CARPET Carpeting is the flooring that most of us grew up with. While hardwood had been the norm for many years prior, during the second half of the 20th century carpet quickly overcame bare wood, covering our bedrooms, living rooms, and even creeping into dining and bathroom areas. While carpeting has fallen out of favor in recent years, and is not the ideal seller it once was, carpet does still has many positive qualities. These include the fact that it absorbs sound better than any other option on the market, making it nice if you have young children or pets. Speaking of young children, they tend to fall down a lot and carpet provides a much softer impact. It also retains heat better than a harder option, and is more comfortable to walk on when barefoot in general — both perks in colder environments. Finally, it is considerably less expensive than many other options at $2-15 per square foot according to the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA). There are drawbacks, perhaps most visible among them the difficulty of keeping carpeting clean. Every bit of food that is dropped and speck of dirt that is tracked into the house can get ground deep into the carpet if not immediately cleaned, and will prove reluctant to come back out. Pet stains can alter the color
66
Powered by FlippingBook