As you plan your home renovations, you’ll have a lot of decisions to make, so when it comes time to decide on new floors, you may feel overwhelmed. Carpeting has its pros and cons, but in some situations, choosing carpeting is clearly the right choice. Your decision may depend on your budget, lifestyle, age, the size of your home, and the people in your household. For many homeowners, it makes sense to combine carpet floors and other materials; for instance, you may choose carpet for the bedrooms, hallways, and living room, and tile or laminate in your kitchen and bathrooms. Here, we’ll take a look at some tips for when you should choose carpeting, and when other flooring materials might be a better option.
Carpeting is perfect for high-traffic areas. It absorbs sound, so it makes those spaces less noisy. Most carpeting is very durable, and can withstand a lot of foot traffic with minimal wear and tear or damage. Many carpeting options are also very easy to clean, and you can choose to add stain resistant treatments to make it even easier to clean up spills and prevent stains.
In large living spaces like a living room, den, and master bedroom, carpeting can reduce noise, increase warmth, and make the space more comfortable. Choosing carpeting in rooms where most of your family gathers together can make the space feel cozier and more inviting. In cavernous rooms that are prone to echoes and loud noises, carpeting will absorb the noise so that it doesn’t travel throughout the home.
In Vermont’s cold climate, carpeting can make your home feel warmer and more comfortable. Imagine stepping out onto a cold tile floor in the morning when you first wake up–it’s not very comfortable! You can use carpeting in key areas of your home to increase your warmth and comfort, and make it easier for you and your family to walk around barefoot, even in the winter.
You don’t want to use carpeting in damp spaces like a bathroom. Even if you’re frequently cleaning the carpeting, water can seep through to the subflooring below, where you can’t see it. Over time, this will damage the flooring and cause mold and mildew growth, which can contribute to asthma, allergies, and other respiratory problems in your household.
For some families, it is much safer to have carpeting in high-traffic areas of the home. This may be because they have a young child who is still learning to walk, or a family member who is elderly or has mobility issues. Falling on a hard surface like wood floors or tile floors can be very dangerous and cause serious injury. When someone takes a tumble on padded carpeting, however, it greatly reduces their risk of injury.
Carpeting offers an extensive variety of colors, styles, patterns, and densities that can really contribute to the overall decor and ambience of your home. If you want to use carpeting in some areas of your home, you can choose styles, patterns, and colors that create a timeless elegance and rich, luxurious atmosphere. Take a look at design magazines that feature historic and celebrity homes to see examples of how carpeting is used to create color, texture, and variety in different rooms throughout a home.
In most instances, carpeting is less expensive than other types of new flooring. Installing new hardwood flooring can be two or three times the cost of installing new carpeting. Additionally, some budget carpeting or discount carpeting can offer further savings. If you’re doing a full home renovation and would rather invest more money in a different area of the home, you may want to make some extra room in your budget by choosing a less expensive flooring option.
If you are renovating a historic home and want to stay true to the period in which the home was built, there may be some rooms in which carpeting is the obvious choice. In bedrooms and hallways and on stairways, carpeting was a very popular and safety-conscious choice for families for decades. If you want to preserve the home authentically, you’ll consider using carpeting in those areas.
Another key area to choose carpeting over new flooring is on the upper floors of your home. When you have wood, tile, or laminate flooring on the upper floors, every footstep is magnified and can echo throughout the lower levels of the home. If you want to diminish sound, you can choose to install carpeting on the upper floors to absorb sound and make your home quieter and more peaceful. This is especially helpful for large families who have younger children running up and down stairs.
If you’re ready to discuss your new flooring or carpeting in Vermont, come see us at Abatiello Design Center. We’re a one-stop-shop for home remodels and new flooring installation throughout Vermont, as well as in New Hampshire and Upstate New York. Our showroom contains tons of samples to explore, and our onsite design consultants can help you choose the right flooring for your needs, aesthetic, and budget.
When you schedule an initial consultation with our interior design consultants, we’ll come to your home to show you your flooring options and provide a free estimate. We also have professionals on staff to install your new flooring quickly, efficiently, and correctly. To schedule a design consultation or to learn more about our design and installation services, call us today at (802) 773-6300 or contact us online.