What sources say
| Source | Figure | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Angi | $150 national average per room; $100 – $300 typical | 2026 project data |
| HomeGuide | $100 – $300 first room; $50 – $75 each added room | Cost guide |
| FlooringClarity | $125 – $350 basic room restretch | Industry guide |
| Yelp | $40 – $80 for a 200–400 sq ft room; $120 – $350 whole home (1,500–2,000 sq ft) | Cost guide (page dated 2022) |
Yelp’s figures sit well below the other three sources, and the gap shows in the math: its whole-home range of $120 to $350 for a 1,500-to-2,000-square-foot house works out to $0.06 to $0.23 per square foot, against the $0.50 to $1.50 per square foot HomeGuide and Angi publish. The passage on the page is explicitly about restretching, so the figures are stretching figures, but the page itself is titled “Cost of Carpet Cleaning” and dated 2022. Whether the gap comes from scope, age, or an error is unclear, so treat local quotes as the reliable number for your home.
Cost by number of rooms (HomeGuide)
| Rooms | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 room | $100 – $300 |
| 2 rooms | $150 – $375 |
| 3 rooms | $200 – $450 |
| 4 rooms | $250 – $525 |
Angi adds stairs at $60 to $120 per flight, a hallway at $50 to $120, and a whole house of five or more rooms at $400 to $900.2
Extras that raise the bill
| Extra | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Furniture moving | $20 – $75 per room | Angi, HomeGuide |
| Baseboard lifting | $10+ per room | HomeGuide |
| Damaged tack strips | $1 – $3 per linear foot | FlooringClarity |
| New padding | $0.50 – $2 per sq ft | FlooringClarity |
| Seam repair or patch first | $50 – $300 | FlooringClarity |
Clear the rooms yourself before the crew arrives; furniture moving is the most common add-on and the easiest to avoid.4
Stretch or replace
Stretching is the budget fix when the carpet itself is sound. New carpet installed costs $2 to $8 per square foot against $0.50 to $1.50 for restretching, so even a whole-house restretch at $400 to $900 beats replacing a single room.1,2 Replace instead when the backing or subfloor is damaged: Yelp puts replacement carpet and pad at $2 to $9 per square foot, plus roughly $400 to $600 to replace subfloor in a 300-square-foot room.3
DIY with rented tools
A DIY restretch is realistic for one or two rooms if you are comfortable with tools: power stretchers rent for about $40 to $90 per day and knee kickers $10 to $30.4 Home Depot rents carpet stretchers and floor installation equipment by the day. Technique matters: over-stretching damages the backing, and skipping the power stretcher is why many DIY jobs ripple again within a year.4 For stairs, berber, or patterned carpet, hire the job out.
Related guides
Carpet Repair Cost
Carpet Installation Cost
Carpet Cleaning Cost
Hardwood Floor Refinishing Cost
All cost guides
Sources
1. HomeGuide — Carpet Stretching Cost
2. Angi — How Much Does Carpet Stretching Cost?
3. Yelp — Carpet Restretching Cost
4. FlooringClarity — Carpet Restretching Cost