The median price for a single-family home in the United States is $188,900, according to the Huffington Post. With so much of your wealth tied up in your house, decisions about upgrades and remodeling can be nerve-wracking. If you need new flooring but aren’t sure if you want hardwood, laminate or carpeting, here are five reasons carpeting may just be the right choice.
Temperature Insulation
If you live in an area that experiences cold winters, flat flooring can be frigid. Carpeting always feels warm beneath your feet and will help insulate your house by blocking cold air from rising up through the floors. For those who like to sit or lay on the floor, carpeting and a blanket is all you’ll need to stay toasty year-round.
Acoustic Considerations
Any musician will tell you that hard floors cause echo and amplify sounds, and parents will tell you the same thing. “Carpeting helps muffle sound between floors and even between rooms on the same floor,” said Carpet One Floor & Home. This is the reason many condo associations demand wall-to-wall in every unit. If you don’t want to hear every tiny sound in your house amplified, carpeting can help create a quiet, soothing space.
Safety Aspects
Hard floors are notoriously slippery and unforgiving, which can be dangerous to little ones and the elderly. Even perfectly active adults can slip, especially if you live in an area with a lot of precipitation and the wetness gets tracked in. Carpeting provides traction and adds padding should a fall occur. Even elderly pets will appreciate these qualities and carpeting can save you a hefty vet bill.
Health and Allergy Benefits
Many old-school allergists condemned old-fashioned wool carpeting as a breeding ground for pests, dust mites, mold, pollen and dust. While this was once the case, new carpet fiber blends are designed to be hypoallergenic and lock in dust until you run the vacuum. If you suffer from allergies or respiratory problems, today’s carpeting can cut down on your symptoms considerably. This is especially true if you have pets and need to control their shed fur. Hardwood floors will have never-ending tumbleweeds of fur, while carpet will snag the hair so you can get to it with the vacuum. Hypoallergenic carpeting was even installed in the experimental green room project at Louisville University, due to its antimicrobial, anti-fungal properties.
Low Maintenance Requirements
Carpet needs to be vacuumed once or twice a week and cleaned as-needed. Flat floors, however, can be a nightmare of waxing, sanding, buffing, polishing and even replacing worn sections. Carpeting is also easy to have replaced, with entire rooms being completed in only a few hours. Hardwood, by contrast, can be take several weeks to complete. If you don’t have a ton of time to devote to floor maintenance, quality carpeting is likely your best choice.
When it comes to upgrading your flooring, you have plenty of choices. However, if you want a warm, safe, hypoallergenic, easy-to-maintain option, carpeting beats out all other options.
