Carpeting just feels wonderful against your bare feet, and instantly warms up a room. But before you and your spouse pick out a new carpet, here are a few things you should keep in mind:
1. You have options
While it might be very enticing to have an entire room fully carpeted, there are some drawbacks to having wall-to-wall carpeting. Installed carpets invite dust and other allergens which could pose a problem if you or your spouse is asthmatic. Thorough cleaning of this type of carpet can be rather difficult and expensive, especially if you have pets. On the other hand, area rugs are easy to remove and clean, plus they complement hardwood floors rather well. The only drawback with area rugs is the fact that they can move around because they are not mounted on the floor, although rug pads can remedy this problem.
2. Stairs require special carpeting
You need to pay attention to the type of carpet that goes on your stairs especially since they are known as high-traffic areas and the carpet covering your stairs will naturally receive a lot of wear and tear. Cut-pile carpets are recommended for use on stairs in order to prevent a phenomenon called “grinning” which happens when loops open up around the curls of the stairs which usually happen when you use a looped pile carpet. If you really want the best carpet, go for wool carpets which are the most durable and can take the traffic on the stairs.
3. Double check your carpet’s warranty
Although your carpet may come with a warranty that does not mean that you have a sound investment on your hands. Most carpet warranties usually only offer limited coverage. For example, your carpet might carry a “wear” warranty but how the word “wear” is defined will determine whether or not your manufacturer will be replacing your “worn out” carpet any time soon. You might consider the term “wear” to describe your carpet which no longer looks the way it originally did back when you first bought it. However, your carpet manufacturer might qualify the term “wear” as when a bald spot develops. Review your warranty carefully and make sure you get your questions answered prior to making your purchase.
Have you purchased carpeting lately? Have any tips to add?
Lena says
Special carpeting? That is so nice to know
Gena says
I’m not a fan of carpet, really, but it’s so annoying having hard wood floors that are so NOISY! Thanks for these tips!
Tiffany C. says
I didn’t know that stairs required special carpeting. We have NO carpet at all, I kind of miss it though.
Kecia says
I didn’t realize stairs required special carpet! We currently have carpet throughout our home, but I’d love to replace it with hardwood and area rugs. With a golden retriever in the house, it seems the carpet is NEVER fully clean.
Lindsey G says
Great tips – we don’t have stairs, but I had no clue that they needed a special kind of carpet! I’ll remember IF we ever build!
Cecile says
Thanks for the great tips. We are buying new carpeting soon.