Why I love Carpet and Hate Hardwood Floors
81Carpet is your friend
- Critical Thinking: Beyond the Surface
This hub shares some common sense ideas to develop critical thinking skills that will benefit your life through good decision-making. Don't get caught off-guard by the liars and cheaters of this... - 5 weeks ago
- Clean Your Room! Tips for parents of special needs children
Do you cringe when telling your child to clean their room? Just getting my boys to think about cleaning their room is a chore in itself! We all know what happens next...the whining, the crying, the... - 5 weeks ago
- Visit Redding, California!
If you are planning a trip to Northern California, please be aware, it is not like the rest of California. It is beautiful, majestic, wild, and yet has a grip on city life that is comfortable, and... - 12 months ago
- The diet that "they" don't want you to know about!
Don't feel like reading one more word about losing weight and being disappointed? Okay, how about this? I just lost 72lbs. in 10 months. No, I didn't do Weight Watchers, or Jenny Craig, or South... - 13 months ago
- For Sale: The end of a Career
This hub is really an update to my previous hub entitled “Ashes to Ashes, What’s left of my business after the bust”. So, if you couldn’t tell from the title, I... - 23 months ago
- College for the Nontraditional Student: Me.
I feel like a hypocrite. I can justify my actions, but it still hurts to go against ten years of ranting that "you don't need college and expensive education to make it in life". I am a big... - 24 months ago
I simply do not understand why people nowadays are choosing hardwood floors over carpet for their homes. It seems that in every home show I watch, people are always acting like carpet is so undesireable and that hardwood is a must-have in flooring choices. Personally, I hate hardwood floors. I grew up with carpet and I love it. In fact, I currently live in a house with hardwood floors and I am miserable. I almost didn't buy the house because it had only hardwood floors throughout! I am praying that Santa Claus brings me carpet for Christmas. The floors are cold, and hard, and uncomforting. Noise rings through the house unmuffled. Dust bunnies roll across the floor unabashadly like sagebrush in old west movies. The furniture slides across the floor like a clumsy hockey player on ice. If you actually laid on the floor, you could see the film of dust, and the areas that are swept and unswept by foot traffic moving through the rooms. I love to stretch out on the floor and roll around with my kids, wrestling and tickling. But who wants to lay on cold hardwood and bang up your knees and elbows playing?
What's that? Buy an area rug you say? Ha! So you admit that carpet is needed for comfort! I find it ironic that most people who put in hardwood floors then immediately bring in a huge area rug to cover it up. It's silly to think that your allergies will be better off with hardwood, if all you are going to do is bring in big squares of carpet. You have to vacuum your area rug, the same as carpet. Plus with hardwood you have to mop, or steam clean, or polish or whatever, all the areas that aren't covered by area rugs. And, don't forget to push the furniture out of the way to clean all the dustbunnies that rolled under them. The dust is going to fall out of the air and onto whatever flooring surface you choose. If you can't live with dust and dander, you are going to have to clean frequently anyway, so why not have carpet?
At least with carpet you only have to vacuum. No mopping necessary. Dustbunnies don't have legs to crawl over carpet and underneath your furniture, so there is no extra work involved moving them out of the way. You can buy spot cleaners for carpets if you spill something and need to deep clean or get a stain out. Most importantly of all, carpet is comfortable. it gives a feeling of home and warmth. It doesn't let noise echo around a room. Its unpretentious. Carpet says, "I have a family, and I'm proud to serve them with comfort and softness to come home to." To me, hardwood and tile floors say, "my owners are too stuck up to ever lie on a floor, so I am just here to look beautiful. If you damage a hardwood floor it is a headache to fix. Replacing a board is not easy. Plus all the sanding, and buffing. Refinishing an entire floor is a difficult, lengthy, and expensive project. At least carpet is fairly cheap nowadays. You just rip it up and have the carpet layers come put in the new carpet and you're done.
Now I realize that there are areas of a home where hardwood and tile and vinyl make sense. Like in entry ways, hallways, bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms. Obviously, these are high traffic areas that punish carpets, and get dirty really fast or would be just too unsanitary for carpet. Solid flooring makes sense. But living rooms, dens, bedrooms, family rooms, should all have carpet. These are areas of the home where we relax, take our shoes off, and play. Carpet is the right choice for gving a sense of peace and rest to these favorite areas of a home. Carpet makes a home feel lived in, and not so much like a furniture museum.
People often say that they have chosen hardwood floors because they have pets and it is easier to keep clean. But I know that pets don't like hardwood either, for the many of the same reasons as me. My dogs liked our old house with its carpet better. They never lay on the floor anymore; always on the couch. One of my dogs won't even sit on it. She walks over and sits on the entry matt by the front door and watches me from there. They run through the house and slide when they try to stop. They have a hard time getting traction on it for a fast start. They jump down from my bed and hit the hard floor and act all stiff and sore. I sympathize with them. I hate the hardwood floors too. Sure they might be easier to clean pet messes off of, but really, the tradeoff isn't worth it. I would rather rub a mess out of a carpet for 20 min. than live without carpet.
