We have an exciting announcement!
To Carpet Or Not To Carpet?
This may come as a bit of a surprise, but we’re well aware of the alternatives to carpet. At Carpet One we’ve taken a close look at what’s available on the market, including vinyl flooring, timber flooring, tiles and various laminates. Each comes with a range of pros and cons.
Here are some things to keep in mind when weighing up your choice of floor coverings:
Aesthetic appeal
That’s a fancy term for ‘the look.’ What’s in fashion, what matches your décor theme, and what appeals to your personal taste? Hardwood floors and ceramic or stone tiles can look good with a cool, minimalist design. On the other hand, carpet offers you literally hundreds of styles, colours, patterns and weaves. It can be easily updated too!
Wear and tear
Kids and parties mean stains and spills – it’s a fact of life. With carpet, you’ll need to be up to speed on stain removal tips, while a bucket and mop will suffice for most types of hard flooring. However, beware of the damage stiletto heels and metal chair legs can do to wooden floors. A nasty gouge is much harder to fix when the wood has been damaged.
Look cool, feel warm
A stylish picture in a magazine or brochure doesn’t tell you much about warmth on a chilly winter morning. Houses with uninsulated floors lose up to 15% of their heat through the floorboards. Something to think about when you’re padding about in bare feet, or checking August’s power bill.
Noise control
Probably not the first thing you think about when choosing carpet, but consider this: soft floorings absorb sound while hard floorings amplify it. If the kids are hard at play at 6am on Saturday, you probably don’t want to hear it.
Installation costs
When looking at the cost of flooring, don’t miss out the cost of installing it. Every job will be different, but as a rule of thumb, carpet and vinyl are cheaper to install than wood laminates or tiles.
Mix and match
Of course, it’s highly likely you won’t end up with just one kind of flooring throughout the entire home. Kitchens need a hardwearing, easy care surface, so tiles and vinyl may fit the bill here. The same goes for bathrooms, at least in New Zealand (have you ever visited an English suburban house and noticed their national penchant for carpeted bathrooms?) Other living areas are debatable, though many people have a soft spot for the warmth of carpet in their bedrooms.
To carpet or not to carpet? The answer will always depend on a mix of practical and aesthetic factors. Our advice: have fun choosing!
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