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"The other one had carpet on floors throughout and basic white kitchen appointments befitting a rental. It took about 4 months to sell. My sense was that the carpet was the culprit."
As others said, cleanliness and current trends lean towards solid floors.
Without seeing the house but knowing myself - the crappy kitchen is the bigger issue. Kitchen remodels are such a PIA.
I don't think we can blame this one on the millennials because I'm a Boomer and am done with carpet, as are nearly all my friends of similar age who built new homes in the last few years. Two friends built a new home and got engineered hardwood everywhere but bedrooms. In both cases, 3-4 years later, the upgraded carpet is showing bad signs of wear, while their hardwood looks great.
We selected a high quality laminate that looks like wood and put it throughout the entire house. It was a LOT more expensive than carpet, but it's scratch and damage resistant and should wear well. Not only do we both have allergies, but we live in an area with sandy soil and we go to the beach frequently and it's much easier to get the sand up. I also find it far easier to clean, remove dust and keep clean. We have a large area rug in two rooms - the master bedroom and the family room that can be replaced easily and inexpensively. So far, we're very happy with our decision.
Note there’s carpet and there’s carpet. When we purchased a year ago we ripped out the upstairs carpet and replaced it with new carpet.
Cheap high cut pile is usually olefin which doesn’t wear well or repel all stains. Wool looks and feels good but is the most expensive and prone to staining.
We went with a high end nylon in a Berber loop style. Not as soft as wool but very stain resistant and long wearing. Mid priced between olefin and wool.
There's cheap carpet and more expensive carpet, but it's all carpet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brave New World
Tiles, laminate or vinyl flooring are most appropriate for kitchens and bathrooms.
Wood is a good option for hallways and lounge areas, and comfortable quality carpeting is usually more appropriate for a bedroom.
Your preferences are not the same thing as "appropriate"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trekker99
Then why get hardwood floors if they are covered up with rugs?
they aren't covered from wall to wall, so you get to enjoy seeing both the hardwood floor and area rugs, which are usually a lot more interesting and decorative than carpeting and which can also be easily swapped out if they get stained or damage, or if you just want to change things up
Carpet is soft and warm, but the attraction for me ends right there. If not vacuumed frequently the fibers wear and you get mashed down traffic patterns, as well as stain traffic patterns. Spills on hard floors are easy to clean up, ever tried to clean tomato soup, or baked beans, out of an off-white carpet? I have. And pets stains are the worst! If you have a dog or cat have an accident in your house, OMG! You can clean it up, and weeks later it bleeds back up from the padding, over and over again. And you'll never get that smell out completely. I used a rug doctor machine (I own it, didn't rent it) 4 times on a dog pee stain. I used enzyme cleaner, OxyClean at least 3 times, Spot Shot, Woolite, you name it. A few weeks later, here comes that yellow stain, back once again to mock me.
Yeah, I'll take a hard floor made of tile, or wood, or vinyl tile, etc. Throw rugs are warm and can be easily cleaned, or replaced to update the decor every couple years.
Two houses recently sold around the corner from me provide a test case. As for the exterior, layout, and build quality they were identical, built at the same time, I think around 2000ish.
But on the interior, one was updated circa 2013-14 or so, one was not. The updated one had ripped out the carpet, put in wood, or some kind fake wood floors, and put in modern kitchen finishings including fashionable hard counter surface and backsplash, stainless appliances. A few other aesthetic touches here and there.
That one sold within 2 weeks.
The other one had carpet on floors throughout and basic white kitchen appointments befitting a rental. It took about 4 months to sell. My sense was that the carpet was the culprit.
When I sold my old house, the first thing the new owners did was rip the carpet out with a vengeance. They were a young couple around 30, newly married. I drove by like 2 days after we closed, and the carpet remnants were all out in the yard, lol. I don't know why Millennials hate carpet so much but boy do they ever hate it.
I’m not a millennial and I hate carpet. I think it’s a personal preference thing not an age thing.
I actually miss linoleum flooring over hardwood. Linoleum is easier to keep up (wet mop for instance) and cheaper and easier to replace in times of water damage. I like the idea of certain rooms being carpeted or at least having an area rug. Without padded carpet our dog can’t get a good traction to jump on the bed nor safely jump off the bed (8 lb female chihuahua) like at our previous carpeted home. That brings up another good feature of carpet, padding. When someone with mobility and bone/joint issues falls on padded carpeting they’re less likely to develop a serious injury.drop a mug on hardwood floor backed by concrete and it breaks. Drop a glass on padded carpet backed by concrete and you have a dirty glass to wash and reuse.
I am a senior, but I hate vacuuming, plus carpet shows every bit of lint if it is medium- or dark-colored, and every bit of dirt if it is light colored. Also, all the carpet we have used started showing its age and getting slightly stretched in only about five years. And, as others have said, carpet and pets usually don't mix very well. (We have ceramic tile on our entire first floor and carpet on the stairs and upstairs bedrooms, but we will have high-end wood-look vinyl planks in all rooms of our new home.)
When my parents moved into their first house 50 years ago, they ripped out the ugly green and orange carpets. Gotta love the 70's! Underneath were beautiful hardwood floors. They didn't even need much sanding. My father touched them up, sealed them simply.
And they look even more beautiful 50 years later. Perfect.
In the midwest, seasonal weather and lots of snow = no shoes in the house. Mom's orders. So we kids buffed those floors with our socks for years and years.
Occasionally area rugs would be added. Eventually they were taken away when they became tripping hazards as my parents aged.
The hardwood floors are still just beautiful.
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