Pros and Cons of Carpet Flooring

Carpeting is a popular flooring option. About half of homes in the United States have carpeting covering any of the floors. If it’s time to replace the flooring in your home, you should at least consider getting carpeting. Before making a decision, however, check out the pros and cons of carpet flooring.

Pros of Carpeting

There are a lot of benefits to carpeting. It’s softer than other types of flooring and is nicer to walk on first thing in the morning than a cold hardwood floor.

Carpet Is Soft

Carpet is pleasant to walk on with bare feet. It can be a nice flooring option for any room in which a lot of time will be spent on the floor. This can be a children’s playroom, a child’s bedroom, or a living room. Any room in which you want comfortable flooring, either for walking or for sitting, can benefit from carpeting.

Carpet Is Quiet

Hardwood flooring and other hard flooring options can be noisy when they’re walked upon. Carpeting softens any noise and can make walking through your house much quieter.

Carpet Is Warm

No one likes stepping onto a cold floor first thing in the morning. You don’t have to worry about that with carpet. Carpet insulates a floor better than other flooring types and retains heat for longer so that you won’t be stepping onto a cold carpeted floor.

Carpet Has Variety

When you install carpeting, you can choose from a wide variety of different colors and patterns. You can purchase carpeting in a greater spectrum of colors, from neutrals to bright colors. Carpeting may also come in patterns or different levels of thickness.

Cons of Carpeting

Carpeting does have some downsides as well as its benefits, just like any other type of flooring. Keep in mind both the pros and cons to make a decision regarding carpeting for your house.

Carpet Requires a Lot of Maintenance

A downside of carpeting is that it is a high-maintenance type of flooring material. You’ll need to regularly vacuum it in order to keep it clean of the dirt and dust that can accumulate. On top of that, if something spills on it, it’s a lot more work to get it out. You may also need to hire professional carpet cleaning services. Carpet isn’t necessarily higher maintenance than other types of flooring, however.

Carpet Can Get Water Damaged

Carpet is not waterproof. At best, it may be water-resistant if the carpet has specifically been engineered to have water-resistant fibers. However, water can still seep into a carpet and the backing underneath it. If this happens, then mold and mildew can grow underneath the carpet, causing a potential health hazard. Carpet is not the only type of flooring, however, to have a risk of water damage.