Why Laminate Flooring is a better choice than Carpet
When choosing the type of flooring in your home, you have several options. Depending on how old your current home is, you may already have either carpet or laminate in place. If you are on the fence, here are some great reasons to ditch your carpet for laminate flooring.
1. Aesthetic
Carpets have been going in and out of style since the late 1950’s when it first became a trend. While the jury is out on whether or not carpeting will be in vogue over the next decade, laminated floors are a classic and will always be trendy.
2. Laminate Has More Longevity
With proper care and occasional retouching, your laminate floors can stay in good condition for as long as 15-25 years, according to experts. Meanwhile, carpet has a lifespan of about ten years and may start showing signs of wear and tear after just four or five.
While minor damage to your laminate floor is often fixable, carpet unravels quickly at the slightest issue. In most cases, you cannot simply replace a part of your carpeted floor and hope that it’ll stop getting worse.
3. Laminate Is Easier to Clean
Vacuuming a carpet can leave much to be desired as you’ll have a bunch of dust flying around and some debris that won’t be picked up at all. For serious stains or a deep clean, you may need to steam clean or soak portions of your carpet at a time and wait for hours until it is dry. If you live in a more humid climate, you’ll need to run your air conditioner and dehumidifier on “high” until the carpet is dry.
Meanwhile, all you need to do to clean your laminate floor is a gentle sweep and a once-over with a damp mop. Once a year, you may decide to deep clean with a steamer, but that isn’t necessary unless you are dealing with a serious mess.
4. Carpets Are Magnets for Mold, Odor, and Debris
Carpets have millions of fibers where dust and debris can settle. What you typically pull out of your carpet with your vacuum cleaner is only a fraction of what can be hiding. This is especially true for carpets that are fluffy or fuzzy. If you live in a humid area, you also have to worry about mold. Once the carpet starts to mold, which can be caused by a spill that didn’t dry completely or simply a high level of humidity, the mold will proliferate.
In addition to mold and debris carpets are also odor absorbers. Whether you have pets in the home or prefer to enjoy the occasional hookah, your carpet will absorb the smell. While diligent airing and air fresheners will improve the smell of our home, it can be tough to completely get rid of the odor once it’s had a chance to soak into the carpet. Laminate, on the other hand, simply doesn’t have that problem.
5. Laminate Floors Let You See the Clean
Once you’ve cleaned a laminate floor, you’ll see its shining surface. With carpet, it will pretty much look the same unless you’ve had a serious spill that needs vacuuming. Moreover, it’s easier to remove stains from laminate than carpet.
6. Laminate Floors Are Hypoallergenic
Carpet can absorb mites, dust and other allergens causing flareups for both indoor and outdoor allergy sufferers. You may be getting away from the pollen that’s outdoors, but you’re also probably trekking a bunch into your carpet to bother you until you vacuum.
7. Pets and Children
Because carpet can get gross with messes, laminate is generally ideal for pets and children. Whether there’s been a bathroom accident or a food spill, your carpet isn’t likely to recover without intensive work on your part.
8. Laminate Flexibility When Decorating
A laminate flooring opens up any room to a variety of decorating possibilities and can serve as an inspiration for future endeavors and allows for the addition of rugs and small carpets in various areas of your home. Meanwhile, standard carpeting is usually uniform, so you’re stuck with one color.
9. Damaged Laminate is Easier to Fix
When the carpet goes, it goes fast. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to fix or reverse carpet damage. Laminate, on the other hand, is much easier to fix and finish in order to keep your floors looking in top shape.
10. Laminate Increases the Value of Your Home
Because laminate can be finished and creates a more elegant feel, having laminate flooring may actually increase the value of your home.
Resources— Home Guides, Floor Critics, Founterior
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