So, I will be going against the flow of what's popular and trendy and say, in my book, carpet is more desireable and has a higher resale value to me than any other flooring choice. But that's just me and this is just my rant about my love of carpet!
My new carpet.
UPDATE: 3/16/11
I just wanted to tell my Hubpages friends that about three weeks ago, I finally got carpet for my house! This has been a two and a half year goal, and I finally got some money to buy a whole house-full of carpet! The State of California unexpectedly sent me a large check of child support arrears (that's another hub) from my ex's tax return, and I immediately bought $2,000 worth of 44 lb. weight carpet for the family room, 3 bedrooms and the hallway of my house. It is the thickest, softest carpet I have ever lived with and the best money I have every spent. It is a coffee and cream color and has a multi-tonal quality to hide dirt well, plus it compliments everything in my home. I am in love with my house all over again. I have become a homebody lately just enjoying the way it looks, the way it feels on my feet, and how quiet it has been around here too. And yes, for those of you wondering, it is at least five degrees warmer in my house also.
I am so happy with the results and so are my kids, and the dogs. The dogs couldn't believe it. I took them to my old groom shop to be babysat for the day, and it was of course a complete surpirse to them when they got home. My one itchy girl just rubbed and rubbed her belly on it. The other two ran in circles all over and rolled around in exctasy. My children wanted to know when they could spend the night on the new carpet for fun!
I did, of course, prepare for the worst and buy some spray-on carpet foam for "accidents" and I am glad I did. After a few weeks of having the new carpet, it had been raining for days in a row and the dogs tried to get away with peeing and pooping in the house. After throwing them outside for the rest of the day, I made quick work of the "mess" with my spray foam, and whala! - all better! I will cherish my carpet thank you, and the little messes every now and then are worth the effort of cleaning. I really don't mind at all! We do have a couple new rules around here also, like 1. NO shoes on the carpet. 2. NO food on the carpet. Ironically, my family doesn't seem to mind the tradeoff. You would think it was worth it or something. LOL.
I think the lesson here is that I will never torture myself again by buying a house that has hardwood floors where carpet should be. You know those signs in store windows that say "No shirt, no shoes, no service"? The next house I buy, I'm telling my realtor, "No carpet, NO SALE!"
I'm not kidding.
vote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
- Awesome (2)
- Beautiful (2)
- Interesting
CommentsLoading...
Thank you for putting this out there. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I hate hardwood floors. It has nothing to do with the dirt or cleaning methods. It's just better overall and makes more sense.
AMEN! Whole house hardwood isn't quite as bad as whole house ceramic tile. WHY OH WHY do people feel comfortable. The way I see it living without carpet is almost like living in an unfinished house. ..AND sorry but YES carpet is perfectly sanitary and with a good quality vacuum cleaner is less work than hard floors.
@Wooden floors, thank you!, Thanks for your response! It is true that each group has their reasoning, and I am glad you shared yours. Your opinion is the norm nowadays, so you have lots of company. Loving carpet is so unpopular that I wrote this hub just to see if there was anyone else who was with me! Glad you stopped by, and I hope you were able to get a "feel" for what it is that some of us love and enjoy about carpet. Take care, Mrs. Obvious
I found your blog through searching why carpets are so popular. I personally cannot stand carpeting and wanted to find out why anybody would want to live in a house with wall to wall carpets. Now I know and can only say I am awed at how different people's tastes can be.
I think carpets are very unhygienic. I like being able to wash my floors several times a year. I like having my area rugs for warmth and softness, but also being able to take them out for a good shake and wash them myself regularly.
I also think wooden floors look much MUCH nicer. It's not about being too stuck up to lie on the floor. I often sit on the floor watching telly etc. To me carpets look cheap, outdated and too often dirty. Even the well kept ones. Dust sticks to carpets and I still haven't found a vacuum cleaner that would effectively suck the dirt away from them. The worst thing is to find human hair all over, because it just doesn't come off no matter what you do.
But as I said, people have different tastes and there is no right or wrong. As long as we all are happy with our choices it doesn't matter what we put on our floors. I just wanted to explain why someone would hate carpeting, as I guess it is somewhat of a mystery to most of the people here. Didn't mean to offend anyone with my opinions!
Man ,I dig the psychadelic shag carpet !
YES! I'm not the only one who's perplexed by the sheer disgust that everyone seemingly feels toward carpet. I'm hoping that this ridiculous hardwood trend is just that--a trend. The ceramic tile trend from the '90s has (thankfully) faded, and maybe some day soon carpet will cycle back around to being in style once people realize it's so much more comfortable and sound-insulating.
