Is carpeting passe?

[petek]

I'm in a conundrum. Our living room wall to wall needs replacing badly and I was all set to have laminate installed until the estimator arrived today. A few expensive hitches if I do want to go with laminate. One is the foyer is hardwood with the wood going the opposite direction of what you would want transitioning into the livingroom so that would have to come out. Secondly the 4 stairs up to that foyer landing are the same hardwood so those would have to go. I was thinking maybe they could find a matching laminate so at least the stairs could stay and not be redone. It's still possible as it's early yet in my determining process but expensive NOW.. the carpet guy said "why don't you just replace the carpet with a new carpeting" and that got me thinking.. One helluva lot cheaper and there is definitely a lot of nice carpeting out there. He said wall to wall still sells just over 50% of the total flooring market which includes laminates, vinyl and hardwood/tile.
So now I'm dithering on just replacing the actual carpet in the livingroom. Plus I'd still get to vacuum with all my vacuums a lot more.

 

[swestoyz]

Pete: go cork!

 

[mattl]

Tough call.

P3ersoanlly, I think wall-wall makes a space look bigger, how big is your room? I take it you are not doing it yourself.

Laminate is very easy to install. Hardwood floors are pretty easy too. I did about 1000 sq.ft foyer, kitchen and dining area in a house I redid a few years back. I picked the material up on Ebay for about $1.89sq.ft.. It's solid maple, pre-finished 5/8". If you have a decent chop/miter saw and you can get a floor nailer cheap at Harbor Freight. Just depends on how handy you are. I enjoy doing stuff like that so it's almost fun...

Don't know how costs are in Canada, but here Home Depot runs $99 installs from time to time. In the same house I had 220sq. yds of carpet installed for $99, great deal.

 

[hydralique]

Nothing wrong with good carpet . . .

There has definately been a trend away from carpet for some time, especially among pet owners, but as pointed out there is still a lot of carpet out there. Choose what you like and what suits your budget.

If you go for new hardwood be very careful about the installation. It isn't hard to install but poor installations may eventually ruin the wood and have to be redone at great expense, often years after the initial installation when the warranty has expired. I'd recommend both gluing and nailing; nailing alone can cause squeeky flooring after a few years. Is your house on a slab or raised foundation? If it's on a slab and has always had carpet you'll need to install good plywood over a vapor barrier to provide a quality surface for the wood. And always, always get the installer to perform a moisture test - if they don't and the floor warps or buckles the manufacturer will generally not honor the warranty.

Laminate is pretty similar to wood, but cheaper and more forgiving in some respects. Some people (like my mother) have both but prefer the laminate as it's easier to clean.

 

[spankomatic]

I like a combination of both. Non carpet flooring for high traffic areas such as entry and hallways. Those places in the house where you start getting the "trail" in the carpeting.

CARPET: Is soft and quiet. Makes a home "feel" more comfortable and cozy. Is insulating and helps with energy bills. Cleaning is primarly the use of a vacuum cleaner (no dust mop or wet mop). Down side of carpet is it retains odors.I agree with Matt that carpet makes a room look bigger.

NON-CARPET: Is hard and noisy. Makes the house feel cold and rigid. Makes the everything in the house "echo". You "hear" everyone walking around the house. Cleaning is dust mop and wet mop. (I would rather vacuum). No odors,easier spill clean up. Probably a little better for people with allergies.

Pick what YOU like for your home and life style. Who cares if it is "Passe"

 

[spankomatic]

Duplex I lived in with Cork floors.

 

[spankomatic]

Stained - ruined Cork floor after dishwasher flooded...

 

[spankomatic]

Bad dishwasher!

 

[rayjay]

I had all my carpeting in the living room , dining room and stairs removed and the wood floors re-done. When remodeling the kitchen, they installed a new wood floor, stained it to match the adjoing floors. It was the best decision I ever made. With wood floors, you can re-surface every 10 or more years. Once laminate wood gets ruined, it cannot be repaired. This level stays so much cleaner and dust free and the wood is so nice to look at. We will eventually get a nice area rud for the living room and a runner up the middle of the stairs. But the dining room, kitchen and hall will just show the beauty of the wood. Carpeting is nice, but a chore to keep clean, meaning shampooing spot cleaning etc. The wood floors are vacumned and are wiped down with a damp towel. Much cleaner than carpeting.

 

[spankomatic]

Tile floors I had in one house. Very cold and noisy. Might be kinda neat to have if I lived in Palm Springs....

 

[foraloysius]

Overhere in the Netherlands carpet is definitely passé. In newer houses you rarely see carpet in the livingroom. Only now and then in bedrooms, but because of my allergies carpet is a big no in the bedroom.

Laminated floors are in vogue, hardwood floors are even more fashionable. Especially oak floors that are oiled without the shiny look of a traditional hardwood floor like in this picture.

 

[foraloysius]

Another fashionable thing overhere in the Netherlands seems to be dark grey tiles. Here's an example.

 

[foraloysius]

If you want to combine your already existing hardwood floors with laminated in the other areas it might be an idea to get a contrasting color with perhaps an ornamental line in the same color as the hardwood floor you already have. That is easier than to find an exact matching color, that will probably never be the same.

 

[brisnat81]

Carpet is still big here, although more so in Bedrooms than major traffic areas.

We replaced our 15yo carpet about 5 years ago. We went with a dark brown, short pile commercial carpet and it still looks as good as the day it was installed, even on the stairs. Ours has a definite North south pile, with clusters of small squares sunk into the pile. We went 100% wool, with a 10 year warranty and other than some initial pilling, we havent have an issue.

With Carpet Underlay is very important, the cheapest underlay here was about $10 per linear meter, we spent almost $30 per linear meter and 5 years on, the carpet still is soft and springy to walk on, even in the high traffic areas.

 

[toggleswitch2]

I'd say avoid cheap-looking laminates altogether (there ARE some good ones! ) in favor of real (be they ever so thin) hardwood floors.

Why can't an edging strip simply be put in where the direction of the wood changes? I didn't catch if there is a change in the depth of the height of the two floor where they meet.

With aninmals in the house, a rug or wall-to-wall carpeting is definitely dirtier and "stores" dirt. But tile or hard surfaces nned to be vacuumed and mopped at least once or twice a week with animals so you don't get "dust-bunnies"

I would think in a cold climate carpeting is a definitly a plus and the sound insulating qualites can't hurt either. I'm not one for slippers, so I do like a plush floor.

Done tastefully, all is gorgeous. Trendy is silly as we mature. Classics that can be updated with accessories makes sense!

 

[tlee618]

Pete, I would stick with the carpet. Like all things, they come and go but carpet has seemed to stand the test of time. Something about the warmer look too as far as I am concerned.

 

[norgeway]

carpet!!

To me, a vacuum is always easier than a mop,also I HATE to put my feet on a old cold floor,I want carpet everywhere,even the kitchen!

 

[toggleswitch2]

LOL support vacumland.... buy carpeting!

 

[countryguy]

I would stick with carpet also. It is a lot warmer on the feet during the winter time as well as being quieter. I have laminate in my kitchen and sitting room and it is a pain in the you know what. It shows every speck of dust, dirt, hair, etc. I am constantly mopping and washing it. I would prefer to vacuum rather than mop. My laminate is dark so I think it wouldn't be quite so bad with a light laminate but the same problems are there none the less. A friend just built a new home and installed an oak coloured laminate everywhere upstairs and downstairs. She is constantly washing the floors because it shows dust, foot prints, etc.

Gary