I ended up going down a whole rabbit hole trying to figure out the best source for carpet and what blacklights to get.
If you just want an area rug in a smaller dimension, wayfair.ca is by far the cheapest option. Sizes are limited though so I went right to Joy Carpet to get a quote.
I contacted Joy Carpet and they gave me two local places that could order through them. It sounds like pretty much any carpet store can make an order for you, I ended up going with Carpet Barn Carpet One in georgetown and it was really easy.
I went with 12'x10'4" with serged edges and it was $1200 after tax. We'll see how bad tarrifs bite me.
I also ended up spending way too much time learning about how black lights work and any of the cheap black lights you will find on amazon (with the exception of fluorescent tube lights) are not true black light. They are blue/purple light that will make a UV reactive material pop but they will throw far more visible light and won't pop nearly as much.
You need to buy lights in the 365nm wavelength which is where UV reactivity peaks while throwing very little visible light. This is what you want if you want the carpet to really pop without a bunch of blue/purple light washing everything out. That being said, 365nm light is true UV and will cause skin and eye damage over time just like the sun does. 395-405nm lights are much cheaper and far less harmful to the eyes and skin. I don't think the risk is high unless you are staring right at them for prolonged times but it was enough to make me reconsider throwing a ton of 365nm lights up.
The solution that I settled on is to order a 3 foot strip of true UV 365nm LEDs and then supplement with a 395 nm floodlight. I thought about putting 365nm lights around the room at knee level so they hit the carpet only but I ended up ordering some black light posters and I want them to pop too. Also I want that classic feel I remember as a kid where all the lint on your clothes and people's teeth pop lol.
Also if you order a cheap chinese light that says 365nm it's a crapshoot whether it will actually be 365 or not. Read reviews carefully if you are trying to save money, or go to waveformlighting.com and get a tried and tested product, but you will pay for the quality.
Once the carpet arrives I'll have to figure out the best setup for the black lights and post again.