AMEN AMEN AMEN... I thought I was the only one. I remember hardwood floors and I remember why we all covered them up! Cold, dusty, hard... it's like having a piece of furniture on the floor that must be dusted and washed regularly. While with carpets if you miss a day here or there it isn't all that noticeable. Hardwood belongs in cabins or boats... not in a warm, cozy HOME.
Yes, I HATE HARDWOOD FLOORS! I know hate is a strong word but it is the only word that properly describes how passionately I feel about this stupid, yuppie trend. Thank you so much for your post; I Googled "I hate hardwood floors" to see if I was the only one who feels this way and your site was the first to pop up.
Hardwood floors are cold, uncomfortable and a maintenance nightmare. My childhood home that I lived in until I was 5 had them and when we were shopping for our next home, I begged my parents to buy one house in particular (the next house we bought; now my own) simply because it had carpet throughout every inch. I have also been one to carpet over hardwood floors.
The house now does not have quite as much carpet as it originally did (this house even had wall-to-wall in the kitchen and bathrooms=no bueno) but it is still a good 85% carpet and will remain that way as long as I own it. I now have tile in both bathrooms, kitchen and hallways and I do not really care for its cold hardness but alas, I think most would agree that carpet in bathrooms and kitchens is kinda gross. The only other hard surfaces are the wetbar in the finished basement (parquet) and the utility/laundryroom which is just concrete although I do have a large, non-professionally installed remnant in the laundry area since this room floods once in a while.
All the rest is carpet and I LOVE IT! I am not so in love with the 18 year old, ugly, worn out berber throughout the upstairs (ranch house) but I just picked out 4 beautiful colors of shag carpeting that will replace what I have as soon as we complete some minor renovations in about a month. I cannot wait for my new carpet!
My hubby used to be a hardwood fan but I quickly converted him and I think he completely made the switch after checking out all the beautiful new carpets now on the market. Also, I think the trips back to my inlaws hardwood home made him realize how cold and hard to maintain hardwood is. Although carpet requires some general, common sense consideration, at least you do not have to worry about what touches then 24/7.
Congrats on your new carpet; it is really beautiful! It is also nice to know that there is one less horrid bare floor in the world.
As my grandma used to say "Upper class has carpet, lower class has wood". I know this is no longer true with the obscene prices they charge for the crap (hardwood is MUCH more expensive), I still feel it is pertinent and true in its own way.
I am not fond of tile and hardwood floors and do prefer carpet for sound muffling ability and comfort, however, that being said have you ever removed carpet after it has been in a home for a few years? Not a pretty sight! No matter how much of a clean freak you are there are creepy things living in your carpet. Very few vaccuum systems can totally deep clean to the degree we think they can. I have tile and hardwood and then area rugs in the places where I want sound muffling and the softness of carpet. I can remove and replace the area rugs much more frequently than I would ever consider replacing a room of carpet. A friend of ours used to install carpets for a living and interestingly there is not one room in his house that has wall to wall carpet. Areas rugs yes, carpet no. He was the one who suggested I might want to look more seriously at area rugs rather than carpet when we built. As far as alergies go, unless bare floors are mopped and vaccummed constantly dust or hair etc. is continually wisked into the air everytime you walk across the floor. So from an alergy standpoint carpets actually keep dust ect. trapped closer to the floor until vaccummed away. When people are considering flooring it is important that they consider all the issues. I know I hadn't thought about what lives in your carpet nor had I thought about dust going into the air when you walk on hardwood or tile floors. Lots to consider when it comes to flooring and for me several things I hadn't realized until it was brought to my attention by someone else.
If you can't keep hardwood floors clean, then you are never going to be able to keep carpet clean. The only difference is that the carpet will hide your lack of cleaning skills and hardwood floors show your laziness.
.
I hate hardwood floors with a passion if you love a clean house and don't want to wipe floors everyday don't have hardwood. Worst ever for pets scratches slobber then they need to be re done for a couple of thous dollars! They don't stay looking nice for long and your house will echo! Why do you think our gran parents covered theirs up with carpet as soon as they could! Instead of just vacuuming and then a occasional shampoo, i have to sweep, then swifter and around rugs that will leave marks around the rugs unless you lift them all every time you do your floors! Then orange glow so they keep some shine! Then sweep again to get what you missed, the vacume your rugs at the end because stuff will go onto them while you are doing floors! Its a huge job, give me carpet please!
I read a comment somewhere that hardwood floors were more "durable" Ha! Yeah right. They scratch super easily, and you're forever trying to make sure every bloody thing touching them is covered in felt, and god forbid you drop anything heavy or edged on the floor!
The only thing I think they have going for them is ease of cleaning.
