A Wall-To-Wall Guide to Buying the Right Carpet - Good & Bad, Pricing & Alternatives

 

 

 

 

Are you considering carpeting the rooms of your home? If so, you should first understand the good and bad of using carpets for your flooring. You should also know how much it will cost to purchase and install a carpet and what other options are available.

The Good

Carpets Can Be Cost-effective

Compared to options like solid wood flooring and other types of flooring, carpets can be cost-effective. However, the price can vary dramatically depending on the type of carpet you buy and whether you need to pay for installation.

Carpets Are Easy to Clean

It is quick and easy to vacuum and clean carpets. Some other flooring options require expensive periodical cleaning. For instance, with solid wood floors, you may need to spend lots of money on resurfacing them from time to time.

You Can Choose from a Wide Variety of Designs

Carpets come in all kinds of types, colors, patterns, and designs, so you have more options for finding a flooring solution that suits your taste and matches the rest of your home décor in comparison to other flooring types.

You could pick pile carpets, loop carpets, bright carpets, subtly-shaded carpets, carpets with on-trend patterns, and many others, to make your indoor space look and feel precisely how you want it to look and feel.

Carpets Provide Warmth and Comfort
One reason why many people choose carpets over other flooring types is that carpets make rooms feel warmer and more comfortable.

If you want your home to feel cozy, there is perhaps no better choice than a carpet. And carpets come with insulation to literally make your rooms warmer. Other flooring surfaces are cold to the touch.

The Bad

Carpets Stain Easily

The main drawback of carpeting your home is the fact that carpets stain easily. If you find spills are frequent in your home, perhaps because you have small children, you might prefer to use a flooring option like vinyl tiles or laminate.

However, as long as you know how to get rid of stains, you could ensure your carpet stays in good condition, but some stains are difficult to remove.

Carpet Wear Will Happen Over Time

Another downside to carpeting your home is that, over time, your carpets will become worn. You can certainly ensure you take good care of your carpets to reduce wear and tear, but if your carpets are being stepped on every day, some amount of wear is inevitable.

You Could Need to Replace Your Carpets Periodically
Because carpets can stain and become worn over time, you may need to replace them periodically.

On average, carpets have a lifespan of between five and ten years, through the lifespan of your carpet will depend on factors like the amount of foot traffic and the quality of the carpet you purchase.

Pricing

Carpets generally cost between $2.50 per square foot and $10 per yard.

You may have to pay additional costs for underlay. And, unless you intend to lay the carpet yourself, you may have to pay for installation costs, which tend to cost between $1 and $6 per square foot. However, some retailers offer free or low-cost installation.

On average, the overall cost of installing a carpet in an area of two hundred square feet is between $700 and $2,000. Of course, the type of carpet you choose, and its quality, will also affect the overall price. So, make sure you compare prices for carpets, underlay, and installation before you buy.

Also, check out this guide to buying the right carpet to ensure you know precisely what to consider 

Alternative Options

There are plenty of other flooring options available to you besides carpets.

Alternative options include:

· Solid wood flooring.

· Engineered hardwood flooring.

· Concrete.

· Laminate.

· Linoleum.

· Cork.

· Vinyl.

· Ceramic tiles.