When it comes to home decor, trends come and go. Preferences for carpet versus hardwood floors have ebbed and flowed over the decades, but there are benefits to both types of flooring. Though hardwood, laminate and other hard surfaces certainly have pros, carpet is a great option for many reasons:
Warmth & Insulation
No one wants to step on a cold floor in the middle of the night on the way to the bathroom or on a chilly morning. Carpet provides a cozy, warm place to land for bare feet on frosty evenings and early winter days. In addition to the warmth on your toes, it also adds another layer of insulation to the carpeted rooms in your home, keeping the heat inside where it belongs. The best part? Cost savings for you on the electrical bill.
Safety
If you have kids in your home, you know they are prone to slipping and falling as they race around the coffee table or down the stairs. Carpet is naturally slip-resistant, making it a great way to minimize that risk — and keep those ER trips to a minimum. The same is true for elderly adults or people with limited mobility. The carpet, when installed properly, keeps slip-and-fall incidents at bay. It’s important to note that particularly for this group of people, rugs do not provide the same benefit. In fact, they greatly increase the risk of falls due to the edges getting caught on mobility devices, folding over, and causing people to trip or slide out from underfoot.
Noise Reduction
The fibers in carpet have been proven to absorb sound at varying rates depending on the style you choose. Sound waves bounce off of hard surfaces, so adding soft textures like carpet and drapes to your home cuts down on noise pollution. Studies have shown broadloom carpet typically reduces noise by 35 percent. With an underlay, that rate nearly doubles to 65 percent. This can be particularly helpful as many of us have shifted to a work-from-home model after COVID-19 emerged. Noise can be a major distraction or even disturb important calls.
Comfort
Certainly one of the most prominent benefits of carpet is the comfort factor. It’s much more inviting as a surface for children to sit and play or pile on for a movie night, plus it minimizes the aches and pains some people experience after standing on hard surfaces for extended periods of time. If you tend to suffer from joint or back pain, carpet — especially with significant padding underneath — can alleviate those issues.
Cost
In most cases, carpet is a cost-effective option for flooring in your home. On average, carpet will cost about $3-5 per square foot, whereas hardwood flooring can cost about $12-16 per square foot. While there are certainly rooms in your home in which hard surfaces make the most sense, the lower cost plus all the additional benefits make carpet an easy choice for areas like bedrooms and living spaces.
If you’re wondering if carpet is a good option for your home, we’d love to talk to you more about your needs. Give us a call any time or send us a message here.