I and an avid hardwood floor hater too!! You were so right about hardwood floor lovers being neat freaks(being that both the posters that were for it talked about sanitaryness.) I lived in an apartment with hardwood floors in it for 3 months and hated every single day of it. I hated it so bad that I actually had to move. I now live in an apartment with CARPET! After finally moving everything in to my new apartment I literally felt the stress melt away. NO more cleaning every single day so you can't see the dust. I would much rather that dust hide in the carpet and vacuum it up once a week. Unsanitary? Come on people a little bit of dust trapped in the carpet isn't gonna kill you...
I LOVE CARPET!!!
The reason why people don't like hard surface floors is because they don't want to be reminded of the dirt that's really there. Carpeting soaks it up so we can pretend that it's not.
Most countries all over the world don't have carpeting. They have carpets on hard floors.
I am 55 years old, and 25 years ago I bought an industrial carpet cleaner at the tune of about 1400$ because "Stanley Steamer" wasn't cutting it in my house.
I have spent probably two years of my life behind that machine through these years trying to clean carpets.
It is my opinion that carpet is grossly unsanitary and completely unfriendly for the environment. Not to mention how expensive it can become when having to be replaced every four or five years verses spending more up front for a hard surface.
Area rugs can easily be sent away to clean.
Just think of the junk that gathers beneath the baseboards that your friendly carpet cleaner doesn't get... disgusting.
Bottom line...I hate wall to wall carpeting.
It's unsanitary and wasteful.
Thanks Dave for stopping by. I am in love with my new carpet. I don't think it is nylon, I had to buy so much at once on a limited budget, so I went with thickness and a coloring that would hide dirt well. Next time (and when the kids are older) I may have more money to buy a more expensive type. I'll have to post a pic of my new carpet so you all can see it. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for this post. I thought I was the only person in the world who felt this way.
Carpet forever, hardwood never!
BTW, if you can swing it, single-filament nylon carpet is wonderful with pets (but expensive). It's really hard to stain, and because it's a single thread it doesn't come up in clumps in their claws.
all i can say is that i have had both carpet first ten pergo. the carpet was a joke. they are nothing but germ catchers. this floor is so worry free that I will never go back to carpet!!!!!!!!!!
thank you so much for this awesome article! It shows you have something most people don't these days...COMMON SENSE. Who wants to walk around on a cold, hard floor? Who wants to deal with the constant noise from a hard floor? I LOVE the warmth and comfort that carpet brings. I think there should be some sort of national government campaign against hardwood floors. I am dead serious.
Its the same as the war on drugs. People should not be allowed to let their stupidity destroy their quality of life with these damn floors.
Well folks I have now lived in my carpetless house for 2 and a half years. Santa has never put carpet in the budget, but I keep trying different area rugs. Sniff, sniff.
omg i just moved out of an house with no carpet. I lived there for a year, and hated it. My three boy's hated it also. My boy's love to wrestle, and could not do that. I slipped twice on that stupid floor. I will never live in a house without carpet again.
I agree!!!! I'm so happy to find someone who agrees with me on this. I am an allergy and asthma sufferer and the dust and crap just floats in the air and its IMPOSSIBLE to sweep it all up without it going everywhere!!!! I hate my hardwood floors. I want my carpet with a really good vaccuum. This place never feels clean, warm or cozy. Just dusty, cold and hard. Thanks for sharing my feelings.
@Joel, nice play on words! Thanks for stopping by guys, and for sharing your mutual disgust for the enemy... I mean hardwood floors. It warms my heart (I wish it were my feet) that you cared enough to add your support!
My parents recently built a new house with all hardwood flooring. When I moved in after college, I quickly realized that this floor is the worst. It echoes SO MUCH it's ridiculous. I totally agree with the irony of placing area rugs down on top of hardwood floors. That makes NO sense to me.
I'm glad I'm not alone in my hardwood hatred (:
You've con-
vinced me
Thank you Marc for agreeing with me! Nice to know I'm not standing on this pedestal all by myself!
I ABSOLUTELY HATE HARDWOOD FLOORS! I AM AN APARTMENT GOER/RENTER AND I CAN'T STAND THAT LANDLORDS ONLY INSTALL HARDWOOD CUZ ITS EASIER FOR THEM TO LET PEOPLE GO THEN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT TENANT WITH SLIGHT CLEANUP, THEY SAVE MONEY ON CLEANUP by $200.00+. I HATE IT, HARD + COLD + all my bodyparts hurt I can't stand it. It makes me feel as uptight as the people are that love hardwood (uptight people). Soft + cozy carpet tends to go with patient and easy going personalities. Fans of hardwood clearly have OCD and can easily be called neatfreaks.
iFigaro2u 37 hours ago
I agree, bare floorboards go with "trendy" design: angular furniture and houses made out of blocks of concrete that have all the charm of multi-story carparks. These are not homes.