Not everyone considers wall-to-wall carpet a viable flooring option due to something they've heard along the way in their floor shopping journey, but the truth is carpeting can be a fantastic addition to your home. The warm, inviting surface can help with insulation, acoustics in the room, and is obviously the most comfortable choice to walk on, so what is keeping people away? If you have heard or have thought about any of the myths below, it may be time to reconsider putting carpeting back on your list of options.
1. Carpet is Boring to Look At
Many people who are carpet shopping will opt for a neutral cream, beige, light grey or tan color for their carpet. These neutral colors are light enough to brighten up a room and dark enough to hide any dirt or light staining, so they are by far the most practical choice. On top of that they go with just about any color scheme. It easy to see why so many consumers choose these carpet colors, but if they don't appeal to you then you should absolutely feel free to spice things up with a color. The trick is balancing it out by using neutral furnishings and breaking the color up with accent pieces, large patterns, or an area rug layered on top. It's particularly fun to do this in a child's room! Just look at this example from www.smalldesignideas.com:
If you're fine with neutral colors for your floor you can always break up carpet tedium with a nice pattern. Stripes, florals, and other designs really go a long way.
2. Carpeting Doesn't Last
The lifespan of your carpeting has a lot less to do with the actual fibers and a whole lot more to do with the padding you install underneath it. If you splurge on the right carpet pad in the beginning, your carpet could last up to 12 years! And if you're diligent with properly caring for your carpet, it will stay looking fabulous for as long as you need it to.
3. Maintaining Carpet is a Lot of Work
Every kind of flooring on the market comes with it's own set of more labor-intensive annual maintenance requirements that go beyond normal weekly care, and this is true of carpeting as well. But aside from a annual or semiannual deep-cleaning, carpeting really isn't that bad to take care of. Vacuuming once a week and cleaning spills quickly as they come is about all that's required for most people. Not too shabby!
4. Carpeting is Bad for Your Health and the Environment
Plenty of customers are concerned about the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted by carpeting or the carbon footprint it leaves behind, but these days there are countless options for environmentally friendly, low VOC carpeting on the market. If you do your research and work with the right flooring expert, you can easily find a guilt-free carpeting option.
5. Allergy Sufferers Should Avoid Carpeting
People who suffer from allergies don't always like the idea of carpeting because carpet fibers attract and trap allergens. This is true, but it's not always a bad thing. Having those allergens (hair, dust, pollen, etc.) in your carpet means having them out of the air, so carpet will actually help keep allergens at bay. Vacuuming regularly will help rid your carpet of them when you're ready. And if you're still worried that this won't be enough, you can always set up an air filter in the room to take care of what the carpet couldn't!